The Miracles of Jesus
The message from the Gospel is that Jesus is the Son of God, and that believing in Him is the path of eternal life. In the New Testament, the Gospels present the life of Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise to humans. Through His words and His miracles, Jesus proved he was the Son of God: He performed exorcisms, healings, resurrections… Let us discover the signs and prodigies of the Lord as described in the Gospels.
What Is A Miracle?
The word miracle is used in the Gospels to translate the Greek words “dunamis” and “semeion” which respectively mean “power, strength” and “sign, mark, token.” When the Bible mentions miracles, it refers to the ”wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God's.” A miracle is an unprecedented event, which changes the course of history. The definition of the word “sign” is pretty close to the notion of miracles, it is something that distinguishes a person or a thing from others, by which they are recognized.
Miracles Help Us Understand Jesus
“Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” (John 10-38). The purpose of the miracles of Jesus was to help its witnesses believe that Her is the Son of God.
The Ministry and Miracles of Jesus
The First Miracle of Jesus
The first miracle of Jesus happened during the wedding at Cana. Jesus and His mother Mary were guests, and when He learned that there was no wine left, Jesus changed the water into wine and saved the wedding reception.
Healings
Jesus was an extraordinary physician in the Gospels: He healed the sick with only His words. The Psalms describe the wonders of the Lord as such: “He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.” (Psalm 107: 20). Jesus did exactly that by healing the blind, the paralytic, the lepers… He did more than heal the bodies of humans: He also mended their broken hearts. Many stories in the Bible recount how Jesus forgave the sins of humans, allowing them to live a new life. One can take the story of the Samaritan woman or the story of the woman taken in adultery as an example.
The Deliverance Ministry
Jesus also expelled evil influences. One of His most impressive works is known as the Miracle of the Gadarene Swine, or the exorcism of Legion (Marc 5: 1-15). Mary Magdalene also benefited from Jesus’ deliverance ministry, as it is written in the Bible: “and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out” (Luke 8: 2).
Resurrections
According to the Gospels, Jesus raised three people from the dead: Jairus’ daughter, Lazarus and the widow of Nain’s son. Jesus Himself was raised from the dead after dying on the Cross.
Bending the Laws of Nature
Throughout His life on earth, Jesus defied the laws of nature: He walked on water, changed water into wine, calmed a storm, cursed a fig tree for not bearing fruit (which caused it to dry out)…
Miracles in the Name of Jesus Christ
In the Acts of the Apostles
“After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16: 19-20).
After Jesus ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, His disciples continued to preach the Good News, and they performed miracles in His name. The Acts of the Apostles recount how Peter’s influence helped convert around 3000 people, and how a strong faith in the Lord helped the Apostles Philip, Paul, Stephen, and many others perform miracles such as healing a paralytic man, and more!
The Disciples of Jesus
The Word of God reminds us that: “the student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” (Luke 6: 40). We are all called to believe that God still manifests Himself today through His wondrous works. Jesus said: “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16: 17-18).
