The Astonishing Miracles of Jesus Christ

In the article, “Why Christians Believe the Bible,” we presented arguments which establish that the words in the Biblical manuscripts which we have today are essentially the same as those in the original manuscripts and therefore are reliably the same as when God spoke them through his chosen writers. In other words, the Bible has not been corrupted. It has been preserved by God so that when we read it, we can do so with the confidence that we are reading the very words which God himself gave to us.

We also believe that when God speaks, he speaks truth and we can rely on his words and promises. We see evidences of this truth in fulfilled prophecies and in archaeological discoveries which confirm the accuracy of the Bible.

Further, we have presented arguments that the writers of the Bible are themselves truth tellers who gave eye-witness testimony about what they saw and heard. Therefore, we believe that the passages describing the miracles of Jesus are accurate records of events that actually occurred. This being so, and since the nature of the miracles recorded are beyond any human capacity to perform, we conclude that God himself performed these miracles.

Thus, the presence of actual miracles in the Bible is an indication that God is at work, not only revealing his miracle authority but also speaking his eternal truth. The miracles are a testimony that the prophets in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ and his disciples in the New Testament who did miracles are truly sent from God, and their written words are truly the Word of God. The miracles therefore validate the spoken words of Jesus Christ and the written words of the Bible writers as being Divinely inspired.

Miracles are Possible! For those who wonder if miracles are possible, we want to say this. They are possible because there is a God who spoke the universe into being, creating matter, energy, space, and time as well as the laws of physics and biology. Because he is outside his universe and superior to it, he can intervene at will and alter the laws he has established and do what we call miracles. See the article on this website, “Why Christians Believe in God” for evidence for the existence of the God who created the universe.

In the Gospel of John, seven miracles are presented which confirm the Deity of Christ. Please note the use of three words to describe these events. Miracle refers to the event itself and the power of the one doing it. Wonder refers to peoples’ emotional response of wonder and awe inspired by the event. Sign refers to the meaning or teaching implied by the event. The first miracle presented in John is turning water into wine.

1. Jesus Turns Water into Wine

Jesus, his disciples, and his mother attend a wedding in Cana of Galilee. On the third day of a seven day wedding celebration, the host runs out of wine. Mary, the mother of Jesus, tells Jesus about the problem, suggesting that he can provide a remedy. In that day, running out of wine at a wedding was a serious social offence and Mary did not want the host family embarrassed. Jesus tells the servants to fill six stone jars with water, each holding from 20 to 30 gallons. Then he tells them to draw the liquid out of them and take it to the master of ceremonies to drink. When he drinks, he exclaims that this is the “best wine” served during the wedding. John 2:1-10.

Why does Mary come to Jesus for help? I think its because she knows who he is and what he can do. How does she know this? Perhaps it was because of the Angel’s announcement to her about Jesus’ birth. Perhaps she and Jesus had conversations over the years which revealed his Deity and ability to do miracles. And perhaps Jesus had done miracles in the household where he grew up – we don’t know this, it’s clearly speculation – but somehow Mary knows Jesus can do extraordinary acts and she is asking for something like this to happen. I believe her request is a testimony to her belief in his Deity.

The Miracle: What does Jesus do when he changes water to wine? He takes a lifeless substance, water, and transforms it into a biological by-product, wine. He changes the molecular structure of water into that of wine! He shows he has authority over physical matter and over biological material.

Normally, wine making requires preparing the soil, planting the vine, nurturing it to maturity, watering and fertilizing it, picking grapes, removing stems and leaves, crushing the grapes, moving the skins-juice-seeds to an air-tight container, allowing fermentation to take place, removing the solid particles, and putting the wine into containers. Jesus bypasses this entire process. He changes the water into wine immediately! He does a Creative act! He gives evidence of his Deity!

The Lesson: And what does this incredible miracle teach us beyond the amazing power of Jesus? Think about it. If Jesus can change the properties of physical nature, he can also transform human nature. And, if Jesus made the “best wine,” he can make our lives the best also. No matter how badly we may be damaged, he can change us so that “the best” becomes a reality in our lives.

2. Jesus Heals the Official’s Son

Again, we find Jesus in Cana of Galilee. “And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick in Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.” John 4:46-47. NIV. The man said, “’Sir, come down before my child dies.’ Jesus replied, ‘You may go. Your son will live.’

“The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.’ Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and all his household believed.” John 4:49-53. NIV.

The Miracle: What does Jesus do here? He heals a boy with a fever, who is close to death. If the fever was caused by a bacterial infection, Jesus had to kill the bacteria and then restore proper functioning of all the systems of the body. This alone is amazing because he accomplishes this merely by saying, ‘Your son will live.’ Even more incredible is the fact that he did it at a distance! The boy was probably a day’s journey away from where Jesus was. This healing by speech alone and at a distance of perhaps 15 to 20 miles is the kind of thing that only Deity can do.

The Lesson: What does this miracle teach us? Jesus can prevent death. He has authority over life and death. Also, he can touch our lives to heal, help, assist, or enable us from his place in heaven. He can answer prayer! He can renew life in us when troubles come. He can rescue us from tragedy, deprivation, illness, or any other difficulty. He is LORD over life and death!

3. Jesus Heals a Man by the Pool of Bethesda

At a pool in Jerusalem called Bethesda, “a great number of disabled people used to lie – the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’

“‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’ (Their tradition was that when an angel stirred the water, the first person to get in would be cured.) Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” John 5:3-9. NIV.

The Miracle: Here Jesus cures a man who is lame or paralyzed and who has not walked in 38 years! In order to walk, this man needed the repair and/or regrowth of muscles, tendons, nerves, blood vessels, and more; he needed the impartation of strength into atrophied muscle tissues; he needed to be able to balance himself. He probably once walked, because Jesus said to him after he was healed, ‘See, you are well again.” Whatever he needed in order to walk, Jesus gave it to him. The effects of whatever injury or illness that happened 38 years before, were now erased!

Jesus took pity on this man out of kindness and love. How did he do the healing? He spoke! He merely said, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ The cure was instantaneous. The man walked immediately. Here again, this is something that only God can do.

The Lesson: Now what can we learn from this story? We see in the story that Jesus has power over chronic illness and physical frailty. This suggests that Jesus also has authority over moral weakness and moral corruption in our lives. He, as our Savior, can give us a heart’s desire to do what is right; and he can also be present with us, enabling us to actually do what is right, daily.

4. Jesus Feeds the 5,000

“Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of galilee…and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.” John 6:1-2. NIV. “When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, ‘Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’

 “Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted, He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

 “After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’” John 6:5-14. NIV.

The Miracle: What’s the miracle? Bread and fish are multiplied from enough to feed one boy to enough to feed more than 5,000 people. (Matthew 14:21 tells us that in addition to 5,000 men, there were also women and children present, so the total could have been eight to ten thousand!)

We know that making bread requires flour, yeast, water, salt, and oil, if leavened. After these ingredients are mixed, the bread needs time to rise. Then it must be kneaded and baked. It takes about two hours to bake a loaf of bread. Fish lay eggs which hatch into tiny fish who have to grow to maturity over a period of months. Jesus created instant bread and instant fish! Only God can do this. This was a creative act which bypassed the normal formation of these foods.

The Lesson: Jesus multiplied food to feed hungry people. This suggests that he can supply spiritual nourishment for hungry souls. He is the Bread of Life! Just as Moses, through God’s provision, supplied manna (food) and water in the desert for Israel, so Jesus supplies eternal life and spiritual nourishment for all who believe in Him.

The spiritual hunger which we all have – for existential meaning, for a reason to live, for real love, for forgiveness, for acceptance, for belonging, for mercy and grace – for God – can be satisfied by Jesus Christ! This is the primary lesson we learn from this miracle.

Also he took a few pieces of bread and fish and turned them into an abundant supply (12 baskets were left over). This gives us hope that he can make “much” of our personal limitations and despite such limitations use us to glorify his name. Our part is to give him all we have; he then can multiply that to create abundance in our lives and in the lives of those we touch.  This is another lesson taught by this miracle. 

5. Jesus Walks on Water

“When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the water grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.” John 6:16-21. NIV.

The Miracle: And what is the miracle here? Jesus walks not on rocks, not on the beach, not on soil; he walks on water! But the molecular structure of water doesn’t allow that. Water is a liquid. When an object is pushed against water, the water gives way. Objects with density greater than water sink. To accomplish this miracle, Jesus had to change the molecular structure of water to support his weight with each step he took across the lake – and he had walked for three to three and a half miles on the water! He altered the physical laws that define the properties of water as he walked. Who is able to do this? Only God!

The Lesson: Just as Jesus can alter physical laws in nature to accomplish his purpose, so he controls spiritual laws which affect our eternal destiny. After dying, we will face Jesus Christ. He will make judgments about our lives and decide our fate. There will be rewards for some; there will be punishments for others. He makes the rules; he decides. We do not. We must submit to his requirements if we are to spend eternity with him in heaven.

When the Jews asked, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One he has sent.” John 6:28-29. NIV. They were looking for something to do – good works of some sort. Jesus tells them to believe. In other words, salvation is a gift! To be accepted by God, a person must receive this gift by humbling themselves, trusting in Christ as Savior, and submitting to him as Lord. This is what God requires.

6. Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As Jesus and his disciples were walking along, he saw a man who was blind from birth. The disciples wondered if the man was blind because of his sins or the sins of his parents. Jesus replied that sin was not the cause, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” John 9:3. NIV. “Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the pool of Siloam’…. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing. 

“His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, ‘Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?’ Some claimed he was. Others said ‘No, he only looks like him.’ But he himself insisted, ‘I am the man.’ ‘How were your eyes opened?’ they demanded. He replied, ‘The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.’” John 9:6-11. NIV.

Later, the Pharisees (religious leaders) summoned the man and asked him how he gained his sight. When he told them, they criticized Jesus for violating the Sabbath, calling Jesus a sinner. The man replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” John 9:25. NIV. They kept arguing with the man, who responded again, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” John 9:31-33. NIV.

After that, Jesus found the man and revealed himself to him, whereupon the man believed in and worshiped Jesus. Then Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” John 9:39. NIV.

The Miracle: Jesus made eyes that had never seen into eyes that could see. We don’t know exactly what was wrong with them; it could have been the lenses, the corneas, the macula, the optic nerves, or something else. But the idea of genetic blindness suggests the man’s eyes or some parts of his eyes never formed properly.

To fix this condition, a creative act was required. The blind eyes had to grow into fully functioned eyes. The man needed new eyes that worked. This is what Jesus gave him. Who can do this? Only God. Jesus is Lord over biological formation and function!

The Lesson: And what do we learn from this healing? If Jesus can give physical sight, he can give spiritual sight to those who humble themselves before God and admit their need. However, those who fail to acknowledge their need for God because they are locked into a prejudicial attitude of self-sufficiency, will remain spiritually blind. All of us need spiritual insight to understand the things of God. When we approach Jesus humbly, he will give this to us.

7. Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

Jesus had become friends with Mary, her sister Martha, and their brother, Lazarus, who lived about two miles from Jerusalem in Bethany. The sisters sent word to Jesus that their brother was sick. “When Jesus heard this, he said, ‘This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.’ Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. Then he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’” John 11:4-7. NIV.

Jesus went on to tell his disciples, “’Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.’ His disciples replied, ‘Lord if he sleeps, he will get better.’ Jesus had been speaking of his death, but the disciples thought he meant natural sleep. So then he told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.’” John 11:11-15. NIV.

“On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days…and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him…. ‘Lord,’ Martha said to Jesus, ‘if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.’

“Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha answered, ‘I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ‘Yes Lord,’ she told him, ’I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.’” John 11:17-27. NIV.

Then Martha went back home and told her sister, Mary, that Jesus had arrived and was asking for her. Mary went to Jesus and said, “‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ‘Where have you laid him?’ he asked. ‘Come and see, Lord,’ they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’” John 11:32-36. NIV.

Jesus “came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ‘Take away the stone,’ he said. ‘But Lord,’ said Martha, the sister of the dead man, ‘by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.’ Then Jesus said, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go.’” John 11:38-44. NIV.

“Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.” John 11:45. NIV.

The Miracle: Lazarus, a man who died and was dead long enough for his body to begin to decay, is brought back to life and he is just fine. The tissues in this man’s body had to be restored to healthy, living, fully functioning tissue. The heart had to be restarted, the blood reconstituted, the brain function restored, and on and on. It took a creative act to make this man’s body live again. This miracle shouts out, magnifies, and loudly proclaims the Deity of Christ, because only God can do such things.

Lessons: What do we learn from this amazing story? If Jesus can raise a dead, decayed body to life, then he can give eternal life to those who trust in him. Also his words imply that at the future resurrection, he will give believers an imperishable, perfect, holy body for all eternity.

Death is not a controlling factor for Christians, because Jesus tell us that “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” John 11:25. NIV. So, when our body dies, our spirit will continue living, and we will be taken into the care and presence of God. Paul comments on this in Philippians, saying “For me to live is Christ, and to die gain.” Philippians 1:21. KJV. He also says, “I desire to depart (die) and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.” Philippians 1:23,24. NIV.” Death is not a terror to believers. Jesus has overcome death!

In John 14 Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3. NIV. We can trust him to take us and our loved ones safely over to the other side when we die.  

In addition to the seven miracles in the Gospel of John, we present three more notable miracles which confirm the Deity of Christ.

8. Jesus Calms the Storm

“Then he (Jesus) got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ’Lord save us! We’re going to drown!’ He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, ‘what kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’” Matthew 8:23-27. NIV.

The Miracle: A furious storm comes up suddenly on the Sea of galilee, such that the waves are washing over the boat that Jesus and his disciples are in. Some of the disciples are fishermen and are accustomed to being on a boat and surely, they have been in storms before, but even they are afraid. So this storm must have been very fierce and dangerous. When Jesus rebukes the wind and the waves, he shows that he is Lord over the weather – the wind and rain – and Lord over large bodies of water. He demonstrates here that he can control the climate and control the movement of the seas, simply by ordering them to do what he wishes. Only God can do that.

The Lesson: If Jesus can calm a storm at sea, he can calm the “storms” we face in life. When storms come our way, we can go to him and ask for help. We may feel afraid, overwhelmed, and inadequate; but he hears our every prayer and will deal with the danger we face.

This does not mean that every difficulty will disappear for two reasons: First, we live in a sinful world where suffering is present. Second, discipleship with Christ sometimes involves suffering. Nevertheless, Jesus will respond to our request and put limits on the storm. He will equip us to face it and help us to go through it. He is with us, responds when we call on him and takes care of us in all circumstances.

Also, the greater our faith in Christ, the less fearful we will be. Our faith increases when we remember that our Lord Jesus Christ is God, has all power, loves us tenderly, and hears every prayer. We must keep praying about everything that arises in our lives. He is God and He is able, trustworthy, and faithful! 

9. Jesus Heals the Man with the Shriveled Hand

Jesus entered a synagogue, “and a man with a shriveled hand was there. He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.” Matthew 12:9,13. NIV.

The Miracle: Jesus took a hand that had never grown out completely and turned it into a properly formed and fully functioning hand. He had to command the growth of bone, cartilage, muscle, tendons, blood vessels, nerves, sensory systems, and more to produce a perfect hand. The man had a size – tall, short, thin, heavy, or average. He had a hand size. Jesus had to know how to make this man’s hand grow out to be in proportion to the other parts of his body and especially of his other hand. Jesus was up to this task and did it by speaking a few words, revealing his Deity.

The Lesson: If Jesus can restore a withered hand, he can help us with our personal deficiencies. He can help us develop the life skills, academic achievements, vocational skills, and healthy relationships we need for successful living. 

 10. Jesus Heals a Paralytic

Jesus was teaching in a house in Galilee one day where a number of Jewish teachers had come to hear him. Because of the crowd, several men lowered their friend, a paralytic, down through the roof to get to Jesus who was in the house. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend your sins are forgiven.’” Luke 5:20. NIV. The teachers began to think that Jesus had spoken blasphemy, because only God can forgive sins.

“Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, ‘Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk?” But that you may know that the son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….’ He said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God.” Luke 5:22-26. NIV.

Notice the question Jesus asked; “Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’ Clearly, it was easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven’ because there was no way anyone could prove or disprove if the man’s sins had been forgiven. Correspondingly, it was harder (required more authority) to say “Get up and walk” because that statement required a result which could be easily observed.

The Miracle: Jesus cures a man who is paralyzed, a man who cannot walk. Just like the paralytic Jesus healed by the pool of Bethesda, this man needed the repair and/or regrowth of muscles, tendons, nerves, blood vessels, and more; he needed the impartation of strength into atrophied muscle tissues; he needed to be able to balance himself. Whatever he needed in order to walk, Jesus gave it to him. The effects of whatever injury, illness, or congenital condition he had were now removed!

How did he do the healing? He spoke! He merely said, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ The cure was instantaneous. The man walked immediately. Here again, this is something that only Deity can do. Only God could have cured the paralytic instantly and only God can forgive sins. Since Jesus is God, he can do both.

The Lesson: Just as a paralytic is helpless in certain respects, we are helpless to remove our own sins or the divine and just punishment for committing them, but Jesus can do this for us. Also, if Jesus can heal a chronic severe physical condition like paralysis, he can heal our hearts, minds, and souls which have been damaged by our sin condition. His grace can create and restore proper functioning in our personal and social lives.

More Miracles Are found in the Gospels

The gospels describe a total of 35 miracles done by Jesus, but they also indicate that he did many more, certainly hundreds and probably thousands during his ministry. He did three kinds of miracles: healing diseases and birth defects, exercising authority over natural law, and raising people from the dead. For the purposes of this article, we present just ten miracles by Jesus.

The miracles of Jesus Christ demonstrate that he has authority over physical matter and the laws of physics, over biological material and the laws of biology, over congenital defects, over diseases, over the climate, over the movement of lakes and seas, and even over death! He reveals his creative power by transforming water to wine, by multiplying bread and fish to feed thousands, and by giving function to congenitally defective eyes and a withered hand. Every miracle tells us that something amazing has happened!

We need to realize that if you or I had been present 2,000 years ago, we would have seen the same things the disciples saw. We would have seen a withered hand made whole; we would have seen congenital defects repaired; we would have seen terminal diseases cured, we would have seen eight to ten thousand people fed, we would have seen Jesus walking on water, and we would have seen a dead man come to life! These are events that actually happened!

These miracles tell us that Jesus Christ has no limits. He is not limited by the physical properties of matter, by molecular structure, by item quantity, by biology, by genetic disability, by illness, by distance, by climate, by life, by death, or by anything in the created order. There are no boundaries for him. He is Lord over all!

What are we to make of this? Jesus himself tells us that we are to pay attention to his miracles and believe in him because of them. He said, “Even though you do not believe me (my words), believe the miracles that you may know and understand that the Father is in me….” (that he is equal with God). John 10:38. NIV. Also, “Believe me when I say…or at least believe the evidence of the miracles.” John 14:11. NIV. Here, Jesus cites his miracles as proof of his Divine Authority, that is, of his Deity.

For Those Who Have Faith:

If we are already believers in Christ, these miracles can lead us to greater faith. Such miracles teach us that Christ has all authority. When we come to God in prayer, we can be confident that there is nothing he cannot do. The miracles provide a basis in fact for great faith and great expectancy. They challenge us to pray big prayers, bold prayers. They speak not only of his ability to answer prayer but also of his compassion and kindness and willingness to hear and answer our requests.

At the same time we must realize to be answered, prayer requests must be within our Lord’s purpose and plan. So, if our prayers are not answered as prayed, we still trust his love because his ways are higher than our ways and his knowledge exceeds ours immeasurably.

Thus we should: Read the miracles. Meditate on the miracles. Comprehend their incredible power. Pray like we’ve never prayed before. Claim the promises of God. Recognize the authority and love of Christ.

For Those Who Do Not Have Faith:

When we see what Jesus actually did, we are naturally in awe. The miracles grab our attention. How can these things be? And Who can do such things? In the Gospels, Jesus claims to be God incarnate. These miracles provide powerful evidence to support this claim. If he indeed is God, what should be my response?

If Jesus can heal physical illness, can he heal me? Can he help me with loneliness, alienation, purposelessness, and meaninglessness. Can I ever feel whole? Can I ever find true identity? Can I belong? Can he give my life meaning and purpose? He says he can.

Jesus says: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

The miracles get our attention. We are in AWE of what we see.

They tell us Who Jesus is, Jehovah God who created the universe.

We are then faced with a decision. Will we believe in him? Is the evidence sufficient?

If the evidence is sufficient, do I really want to believe? I must be honest with myself. Will such belief disrupt my life more than I want it to? Am I afraid of giving up my lifestyle? Am I afraid of losing friends? Am I willing to live God’s way?

Now if I believe and am willing to commit, it is time for me to surrender to my Maker and Redeemer. I will bow the knee to his Authority. I will give my life to him. I will ask him to forgive all my sins (thoughts, words, and behaviors which offend God and hurt myself and others). I will ask Jesus for eternal life. I will submit to him as my Lord. You may read “The Way to eternal Life” on this website for more information about becoming a believer in Christ.   

Then the journey begins. Read the Bible. Pray. Go to church. Make friends of Christians. Live the life. Rejoice! Your sins are forgiven. God is with you and in you. You are bound for heaven.

Note: Our discussion of the miracles of Jesus Christ in this article is also found in another article on this website, “Why Christians Believe in the Deity of Christ.”