Jesus is the rock upon which the Christian faith is built. Jesus’ miracles are among the reasons people have believed in Him throughout history. He is God, and we should believe in Him, if He really performed the marvels recorded in the Bible. Making the argument that Jesus worked miracles is one method to get past this. Did He not?
Jesus’ miracles
The Jewish historian Josephus is credited with making the first non-Biblical mention of Jesus. The consensus is that Josephus refers to Jesus as a “doer of startling deeds,” despite the fact that there is much disagreement regarding the original text. Jewish writings that make reference to Jesus also emphasize His miracles; in fact, these works are among the first to suggest that He performed magic. It is likely the oldest reference to Jesus found in the influential Jewish Talmud collection that says He was executed for “practicing witchcraft.”
This emphasis on the amazing deeds that Jesus performed is consistent with what the Gospels teach us about him. The four Gospels recount 36 distinct miracles. Aside from that, He is said to have performed miracles without explaining them (e.g., John 2:23; 11:47), and it is asserted that there were numerous others (John 20:30; 21:25). For the sake of determining whether or not magical tricks are a plausible explanation for the 36 miracles recorded in the Gospels, allow me to enumerate them.
Healing miracles
Seventeen of the miracles are healing miracles:
Four times healing of the blind is described:
- Two men in Capernaum (Matthew 9:27-31);
- A man in Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-25);
- A man in Jerusalem (John 9:1-7);
- And Bartimaeus near Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43).
Three times a paralytic is healed:
- The centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10);
- A man entered Jesus’ home through the roof (Matthew 9:1–7, Mark 2:1–13, Luke 5:17–26);
- And the man at the waters of Bethesda (John 5:1-9).
Two times He heals lepers:
- Ten lepers at once (Luke 17:11-14);
- And the leper at Gennesaret (Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-42, Luke 5:12-16).
Two times He instantly heals someone from a high fever:
- Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:30-31, Luke 4:38-39);
- and the son of the nobleman in Cana (John 4:46-53).
Finally there are six unique healings:
- Of a deaf man (Mark 7:31-37);
- A woman bent over (Luke 13:10-12);
- A man with the dropsy (Luke 14:1-4);
- Malchus whose ear had been cut off (Luke 22:50-51);
- An individual suffering from a blood ailment (Matthew 9:20–22, Mark 5:25–34, Luke 8:43–48);
- There was also a man whose hand had withered (Matthew 12:9–13, Mark 3:1–5, Luke 6:6–10).
Jesus accomplished the ultimate cure in three instances by rising from the grave:
- Jairus’ daughter (Matthew 9:18-19; 9:23-25, Mark 5:22-24; 5:35-43, Luke 8:41-42; 8:49-56);
- A young man at Nain (Luke 7:11-15);
- And Lazarus (John 11:33-44).
Non-healing miracles
Ten miracles show Jesus’ power of nature and circumstances:
- He stilled the storm (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-24);
- He walked on water (Matthew 14:23-32, Mark 6:37-41, John 6:16-21);
- He performed a miraculous feeding of five thousand men (the only miracle recorded in all four gospels; Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:34–44, Luke 9:10–17, John 6:5–13);
- He miraculously fed four thousand men (Matthew 15:32-38, Mark 8:1-9);
- (Matthew 17:27) He knew where to look for a fish that had a coin in its mouth.
- He made a fig tree wither (Matthew 21:18-19, Mark 11:12-14; 11:20-21);
- He passed through a multitude unseen (Luke 4:28-30);
- He orchestrated a miraculous fish catch twice (Luke 5:4-7, John 21:4-8);
- He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11).
Six times He showed His power of demons:
- A legion of devils was let to infiltrate a herd of pigs by him (Matthew 8:28–32, Mark 5:1–13, Luke 826-36);
- In Capernaum, Christ twice cast out a man possessed by a demon (Matthew 9:32–34 and Mark 1:21-28, Luke 4:33–35);
- He removed a demon from a man who was blind and deaf (Matthew 12:22, Luke 11:14);
- He delivered a non-Jewish girl from demonic possession (Mark 7:24–30, Matthew 15:21–28);
- He healed a demon possessed boy (Matthew 17:14-18, Mark 9:17-27, Luke 9:37-42).
No tricks!
Are these miracles all just tricks? Andre Kole, one of the world’s greatest magicians, has a reputation for debunking hoaxes. He exposed scammers in many nations and even has serious doubts about Christian faith healers. He sees the kinds of tricks they are employing because he is a magician. However, after researching Jesus’ miracles, he came to believe that they are true. Why did that occur?
Several of the healings are organic, which is one explanation. These days, many alleged healings involve ailments that are extremely challenging to diagnose properly. Even in the absence of actual healing, people can feel better during the excitement of a large gathering. Making the lame walk and the blind sight, however, is a whole other story!
Andre Kole’s belief in the veracity of Jesus’ miracles was further cemented by the fact that He replicated a few of them. Andre Kole was walking on a lake of water. He claimed that to pull it off, he needed three trucks full of qualities, thousands of dollars, and months of preparation. He gave the impression that he was walking on water in this way. And that persuaded him that Jesus actually accomplished the task.
Kole also thinks that Jesus’ miracles are genuine because of the disciples. Kole needs a team to perform his tricks. If Jesus were a magician, His disciples would be able to tell. But in order to attest to the veracity of Jesus’ power, they were prepared to lose their lives.
The reason for the miracles
Why does it matter that Jesus performed miracles rather than pulling pranks? since they demonstrate His might. The Bible refers to God’s miracles as “signs” a lot. Something is being indicated by signs. The signs of Jesus’ power are His miracles. The miracles attest to the divinity of Jesus and the imminence of the everlasting Kingdom that He foretells.
I’ve left out the two biggest wonders of all. Despite His authority, Jesus was [prepared to die for sinners] in order for them to be adopted into God’s family. And as the final proof of His authority over both life and death, [He rose again from the dead]. The world has never been the same since. If we put our faith in Him, it has unlocked the door to eternal life for all of us. Allow Jesus’ miracles to serve as a reminder that you too can experience your own miracle, which is eternal life and sin forgiveness via Him.
