Den mirakelgörande Messias: En undersökning av underverkens roll i Matteus skildring av Jesus som den judiske Messias

Sammanfattning: For the early Jesus movement Jesus' messianic identity was of great importance. This description of Jesus as the Messiah is something that permeates the whole Gospel of Matthew. In Mt 8-9, Matthew has a massive depiction of Jesus' immense power through the stories of nine miracles. It is the portrayal of this miracle-working Messiah I examine in this essay. It is generally accepted that a Messiah who would cast out demons and heal people from diseases was not expected. At the same time the Gospel of Matthew testifies of being written by a Jewish author in a Jewish context. So, what role do the miracles play in Matthew’s description of Jesus as the Messiah? In what way was Matthew's presentation of Jesus as the miracle-working Messiah relevant in his Jewish context? And how is the prophecy which is quoted in Matthew 8:17 used to confirm Jesus' healing ministry? In my investigation I have found that a general expectation of healing in the eschatological kingdom of God may have constituted a factor of recognition in Matthew's description. Moreover, there were some expectations of miracles in the tradition associated with an eschatological prophet and it is even possible to find indications of miracles in texts about the Davidic shepherd king, inspired by Ez 34. To this, Matthew inserts evidence from Scripture and by a skillful interpretation process he delineates Jesus as a miracle-working Messiah. My conclusion is that the tradition and understanding of Scripture was enough for Matthew to present a miracle-working Messiah who was rationally supported and relevant in his Jewish context.