his fellow-townspeople; but he does not respond by winning the argument through miracles. There are, we are told, a few unobtrusive healings, but that is all; no spectacle. So once again, miracle is being put into perspective. It’s being taken for granted that Jesus is indeed a healer and an exorcist and that the miracles he performs are real. But what Jesus himself refuses to do is to base his authority on ‘signs and wonders’. The story about the paralysed man is very telling in this respect. It