Jesus' Best and Most Important Miracle

The Church says that Jesus used miracles to prove that he was speaking the truth about what God had told him to say.

The Bible says he fed the 5000+ crowd with a few loaves and fish which he multiplied. But the Bible also says he fed them because he felt terrible about them being hungry. So was it a sign or not? The Christians say it was both a sign and an act of compassion. It could have been a sign as well but there is still a problem. He did the miracle to feed the people as well as a sign. This contradicts the view that God will not do miracles for any reason other than signs because any other reason implies he makes mistakes in the way he has organised the world. The Church teaches that since God makes all things and holds them in existence and is almighty that even those who defy his will to sin can’t get out of his plan. This is the doctrine of divine providence and sovereignty. So if Jesus did the miracle to feed the people then providence failed. The Church will say that it was providence that worked the miracle. But still Jesus refused to feed them like God feeds everybody without a miracle. He ended up having to change nature to satisfy his desire to feed them.

In Matthew 12:39 Jesus states that the only sign he will give that faithless generation is the sign of Jonah meaning that as Jonah was three days and three nights in the fish so Jesus would be three days and three nights in the grave and rise again. How does that fit the gospel claim that Jesus did a more public miracle than the resurrection which was only seen by a few? The Christians resort to saying that all miracles barring the resurrection were not done as signs but because Jesus was gripped by the desire to alleviate terrible suffering. But the Bible says nothing happens without God's consent so there can be no such thing as God having to do something miraculous if people are suffering. God can cure the sickness without sending Jesus to do it and why does he wait until Jesus says so? He wouldn't if people need intervention. Some say that from Matthew 12 on Jesus was saying there would be no more signs meaning the things he did before that were in fact signs. Matthew does not hint that this interpretation is correct or even possible and the gospels speak of signs right up to when Jesus was nailed to the cross.

Jesus said his miracle of his rising from the dead was his supreme sign and his supreme miracle and the miracle that along with the cross brings salvation to sinners. Jesus’ food miracle then if it happened was a better miracle than the resurrection. At least people saw the miracle happening and had more to go on than resurrection apparitions and they were more numerous than the handful that saw the visions. The miracle then would therefore cast doubt on the divine origin of the resurrection. It would mean that Satan was behind it in the hope of making God look a fool. Incidentally, Jesus’ exorcisms then would not be credible signs of divine action in the world.