New research is offering a scientific explanation for two of Jesus Christ’s most famous miracles, but for those who stand on the Word of God, no human theory is needed to affirm what Scripture has already declared.
The New York Post reports the study focused on the “Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes” and the “Miraculous Catch of Fish.” Both events took place on the Sea of Galilee, also called Lake Kinneret in Israel.
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The Gospels record that Jesus fed around 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. In another account, He instructed His disciples to cast their nets after a night of catching nothing and they pulled in more fish than the boats could carry. These miracles are not legends but eyewitness accounts recorded in all four Gospels.
Researchers, however, attempted to explain what happened through natural causes. “The theory is strong winds churned the lower levels of water, depriving them of oxygen and suffocating the fish,” the Irish Star reported. “This would have caused the fish to float to the surface, providing an ideal opportunity to net them as they lay dead in the water.”
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Yael Amitai, one of the researchers, said, “The Sea of Galilee is a stratified lake. The upper layer is warm and oxygenated, while the lower layer is cold and lacks oxygen. When a strong westerly wind blows, it pushes the upper warmer layer of water from the lake’s west to the east, where it piles up, pressing on the existing water. In the west of the lake, water from the lower layer rises. In this way, fluctuations called internal waves are created in the water profile,” according to The Times of Israel.
Ehud Strobach, a climate researcher from the Volcani Institute, added, “Using observations from the monitoring program in the Sea of Galilee, we created short 3D lake simulations for two fish kill events. These simulations indicate the initiation of internal waves and upwelling of cold anoxic (oxygen-poor) water into the surface at the location and time of the fish kill events.”
The study also speculated on timing: “As for when the event took place, it seems quite clear that the alleged ‘miracle,’ the only one recorded in all four gospels, most likely happened in late spring to early summer,” the report said.
The Truth of God’s Word
While scientists search for explanations, the Bible makes clear that these were not accidents of nature but true miracles performed by the Son of God. John 6:14 records the crowd’s response after the feeding of the 5,000: “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Jesus demonstrated His divine power by providing abundantly where there was nothing, proving He is Lord over creation. These signs, along with healing the sick, raising the dead, walking on water and ultimately His resurrection, reveal Him as the Messiah.
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As John 20:31 declares, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
No scientific model can replace the testimony of Scripture. The miracles happened exactly as the Bible records, and they continue to point all of history to the truth of Jesus Christ.
James Lasher is staff writer for Charisma Media.
