Lesson 16 Explore 2: The Miracles of Jesus—What Can You Learn?
YOU may be surprised to learn that the Bible accounts of Jesus’ life on earth never use the original-language word for “miracle.” The Greek word (dyʹna·mis) sometimes translated “miracle” literally means “power.”
(Luke 8.46: But Jesus said: “Someone touched me, for I know that power went out of me.”)
It may also be rendered “ability” or “powerful works.”
(Matthew 11.20: Then he began to reproach the cities in which most of his powerful works had taken place, for they did not repent:)
(Matthew 25.15: He gave five talents to one, two to another, and one to still another, to each according to his own ability, and he went abroad.)
According to one scholar, this Greek term “emphasizes the mighty work that has been done, and, in particular, the power by which it was accomplished. The event is described in terms of the power of God in action.”
Another Greek term (teʹras) is usually rendered “portent” or “wonder.”
(John 4.48: But Jesus said to him: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”)
(Acts 2.19: And I will give wonders in heaven above and signs on earth below—blood and fire and clouds of smoke.)
This expression highlights the effect on observers. Quite often, the crowd and the disciples were amazed and astounded at Jesus’ powerful works.-
(Mark 2.12: At that he got up and immediately picked up his stretcher and walked out in front of them all. So they were all astonished, and they glorified God, saying: “We have never seen anything like this.”)
(Mark 4.41: But they felt an unusual fear, and they said to one another: “Who really is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him.”)
(Mark 6.51: Then he got up into the boat with them, and the wind abated. At this they were utterly amazed,)
(Luke 9.43: And they were all astounded at the majestic power of God. While they were all astonished at all the things he was doing, he said to his disciples:)
A third Greek term (se·meiʹon) referring to Jesus’ miracles denotes a “sign.” It “focuses upon the deeper meaning of the miracle,” says scholar Robert Deffinbaugh. He adds: “A sign is a miracle which conveys a truth about our Lord Jesus.”
Illusion or God-Given Power?
The Bible does not describe Jesus’ miracles as tricks or illusions designed to entertain people. They were manifestations of “the majestic power of God,” as in the case of a boy from whom Jesus expelled a demon.
(Luke 9.37-43: The following day when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. And look! a man called out from the crowd, saying: “Teacher, I beg you to take a look at my son, because he is my only one. And look! a spirit seizes him, and suddenly he cries out, and it throws him into convulsions with foaming at the mouth, and only with difficulty does it leave him after bruising him. I begged your disciples to expel it, but they could not.” In response Jesus said: “O faithless and twisted generation, how long must I continue with you and put up with you? Bring your son over here.” But even as he was approaching, the demon hurled him to the ground and violently threw him into a convulsion. However, Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all astounded at the majestic power of God. While they were all astonished at all the things he was doing, he said to his disciples:)
Would such powerful works be impossible for Almighty God-the One who is described as having an “abundance of dynamic energy”?
(Isaiah 40.26: “Lift up your eyes to heaven and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who brings out their army by number; He calls them all by name. Because of his vast dynamic energy and his awe-inspiring power, Not one of them is missing.)
Of course not!
The Gospel accounts refer to some 35 miracles of Jesus. But the total number of his miracles is not revealed. For instance, states: “He [Jesus] saw a great crowd; and he felt pity for them, and he cured their sick ones.”
(Matthew 14.14: When he came ashore, he saw a large crowd, and he felt pity for them, and he cured their sick ones.)
We are not told how many sick people he cured on that occasion.
Such powerful works were central to Jesus’ claim that he was the Son of God, the promised Messiah. The Scriptures did indeed show that God-given power enabled Jesus to perform miracles. The apostle Peter referred to Jesus as “a man publicly shown by God to you through powerful works and portents and signs that God did through him in your midst, just as you yourselves know.”
(Acts 2.22: “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus the Nazarene was a man publicly shown to you by God through powerful works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, just as you yourselves know.)
On another occasion, Peter pointed out that “God anointed him [Jesus] with holy spirit and power, and he went through the land doing good and healing all those oppressed by the Devil; because God was with him.”-
(Acts 10.37, 38: You know the subject that was talked about throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: about Jesus who was from Nazareth, how God anointed him with holy spirit and power, and he went through the land doing good and healing all those oppressed by the Devil, because God was with him.)
The miracles of Jesus were intertwined with his message. reveals the reaction of the crowd to Jesus’ teaching and to one of his miracles. says that the crowds “became astounded at his way of teaching,” and verse 27 points out that the people were “astonished” when he expelled a demon. Both Jesus’ powerful works and his message provided proof that he was the promised Messiah.
(Mark 1.21-27: And they went into Capernaum. As soon as the Sabbath began, he went into the synagogue and started to teach. And they were astounded at his way of teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was a man in their synagogue who was under the power of an unclean spirit, and he shouted: “What have we to do with you, Jesus the Nazarene? Did you come to destroy us? I know exactly who you are, the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked it, saying: “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, after throwing the man into a convulsion and yelling at the top of its voice, came out of him. Well, the people were all so astonished that they began to discuss it among themselves, saying: “What is this? A new teaching! He authoritatively orders even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”)
(Mark 1.22: And they were astounded at his way of teaching, for he was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.)
(Mark 1.1: The beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, the Son of God:)
Jesus did not merely claim that he was the Messiah; along with his words and other deeds, the God-given power displayed in his miracles furnished evidence of his Messiahship. When questions about his role and commission arose, Jesus boldly replied: “I have the witness greater than that of John [the Baptizer], for the very works that my Father assigned me to accomplish, the works themselves that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father dispatched me.”-
(John 5.36: But I have the witness greater than that of John, for the very works that my Father assigned me to accomplish, these works that I am doing, bear witness that the Father sent me.)
Marks of Authenticity
Why can we be certain that Jesus’ miracles were real, authentic? Consider some of the marks of authenticity.
In performing his powerful works, Jesus never drew attention to himself. He made sure that the result of any miracle was that God received the credit and the glory. Before curing a blind man, for instance, Jesus stressed that the healing would take place “in order that the works of God might be made manifest in his case.”-
(John 9.1-3: As he was passing along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. And his disciples asked him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, so that he was born blind?” Jesus answered: “Neither this man sinned nor his parents, but it was so that the works of God might be made manifest in his case.)
(John 11.1-4: Now a man named Lazarus was sick; he was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This was the Mary who poured perfumed oil on the Lord and wiped his feet dry with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was sick. So his sisters sent a message to him, saying: “Lord, see! the one you have affection for is sick.” But when Jesus heard it, he said: “This sickness is not meant to end in death, but is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”)
Unlike illusionists, magicians, and faith healers, Jesus never used hypnotism, trickery, spectacular displays, magic spells, or emotional rituals. He did not resort to superstition or the use of relics. Note the unassuming way in which Jesus healed two blind men. “Moved with pity,” says the account, “Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they received sight, and they followed him.”
(Matthew 20.29-34: As they were going out of Jericho, a large crowd followed him. And look! two blind men sitting beside the road heard that Jesus was passing by and cried out: “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” But the crowd rebuked them, telling them to keep silent; yet they cried all the louder, saying: “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” So Jesus stopped, called them, and said: “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him: “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” Moved with pity, Jesus touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight, and they followed him.)
No ritual, ceremony, or showy display was involved. Jesus performed his miraculous works in the open, often before numerous eyewitnesses. He did not use special lighting, staging, or props. In contrast, alleged modern-day miracles often defy documentation.-
(Mark 5.24-29: At that Jesus went with him, and a large crowd was following him and pressing against him. Now there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for 12 years. She had suffered much at the hands of many physicians and had spent all her resources, and she was no better but, rather, had become worse. When she heard the reports about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his outer garment, for she kept saying: “If I touch just his outer garments, I will get well.” And immediately her flow of blood dried up, and she sensed in her body that she had been healed of the grievous sickness.)
(Luke 7.11-15: Soon afterward he traveled to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. As he got near the gate of the city, why look! there was a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother. Besides, she was a widow. A considerable crowd from the city was also with her. When the Lord caught sight of her, he was moved with pity for her, and he said to her: “Stop weeping.” With that he approached and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. Then he said: “Young man, I say to you, get up!” And the dead man sat up and started to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.)
Jesus sometimes acknowledged the faith of those who benefited from his miracles. But a person’s lack of faith did not prevent Jesus from performing a miracle. While he was in Capernaum in Galilee, “people brought him many demon-possessed persons; and he expelled the spirits with a word, and he cured all who were faring badly.”-
(Matthew 8.16: But after it became evening, people brought him many demon-possessed ones; and he expelled the spirits with a word, and he cured all who were suffering,)
The miracles of Jesus were performed to meet actual physical needs of people, not to satisfy someone’s curiosity.
(Mark 10.46-52: They then came into Jericho. But as he and his disciples and a considerable crowd were going out of Jericho, Bartimaeus (the son of Timaeus), a blind beggar, was sitting beside the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he started shouting and saying: “Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me!” At this many began rebuking him, telling him to be silent, but all the more he kept shouting: “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stopped and said: “Call him to me.” So they called the blind man, saying to him: “Take courage! Get up; he is calling you.” Throwing off his outer garment, he leaped to his feet and went to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him: “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him: “Rabboni, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him: “Go. Your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight, and he began to follow him on the road.)
(Luke 23.8: When Herod saw Jesus, he rejoiced greatly. For a considerable time he had been wanting to see Jesus because he had heard much about him, and he was hoping to see some sign performed by him.)
And Jesus never performed miracles in order to profit personally in any way.-
(Matthew 4.2-4: After he had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, he felt hungry. And the Tempter approached and said to him: “If you are a son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered: “It is written: ‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from Jehovah’s mouth.’”)
(Matthew 10.8: Cure the sick, raise up the dead, make lepers clean, expel demons. You received free, give free.)
What About the Gospel Accounts?
The facts about Jesus’ miracles have been transmitted to us through the pages of the four Gospels. Are there reasons to rely on these accounts as we examine the authenticity of the miracles attributed to Jesus? Yes, there are.
As already noted, Jesus’ miracles were performed in public, before many eyewitnesses. The earliest Gospels were penned at a time when most of those eyewitnesses were still alive. Regarding the honesty of the Gospel writers, the book The Miracles and the Resurrection notes: “To accuse the gospel evangelists of indiscriminately submerging historical fact in a flood of miracle-mongering to serve the interests of theological propaganda would be outright injustice.... They meant to be honest recorders.”
Jewish opponents of Christianity never challenged the powerful works described in the Gospels. They questioned only the power by which these were performed.
(Mark 3.22-26: Also, the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying: “He has Beelzebub, and he expels the demons by means of the ruler of the demons.” So after calling them to him, he spoke to them with illustrations: “How can Satan expel Satan? If a kingdom becomes divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand; and if a house becomes divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. Also, if Satan has risen up against himself and has become divided, he cannot stand but is coming to an end.)
Neither could later detractors successfully deny Jesus’ miracles. On the contrary, during the first and second centuries C.E., there were references to miraculous works performed by Jesus. Clearly, we have every reason to view the Gospel accounts of his miracles as authentic.
The Man Behind the Miracles
An examination of Jesus’ miracles would be incomplete were it to be limited to logical arguments about their authenticity. In describing Jesus’ powerful works, the Gospels reveal a man of deep feelings and unrivaled compassion, with a keen interest in the welfare of fellow humans.
Consider the case of a leper who approached Jesus with the desperate plea: “If you just want to, you can make me clean.” “Moved with pity,” Jesus reached out and touched the leper, saying: “I want to. Be made clean.” The man was instantly healed.
(Mark 1.40-42: There also came to him a leper, pleading with him even on bended knee, saying to him: “If you just want to, you can make me clean.” At that he was moved with pity, and he stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him: “I want to! Be made clean.” Immediately the leprosy vanished from him, and he became clean.)
Jesus thus demonstrated the empathy that moved him to use his God-given power to perform miracles.
What happened when Jesus met up with a funeral procession coming out of the city of Nain? The deceased young man was the only son of a widow. “Moved with pity” for the woman, Jesus approached her and said: “Stop weeping.” Then he raised her son back to life.-
(Luke 7.11-15: Soon afterward he traveled to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd were traveling with him. As he got near the gate of the city, why look! there was a dead man being carried out, the only son of his mother. Besides, she was a widow. A considerable crowd from the city was also with her. When the Lord caught sight of her, he was moved with pity for her, and he said to her: “Stop weeping.” With that he approached and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. Then he said: “Young man, I say to you, get up!” And the dead man sat up and started to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.)
A comforting lesson that can be drawn from Jesus’ miracles is that he was “moved with pity” and did things to help people. But such miracles are not mere history. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever,” says
(Hebrews 13.8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever.)
He now rules as heavenly King, ready and able to use his God-given miraculous powers in a far grander way than he did when on earth as a human. Soon, Jesus will use them to heal obedient mankind. Jehovah’s Witnesses will gladly help you to learn more about this bright prospect for the future.
[End of article.]