Jesus: Signs and Miracles Essays

“Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27) is one of the most fundamental questions that Jesus asked his disciples. It is a question, from my personal viewpoint, that has a simple answer. Jesus is Lord! Needless to say, there is more to the identity of Jesus, but it is my belief that Jesus is the Messiah, the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is the promised Savior foretold in the Old Testament by the prophets. There is an endless list that gives Jesus titles such as Ruler and King, Master and Teacher, Savior and Christ, but in Acts 2:36 Luke writes, “God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Jesus is the one who went to the Cross to bring humankind forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.

In the Gospel of John there are eight miracle signs that are recorded that are performed by Jesus in this Gospel. In the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) the Prince of Life doesn’t show or give any miraculous signs to prove his authority. In the Abramic religions, these eight signs are actual events from the beginning of His ministry with the turning of water into wine to the final miracle of a miraculous catch of fish after the death and resurrection of Christ. Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not recorded in the book But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah the Son

In the gospels of the New Testament Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John there is one parable of Jesus’ miracles that is common to all four, the feeding of the multitudes. Each gospel presents the miracle is almost the same except for the gospel of John. Before breaking down the parable understanding a basic background of the authors and each gospel is key. The gospel of Mathew is believed by scholars to be written by Matthew, a Jewish tax collector from Rome.

Throughout the New Testament are recounts of the miracles that Jesus performed to give proof that He was indeed the Son of God and the Messiah foretold of in the Old Testament. John chose to recount only seven of the many miracles that Jesus performed. He felt that these seven, more than any of the others, showed definitive proof that the Messiah, the Son of God, had come as promised.

Jesus said to his disciples that many would ‘hear, but not understand' the parables with its messages with the Kingdom of God, which highlights the importance to ‘see' or interpret a deeper understanding. However, the miracles played an important part in ‘seeing' from when one were to witness a miracle than ‘proof' would help others to see the true power of God. There were many difficulties for readers of Mark's Gospel, as to understanding the ‘son of God' and his mysterious yet glorified ways, due to the harshness of the society during the time of Jesus and Mark's community. People were not allowed to think with such freedom and to ‘blasphemy' as it appeared then. However many of Jesus' followers did not allow their strong faith and belief in him to disappear as the Kingdom of God has come near (1:15). There are many reasons that show the difficulties for Jesus' community to understanding and ‘seeing' that Jesus is the Messiah such as the conflicts evident between Jesus and the Jewish hierarchy because of his interpretation of the law. This may have caused people to be afraid of power. The parables and stories told by Jesus were difficult to understand and interpret its metaphoric symbolism, as well as the skepticism associated with miracles performed by Jesus. The miracles of Jesus curing physical health, also show the power God has over evil, and the power to cure incurable diseases, which aid others to ‘see' that

In order to reach his audience Jesus would speak in parables in that manner, his message was delivered in a simple way to understand. In addition to his message of repentance and love, Jesus performed many miracles in order to show that God was with Him. When Jesus proclaimed to be the son of God,

The author of the gospel according to John chose to incorporate a book of signs in the composition to show his readers Christ’s divinity and supernatural powers (Harris, 2014). According to various scholars, the author sought information from an older document known as the Signs Gospel, to help him illustrate Christ’s divinity and supernatural powers. The Signs Gospel did not survive as an independent account. However, it was still preserved and placed in the bible within the gospel of John composition (Harris, 2014).

The First sign in John’s gospel is when Jesus changed water into wine at a ceremony. Second sign will be that with a word of command Jesus cured a son of a royal. The third sign is that Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed for a long time. The fourth sign is when Jesus multiplied seven loaves and fishes to feed the people who gathered to hear his word. These signs revealed to the reader that Jesus has control over the world, nature and materialistic stuff. Jesus also has a lot of power to create and restore what was broken. Jesus to the readers appeats as loving and wise. The signs also revealed Gods power to heal and give life to those who thought there was no

As seen in the final verse of this story, Jesus’ first sign was primarily a great testament to his wondrous glory. By transforming water into wine, he demonstrated his power and deity on this earth. Still, hints of his humility and overwhelming kindness and servanthood can also be witnessed through this sign.

Introduction In the Book of John, there were eight detailed signs of Jesus’ power. Each one showed a progression toward a greater revelation. John used eight specific events to establish his argument that proclaims Jesus’s deity. Some commentators and historians only identified seven signs because the miraculous catch of fish in chapter 21 fell outside of Jesus’s ministry.

They embrace a threefold אל חירא (cf. Jer: 8) and an attendant affirmation that Ezekiel will speak ‘my words’ to the people (cf. Jer 1: 7.9 ). The character of the sign is also related to that of Jeremiah, although much more elaborate and complete. The hand from heaven is once more stretched out (cf. Jer 1:9) and the divine word placed into the very mouth of the prophet (cf. Jer 1: 9). In addition, a further description of the prophet’s function and immediate task as a prophet is similarly appended to the sign as an explanation (cf. Jer 1:

All of the while we are still told by John that he wants us to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and I have to tell you that for me it has brought the eyes of my own heart to be more open to Jesus.

They made to feel that they were even isolated from God. Leprosy also meant a total loss of your way to life. You had been left to die. Which brings us to the final effect of a diagnosis of leprosy, you are dying, a slow and horrible death.

All these signs were derived from Qur’an or Sunnah. Some of the signs happened and some are happening. The minor signs are the one which happens long time ago before the Day of Judgment

The main purpose of the Book of John is to deliver the news of salvation to readers (Elwell & Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey, 101). Moreover, John includes Jesus’ performance of nine extraordinary signs that the author and many other people observed during Christ’s ministry on earth. Their testimonies show readers that Jesus Christ is the almighty Son of God, and His wonders displayed His greatness. During Christ’s time on earth, He served as a role model and provided teachings that serve as the basis that Christians still follow. Jesus served many roles, such as a teacher, servant, healer, and helper. Yet, many people were in awe of Jesus’ great power in John, and the eyewitness accounts, which portray the life of Jesus in this Gospel, inspired others to follow Christ (Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey, 97). Jesus’ miracles in John include: turning water into wine, healing people, feeding the five thousand, walking on water, resurrection, miraculous appearance of the fish, and raising Lazarus from the dead (Holy Bible, John, 2-21).