The Miracles: Signs of Who He Is
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The Gospels report some three dozen specific miracles, together with many summary statements of healing. John calls them signs, pointers to the identity of the one who did them. "This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory" (John 2:11) [9].
Categories of Miracles
| Type | Examples |
| Over nature | Water to wine (John 2); calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41); feeding the five thousand (John 6:1-14); walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33) |
| Over sickness | The leper (Mark 1:40-42); the paralytic (Mark 2:1-12); the man born blind (John 9); the woman with bleeding (Mark 5:25-34) |
| Over demons | The man of the Gadarenes (Mark 5:1-20) |
| Over death | The widow's son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17); Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:35-43); Lazarus (John 11) |
The Storm
When Jesus's disciples feared for their lives, "he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:39). The disciples, who were hardened sailors, "feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:41).
The Lazarus Miracle
At Bethany, Jesus's friend Lazarus had been dead four days. Jesus said to Martha: "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" (John 11:25-26). Then he called at the tomb: "Lazarus, come forth" (John 11:43), and the dead man came out. The authorities' response is revealing: "What do we? for this man doeth many miracles" (John 11:47). They did not deny the miracle. They plotted to kill him.
Public, Not Private
Jesus's miracles were not done in secret. Peter could say to the crowd in Jerusalem within weeks of the resurrection: "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know" (Acts 2:22). Even his enemies attributed his power to Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24) rather than deny it.
What the Miracles Mean
Jesus said, "the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me" (John 10:25), and "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake" (John 14:11). His miracles show compassion; he healed because he cared. They also fit the prophets' description of the age of the Messiah: the blind see, the lame walk (Isaiah 35:5-6). And they display authority over what only the Creator rules: nature, disease, demons, and death. The question for the critic is whether miracles are possible. If a personal God created the world, then they are; and if Jesus is who he claimed, they are exactly what we would expect [9].
CHAPTER 9