...Before your head hits the pillow... The Miracles of Jesus Have you ever thought about the miracles, or as John would say, the signs of Jesus and their significance? Of course I cannot talk about all of the recorded miracles of Christ. The Bible recalls 37 of the multitude of miracles that Jesus performed. Now there were many other miraculous occurrences surrounding our Savior. He was born of a virgin, he resurrected from the dead, the tearing of the temple drapery while he was hanging on the cross, etc. But the actual recorded miracles or signs performed by Jesus to show the majesty of God are 37. Everything about Jesus life was deliberate and significant. There was a reason that He was born of a virgin, a reason why there was no room for them in the inn, a reason that he was born into the line of David, a reason why as a young lad he left his traveling party to converse with wise men at the temple, a reason that He wandered in the wilderness for 40 days before he began His ministry, a reason why he prayed alone before he selected His disciples, etc. The life and ministry of Jesus was deliberate and so were His miracles. His first miracle was turning water into wine. Seems like an insignificant miracle. He cured no one and helped no one walk on water. He turned water into good wine. This miracle shows that Mary knew of the majesty of her son. When the wine was gone, it was Jesus mother that came to Him to tell Him that the wine was gone, a tragic occurrence at a wedding feast that might last several days, but certainly not the end of the world. She then specifically told the workers at the wedding to do as Jesus told them. So they did, and after they filled the jars, Jesus miraculously turned the water into wine. Not only was Mary aware of Jesus majesty but the only people who saw Jesus miracle where the disciples that accompanied him to the wedding and the lowly workers. Jesus didnt show his miracle to the most honored at the wedding, but to the lowliest. Thats who Jesus is today! Other miracles that Jesus performed were performed on people with great faith. The healing of the Centurions servant (Matt. 8:5-13 & Luke 7:1-10) and the healing of the woman who merely touched to hem of Jesus garment (Mark 5:25-34, Matt. 9:20-22 & Luke 8:42-48). Jesus specifically told these individuals that their faith played a part in His healing. In these and other miracles, Jesus was demonstrating to us, the importance of our faith. The other significant thing about the healing of the Centurions servant is that Jesus healed someone who wasnt Jewish. This was one of the first signs of Jesus’ embracing of not only Jew but Gentile. His outreach beyond the chosen nation was also evident when he healed the Gentile womans demon possessed daughter (Matt. 5:21-28 & Mark 7:24-30). Luke 14:1-6 tells us of Jesus healing a man with dropsy on the Sabbath. This too is significant because it flew in the face of the Pharisees who were intensely legalistic. They hated that Jesus would encroach on their customs and rules. Jesus here was showing that He had come to fulfill the legalistic Levitical law. No more would man have to sacrifice animals, or go through the numerous ordinances that were given in the Old Testament, for Christ’s life, death and resurrection were indeed the fulfillment of law. John 21:4-11 tells the account of Jesus healing the ear of the guard after Peter in anger sliced it off. This was done to show His compassion to His captors. Just as He said on the cross, Father forgive them for they know not what they do. Jesus showed his grace and forgiveness even to one who was there to arrest Him. Acts 2:22 states - Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and sings which God performed though Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know. Jesus acts were: miracles, wonders, and signs. The term miracle emphasizes a spectacular work that has been done. A wonder emphasizes the impact the act had on those who witnessed it and the sign focuses on the deeper meaning of the miracle. A sign is a miracle that tells us about the essence, the truth of Christ. A miracle is typically a sign, but a sign is not always a miracle. Jesus miracles never took into account the stature of the people he was blessing. He blessed the lowly by feeding thousands, by healing lepers who were outcast, and drove out evil spirits from people you know must have been shunned by the general public. And Jesus is there for the lowly today. No one is too wicked, too poor, or too lowly for Jesus’ miracle of salvation! No matter what you have done, or what stature you have in society, Jesus is there for you! So I think our challenge today is to study the miracles, the wonders, the signs of Jesus Christ. What are each of them saying to us? What do they say about Jesus, what do they say about what He expects of us? We have an awesome and kind Savior, one who cares so deeply about each of us, just as He did about the people who witnessed and were the recipients of His miracles. Jesus’ miracles, wonders, and signs show us that He indeed was God and we are His children. PTL
Posted on: Tue, 29 Jul 2014 02:00:00 +0000
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