Most New Testament critics today admit Jesus performed what we would call miracles. Granted, they may not all believe these were genuine miracles, but the idea of Jesus of Nazareth as a miracle worker and exorcist is part of the historical Jesus that’s generally accepted by critics today.
Rudolf Bultmann, who is recognized as one of the most skeptical New Testament critics of the last century, wrote:
The Christian fellowship was convinced that Jesus had done miracles and they told many stories of miracles about him. Most of these stories contained in the Gospels are legendary or are at least dressed up with legend. But, there can be no doubt that Jesus did such deeds, which were, in his and his contemporaries’ understanding, miracles; that is to say, events that were the result of supernatural divine causality. Doubtless he healed the sick and cast out demons.
Have you ever seen a stage hypnotist give water to someone they’ve put in a trance and then suggest to them that they were drinking wine? They smack their lips, get giddy and start to feel intoxicated, as though they were swigging cheap Bordeaux.
British author Ian Wilson has raised the possibility that Jesus may have been a master hypnotist, which could explain the supposedly supernatural aspects of his life. For instance, hypnosis could account for his healing of lepers, his exorcisms and his transfiguration, during which three of his followers saw his face glow and his garments shine as white as light (see Matthew 17:1–2). As evidence, Wilson cites the modern example of a 16-year-old boy whose serious skin disorder was inexplicably healed through hypnotic suggestion.
Perhaps Lazarus wasn’t really brought back from the dead (see John 11:1–44). Couldn’t he have been in a deathlike trance induced by hypnosis? As for the resurrection, Jesus “could have effectively conditioned [the disciples] to hallucinate his appearances in response to certain pre-arranged cues (the breaking of bread?) for a predetermined period after his death,” according to Wilson.
