How do we know Jesus was actually working miracles and not using tricks a modern day magician would use?

[ynotzap]

Because they were endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit when Christ comissioned them to go out to the four corners of the earth and preach the Gospel One of these gifts was the Discernment of spirits. eg. Act l3:6-13 Paul caused Elymas the magician to go blind, he called him “You son of the devil…you enemy of all that is right, full of all sorts of deceit and fraud, will you not stop twisting the straight paths of the Lord?” There is the case of Simon the Magician who wanted to buy the power demonstrated by the Apostles, and he was reprimanded by St. Peter. The Holy Spirit enlightened the Apostles with grace which gave them power and understanding of the truths of their faith, and the works of the devil, and even power over the devil the Father of lies and deceit, and murder.

 

[St_Francis]

Sorry for being unclear. I wished to know why you believe Christ’s disciples two thousand years ago could not have been duped by magic tricks which looked like miracles.

First, because many of the miracles did not look like prestidigitation. Raising people from the dead, curing blindness, deafness, and leprosy, and feeding 5000 people are quite different from the types of magic tricks people do for entertrainment.

Second, because several of the Apostles were hardnosed businessmen; not naive innocents.

 

[tonyrey]

On what basis do you consider it unlikely that the twelve apostles and Christ’s other followers (surely most of whom had little to no education) could have been able to discern the difference between supernatural miracles and natural magic tricks?

The life, death and teaching of Jesus are sufficient evidence that He wasn’t an impostor because they have proved to be the greatest source of inspiration known to mankind:

“By their fruits you shall know them…” - Jesus