Miracles are, without question, cool. But the fact that Jesus performed miracles was not reason enough to believe that He was God. Elijah performed many miracles, but he never once laid claim to his own deity. Christ Himself was adamant that His miracles were not just evidence of His deity, but of His dependence on the Father:
But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father. (John 10:38)
He never downplayed the miracles He performed. He just wanted to make sure the people understood how and why He was doing them. Miracles do point to the fact that the Father was in Him, He was in the Father, and He was dependent on the Father. Jesus didn’t need to come to earth as a man just to do things in His own divine power. God had already been dealing with man in that matter. (Things like giant pillars of fire and floods covering the earth come to mind!)
Jesus is fully God, but on earth He wanted to demonstrate physically to the people what it was like to so totally depend on the Father for everything that all else would fade.
Lord Jesus, the miracles You performed were amazing. I believe. I know that they weren’t just cheap magic tricks to dupe me into believing in You, but instead tangible manifestations of Your power when we depend on You completely. Strip away my independence, Lord. Thank You for showing me Your might and what life can look like in dependence on the Father. Amen.
(excerpt from Pete Briscoe 365-day devotional book, Experiencing LIFE Today - and provided by Pete's devotional on Crosswalk.com)
The Miracles of Jesus
Jesus Christ performed numerous miracles during his earthly ministry -- many of which were recorded and can be read about in the New Testament:
Jesus changed the water into wine (John 2:1-11);
Jesus cured the nobleman's son (John 4:46);
The great draught of fishes (Luke 5:1-11);
Jesus cast out an unclean spirit (Mark 1:23-28);
Jesus cured Peter's mother-in-law of a fever (Mark 1:30);
Jesus healed a leper (Mark 1:40-45);
Jesus healed the servant of the centurion (Matthew 8:5-13);
Jesus raised the widow's son from the dead (Luke 7:11-18);
Jesus stilled the storm (Matthew 8:23-27);
Jesus cured two demoniacs (Matthew 8:28-34);
Jesus cured a man of palsy (Matthew 9:1-8);
Jesus raised the ruler's daughter from the dead (Matthew 9:18-26);
Jesus cured a woman of an issue of blood (Luke 8:43-48);
Jesus opened the eyes of two blind men (Matthew 9:27-31);
Jesus loosened the tongue of a dumb man (Matthew 9:32);
Jesus healed an impotent man at Bethesda (John 5:1-9);
Jesus restored a withered hand (Matthew 12:10-13);
Jesus cured a man who was possessed of a devil (Matthew 12:22);
Jesus fed five thousand people (Matthew 14:15-21);
Jesus healed a woman of Canaan (Matthew 15:22-28);
Jesus cured a deaf and dumb man (Mark 7:31-37);
Jesus fed four thousand people (Matthew 15:32-39);
Jesus opened the eyes of a blind man (Mark 8:22-26);
Jesus cured a boy who was vexed with a devil (Matthew 17:14-21);
Jesus opened the eyes of a man born blind (John 11:1-38);
Jesus cured a woman who had been afflicted eighteen years (Luke 17:11-17);
Jesus cured a man of dropsy (Luke 14:1-4);
Jesus cleansed ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19);
Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-46);
Jesus opened the eyes of two blind men (Matthew 20:30-34);
Jesus caused the fig tree to wither (Matthew 21:18-22);
Jesus restored the ear of the high priest's servant (Luke 22:50);
the second great draught of fishes (John 21:1-14).
List adapted from the Condensed Biblical Encyclopedia (public domain), written in 1896 by Ashley S. Johnson, founder of Johnson Bible College, was and is designed for busy people who wish to increase their knowledge of the oracles of God.
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