"Thomas Jefferson and Miracles" - by Rev. Weldon Bares
Have you ever heard of the Jefferson Bible? This was something that Thomas Jefferson put together in 1820.
Jefferson had a deep respect for the moral teachings of Jesus. He admired the ethics, the wisdom, and the call to love your neighbor.
But that is where he drew the line. Anything that pointed to the supernatural, anything that could not be explained by reason alone, he would not accept. So, with a razor in his hand, he went through the Gospels and cut out every miracle.
He cut out the healings. He took away the raising of Lazarus. He razored out the story of Jesus walking on water and the multiplying of the loaves and fish. And most important, the resurrection of Jesus was also eliminated. What remained was a slim volume, about 84 pages. It is formally known as “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth.”
The Jefferson Bible in its entirety is available for anyone to see, page-by-page, on the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s website.
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines a miracle as, “an extraordinary and astonishing happening that is attributed to the presence and action of a supernatural or divine power.”
Very simply, when you cut out the miraculous, the Bible becomes very short because the Bible is a book of miracles from cover to cover. The Bible is not just a book of good teachings; it is a story of divine action.
I personally believe in the miracles of the Bible with all of my heart. I believe that even today, God still works miracles. The story is not finished. Somewhere, even right now, God is doing what only God can do.
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