The Way: In Miracles
I. Introduction
Jesus’ life was wholly devoted to one thing, going to the cross and offering Himself as a sacrifice there for the sins of the world. This Way or Path to Jerusalem is a compilation or collection of several topics. Jesus taught the disciples, Jesus taught in parables, Jesus discerned good and evil, and Jesus performed many miracles throughout His ministry.
In the Bible, there are 36 recorded miracles performed by Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. Every one of these miracles were and continue to be significant. Every miracle that Jesus performed was quite different than the one before. But, every miracle was surrounded with events, circumstances, and lessons.
Rather than looking at each one of the 36 individual miracles, let’s look at the circumstances and situations surrounding a few of these miracles and try to categorize them into a modern applicable concept, or, that is, what was going on behind the scenes? What were the thoughts, the actions, the lead-in events, or the hidden agendas? What were the reactions and applications for onlookers?
The lessons that we can learn from the miracles that Jesus performed are easily applied to our way of life today. The various sentiments and reactions displayed by the New Testament believers and non-believers parallel society and are very much typical of our lives today.
As we cover the first seven of the many miracles that Jesus performed, we need to keep in mind the thought and deeds of Jesus that are described and recorded by scripture and interwoven into each miracle.
Not only should we keep in mind the thoughts and deeds of Jesus as He performs the miracles in recorded scripture, but we should pay attention to the thoughts, words, and actions of the various people participating in the miracle.
II. The Message
A. His Blood
The Miracle: Turning Water into Wine (John 2)
John 2:1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, "They have no more wine." 4 "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." 11 This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.
The first miracle of Moses was to turn water into blood, to show that the grace of God was running out for Egypt. However, the first miracle of Jesus was to turn water into wine, a LOT OF WINE. The comparison of the wine to the blood of Jesus is quite valid in this miracle as well as the abundance of the wine that was produced (almost 600 liters).
I find this significant in the fact that Jesus, while in the upper room, told His disciples (Matthew 26:28) while speaking about wine, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
And, then later, Paul confirms in 1 Corinthians 11:25, “In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Prior to this and in Genesis, God said that He could hear the cry of Abel’s blood from the ground. In Deuteronomy, it says that the life is found in the blood, and therefore, Abel’s life was crying out to God after Cain had killed Him.
(Genesis 4:10) The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
(Deuteronomy 12:23) But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.
When Jesus was at the festival in John, Chapter, 2, the master of the banquet said "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
The point that we may draw here in this miracle is that we can see Jesus’ appearance on earth as compared to the Law. Let’s go further. The existence of man, or time on this earth, is the banquet, while the cheaper wine could represent the Law. The cheap wine, in abundance, in the beginning is enough to satisfy man, but not God (the master of the banquet). The good wine, Jesus, is brought out during the festival, for all to consume for all to partake of His abundance. God is satisfied with the wine (Jesus) and the wine is made available for all to drink freely! But, do they drink?
The saving of the banquet occurred when the good wine was brought out. The saving of man occurs when the man partakes of the wine, the blood. Salvation is found in the Blood of Jesus Christ, and nothing else.
B. His Followers
The Miracle: Healing of the Nobleman’s Son (John 4)
John 4:46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 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. 48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." 49 The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 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." 53 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. 54 This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.
All who call on Jesus will be saved. The rich, the poor, the talented, the not-so-talented, the beautiful and the not-so-beautiful. All are lost without Jesus, all are dead without Jesus.
We have here in this second miracle of Jesus, a royal official from Capernaum who heard that Jesus was in Cana, which was 20 miles (32 km) away from Capernaum. At first it seems that Jesus is rebuking the official, but, I believe that He is rebuking the crowd that was around Him that was indeed looking for Jesus to do something new, something amazing, and something miraculous. The reason I say this is because of the sincerity of the royal official. He implored of Jesus, with his begging based on faith that Jesus could do what Jesus said He could do.
The Royal official traveled 20 miles (32 km) to see Jesus, which, in itself is evidence that he believed that Jesus could heal his son. Think about it! If the man rode a horse to Cana, and traveling at least 5 – 10 miles an hour (8 -16 km/h) it would have taken the official at least three hours to get there. Now, some people will say that a father would do anything to save his son, which may be true. However, the faith to travel this distance to a man from a different caste, a different level than you, beneath you in birth and religion. No, there was more to it than just simply looking for every cure that comes along. This man knew that Jesus would heal his son, and Jesus did.
Scriptures tell us that Jesus told him the boy was healed and the man took Jesus at His word and left. What a picture for us! But, wait! What about those that were watching? Remember Jesus just said, "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."
Now, if Jesus were speaking at the man, but not to the man, he would have not healed the boy. But, Jesus knew the faith of the man and how the man would react. Jesus used the faith of the man to provided an object lesson for the disciples and the crowd. Rather than letting them see Him, Jesus, go and heal the boy, Jesus told the man that the boy was healed.
What do you suppose the response was by the man? Scriptures simply tells us that, “The man took Jesus at his word and departed.”
This faith, demonstrated before the crowd, undoubtedly led more to place their faith in Jesus. What about you? Is your faith demonstrated like the royal official? Can your faith in Jesus be evidenced in your words and deeds? It was in the man, for he returned home and found Jesus’ words to be true. But, it doesn’t stop there, both he and his entire house-hold accept Christ.
C. His Church
The Miracle: Healing of a Capernaum Demoniac (Mark 1; Luke 4)
Now the title of this section is ‘His Church,’ but the miracle that Jesus performs is the healing of a Capernaum Demoniac (Mark 1:16~27; Luke 4:35). Let’s look at that.
16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." 18 At once they left their nets and followed him. 19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. 21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24 "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" 25 "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. 27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, "What is this? A new teaching--and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him."
Jesus healed a demoniac in Capernaum. This third miracle was significant in two very important details, the calling of His disciples and the fact that the demoniac was in the synagogue!
Jesus takes all kinds, all peoples for His church. The fisherman and the tax collector were called. The weak and the strong were called. Differing skin tones and differing attitudes make no difference to Jesus. He is there, ready to save, even in the synagogue, even in the place you’d least expect Him to be.
He called His disciples from all walks of life, then turned around and healed a demoniac. Now, what did the people say about that? Well, they were quick to question the miracle. They were quick to see the authority and power, but they questioned that authority and power because they didn’t understand it.
It’s interesting to note that the amazement of the miracles (the how) of Jesus were never really expounded or elaborated on. It was always ‘why’ not ‘how.’ “Never mind that this person, Jesus, can heal the sick, make the blind see and make the lame walk, but what are his motives?” “Sure, he can feed 5,000 people, but why is he doing it? What do you suppose HE gets out of it?”
It’s no different in our lives today. “Yea, I know he has experience, but why does he want the job?” These are the questions we are asking ourselves. We are always looking to see if we can find a hidden motive for why a person is doing something. We are always seeking to uncover the ‘dirt’ on someone rather than accept them as they are.
Jesus went into the synagogue after calling to himself His disciples. There, in the synagogue, it says, He met a man possessed by an evil spirit. Apparently no one knew that this man had an evil spirit prior to this. Apparently, this was a man that was somewhat upright in front of the others in the synagogue.
What is our application? Jesus calls people from all walks of life, and, He shows us that there are people right in the church that may be using all the right actions and all the right words, but do not have the right heart before God, a heart that listens to Jesus.
D. His Family
The Miracle: The Healing of Peter’s Mother-in-Law (Matthew 8; Mark 1, Luke 4)
Our fourth miracle of Jesus is the miracle of healing Peter’s mother-in-law. Let’s read those from the different texts:
(Matthew 8:14~15) When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
(Mark 1:29~31) As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
(Luke 4:38~39) Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
This miracle is nestled among some really big things. Before this miracle was the miracle of healing a demon-possessed man, and after this miracle, time-wise, Jesus heals basically the whole town that had gathered at the door of Simon and Andrew’s house. So, why is it there? What real significance can we glean out of this if there is any? One major rendering is this, Jesus takes care of His sheep! And, His sheep serve Him.
Let’s look at that first one. Jesus takes care of His sheep! Many things were happening, and it seemed that they were all at the same time. Invitations, ministries, teaching, anger, sickness, and yet, Jesus still had time to stop and visit Simon and Andrew’s house and heal Simon’s mother-in-law.
No matter how small you think your problem might be, it is still of great importance to Jesus. Sure, He could have skipped right over this miracle, I mean it was just a fever, she may have recovered fully. So why did Jesus even bother? Well, I believe it was for the benefit of Simon and Andrew. I believe, since they had just been called as disciples by Jesus, and because Andrew had been proclaiming Jesus loudly, that Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law to seal their assurance of faith in Him and to seal Jesus’ love for them in their hearts.
Love is active, and Jesus loves every one of His followers. He loved us so much that He went to the cross for every one of us, with joy. [(Hebrews 12:2) “…who for the joy set before him endured the cross…”]
No, this may seem like a small, insignificant miracle to many, but to Simon, it probably provided the persuasion he needed for his very soul, the assurance he needed in his mind, that Jesus was the Son of God.
E. His Provisions
The Miracle: Catching a Great number of Fish (Luke 5)
(Luke 5:3) “He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." 5 Simon answered, "Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.”
The fifth miracle of Jesus is the miracle of catching a great number of fish. Miracles that were performed by Jesus that involve nature demonstrate the sovereignty (or all-encompassing, omnipotent power) of Jesus. His Lordship over not just men, but the world, the wind, waves, and animals. It proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that He is God.
Scriptures tell us that He simply spoke to the men to let down their nets. They were skeptical and doubted (Aren’t we all sometimes?). But, this miracle is one of provision! The Lord provides. The Lord provides the guidance, the direction, the wisdom, the people, the means, the words, the fish and the finances. Where God guides, God provides!
Being given even more assurance that Jesus was the Son of God, Peter fell at the feet of Jesus and cried out how sinful he was. If we were to meet Jesus right here today, or if we were to meet Him on the subway or on the bus, we would do the very same thing that Peter did. We would realize within us just WHO AND WHAT He is and fall down at HIS feet.
But how does that relate to the title of this section, His Provisions? If we were to come face to face with Jesus, we would realize deep within our spirit that the Son of God is standing before us. It wouldn’t just be a casual acknowledgment. It would go deep within us and we would realize that the PROVIDER of everything that we are, is standing before us. The PROVIDER of our very life and breath!
Looking at these scripture verses, we can see that this miracle not only had a profound effect on Peter, but on those around him as well. James and John, the ‘sons of thunder’ were there right alongside Peter. But, there were more. Probably servants, and hired men that were probably looking on observing and were converted right there.
People that we don’t know about, may be watching, observing our actions and listening to our words. When you get to heaven, people that you don’t know are going to come up to you and thank you for leading them to Christ. “What did I do?” you might ask. You provided the Christ-like example that Jesus provided to you.
He is the PROVIDER. He is the author and perfecter of our faith!!
(Hebrews 12:2) “…Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…”
F. His Service
The Miracle: Healing a Leper (Matthew 8, Mark 1)
(Matthew 8:1~4) When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." 3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them."
Sin works itself through the very soul of man. Like cancer or leprosy, it spreads. It will send its roots deep into our soul. What once was an infrequent casual sinful thought becomes more frequent, until it has taken root and begins to grow consuming not only thoughts, but words, then actions.
Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
When Jesus was in the house of Zacchaeus, (Luke 19:8-10) the Bible tells us,
(Luke 19:8~10) [“But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount."] 9 Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
Jesus doesn’t mince words, He doesn’t beat around the bush. He comes right out and tells us exactly what is going on.
"Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost."
It is the same with healing the leper. Jesus said, “I am willing.” Brothers and sisters, He, the Provider, is standing at the door for you with the same words, “I am willing.” But, are you willing? He was there in the house of Zacchaeus, and salvation came to that house!!!!! Why? Because HE WAS WILLING!!
The leper, the outcast of the Jewish community, went against laws, traditions and principles to seek out the Son of God, and the Son of God was there ready to serve, “I am willing.”
Are you willing to go against man-made traditions? Are you willing to break the man-made mold (pattern) and follow HIS WAY? He’s willing, are you?
This miracle impacted probably hundreds of people. Why? Because the true, dyed in the wool, Old Testament following -Jew would never have even dreamed of touching an unclean leper. But, Jesus was willing. He reached His hand out.
The hand of God is stretched out!! Ready to touch you in your sin and bring you out of your sin. Are you ready? He’s ready, He’s willing. Are you?
This miracle has so many implications we could go on for several hours. But, know this, Jesus is willing to reach out to you and save you from whatever sin you’re involved in. He’s able, He’s ready, and He’s willing.
Are YOU?
G. His Friends
The Miracle: Healing a paralytic (Matthew 9; Mark 2; Luke 5)
(Matthew 9:1~7) Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. 2 Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." 3 At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!" 4 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? 5 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home.
Many people believe that everything bad that happens to you is because of sin in your life. Many people will say, “Oh, she got sick because she has sin in her life.” Or, here’s one, “if he’d just get his life right with the Lord, if he’d just get rid of the sin in his life…”
The Jewish rulers believed that sickness, bad health, leprosy, paralysis, etc., were bad things that were manifested in a sin-filled person and that a person needed to sincerely confess their sins for God to heal them.
Well, that has a catch to it. Let’s say you’re born with a problem and you choose to sincerely get yourself right with God. Then, you ask Him to heal you and He does not, then, that means I did not ask God sincerely and that I still have sin in my life? NO! That is just a way out for the charlatan, the counterfeit, the pretender of God to tell you that you are not a Christian, or, are not sincere in your worship of God.
Jesus knew the Pharisees would focus on the words, your sins are forgiven, and that is why He chose to use them. And, that is why He tells us in at least four separate places, (Mark 4:9) "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
But, what about the others? The people that brought the man, the people that were pressing into the house? Jesus was now in His home town, and He may have even known the man that was brought to him. I mean, human nature tells us that we are curious about the sick, those that have something wrong with them. I’m willing to say that Jesus knew this paralytic or, at least had heard about him. You don’t live in an area for 30 years or so, as a carpenter, as a contributor to the community, as a regular attendee at the synagogue.
But, how far had they come? Did these men come from Galilee? Cana? Korazin? Bethsaida? What was their impact on the crowd? What was their impact and the impact of this miracle on YOU?
Summary: Every miracle of Jesus was performed with you and me in mind. The miracles of Jesus takes us to the very heart of Jesus and the compassion that He has for you, His church, His followers, His friends. His compassion was upon the men, the paralytic that they carried, and upon the sin-filled hearts that were pressing in on him in that house. He had compassion and healed the mother-in-law, caught the fish, healed the leper, the paralytic and all for the benefit of millions of people. Are you one of them?
