Miracles

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The Bible, out of the countless miracles carried out by Jesus during his ministry (John 20:30 - 31), records thirty-nine of them.

Matthew's gospel lists twenty-two of Jesus' miracles of which four are found only in his book. Mark records nineteen in his of which two are unique. John's gospel writes about seven miracles of which five are unique. Lastly, Luke's book lists twenty-one miraculous events manifested by Jesus of which eight are not found in the other accounts.

Nineteen of Jesus' miracles are found only in a single gospel account. There are eight miracles mentioned in two gospels and eleven of them recorded in three. The only miraculous event mentioned in all four is the Lord's feeding of 5,000 men (and an unknown number of women and children) in the early spring of 29 A.D. (Matthew 14:13 - 21, Mark 6:30 - 42, Luke 9:10 - 17, John 6:1 - 13).

Both the Lord's first Biblical miracle (turning water into wine) and the last one he performed before his ascension into heaven (causing Peter to catch 153 fish) are recorded only by the Apostle John (John 2:1 - 11, 21:1 - 24).

Food for Thought

Jesus, on three separate occasions, miraculously provided food or drink. His first miracle was providing high-quality wine at a wedding celebration (John 2:1 - 11).

Jesus, in 29 A.D., miraculously fed 5,000 men, along with an unknown number of women and children, by blessing five bread loaves and two fishes (Luke 9:10 - 17). There was enough food left over to fill twelves baskets with what remained! Later in the year he fed 4,000 people after blessing seven loaves and a few small fishes (Matthew 15:32 - 38). This time, the food that was not eaten filled seven baskets.

Occurrences

The English word "miracle" or its plural is used only five times in the King James Old Testament (Exodus 7:9, Numbers 14:22, Deuteronomy 11:3, 29:3, Judges 6:13). It is found 32 times in the KJV New Testament. The Gospel of John uses it the most with 13 occurrences. The last three times it is recorded in the Bible is in reference to the lying wonders the devil and his demons will do just before Christ's return (Revelation 13:14, 16:14, 19:20).

The Major Prophets of the Old Testament are Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah. Of the three only Isaiah is recorded to have performed a miracle (2Kings 20:8 - 11).

Authority Over Demons

Although Jesus cast demons out of countless people, nine of these miracles are specially noted in the Bible. The below list is in chronological order.

1. A demon is cast out of a man who attended the same Capernaum synagogue service as the Lord (Mark 1:23 - 26, Luke 4:33 - 35).

2. While near the Sea of Galilee (Mark 3:7) a demon possessed man who is blind and cannot speak is brought to Jesus. He casts out the demon and heals the man (Matthew 12:22).

3. Jesus casts seven evil spirits out of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2, Mark 16:9).

4. Jesus, in the area of the Gergesenes, is confronted by two (Mark lists only one) demoniac men who are possessed by a legion (6,000 or more) of evil spirits. After casting them out of the men, he allows them to possess a huge herd of pigs (Matthew 8:28 - 34, Mark 5:1 - 20, Luke 8:26 - 39).

5. An evil spirit, which rendered the man it possessed unable to speak, is cast out (Matthew 9:32 - 35).

6. The Lord, while traveling near the cities of Tyre and Sidon, is approached by a Canaanite (Gentile) woman. Her pleading for her demon-possessed daughter to be healed, along with her faith, causes Christ to remove the spirit (Matthew 15:22 - 28, Mark 7:24 - 30).

7. A demon causing deafness and convulsions is cast out of a boy (Matthew 17:14 - 18, Mark 9:14 - 18, Luke 9:37 - 42).

8. Jesus, likely in the area of Bethany (see Luke 10:38), casts out a demon from someone who could not speak (Luke 11:14).

9. Christ, while teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath, notices a woman afflicted by a "spirit of infirmity." An evil spirit (Luke 10:16) has caused her to be bowed forward for 18 years. The Lord proactively heals her (Luke 13:10 - 13).

The Non-Healing Miracles

Scripture records ten non-healing miracles of Jesus.

1. Water is turned to wine at a wedding (John 2:1 - 11).

2. Peter catches so many fish that it causes two ships to begin to sink (Luke 5:4 - 11)!

3. The Lord quells a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35 - 41, Luke 8:22 - 25, Matthew 8:23 - 27).

4. Five thousand men, as well as women and children, are miraculously fed (Matthew 14:13 - 21, Mark 6:30 - 42, Luke 9:10 - 17, John 6:1 - 13).

5. The Lord walks on water (John 6:18 - 21, Mark 6:47 - 50, Matthew 14:24 - 27).

6. Jesus allows Peter to also walk on water (Matthew 14:28 - 31).

7. The moment the Lord steps into a boat the sea becomes calm (Mark 6:51 - 52, Matthew 14:32 - 33).

8. Four thousand people are fed (Matthew 15:32 - 38, Mark 8:1 - 9).

9. A coin is produced to pay for Jesus' and Peter's temple tax (Matthew 17:24 - 27).

10. The last non-healing miracle of Jesus occurs when a fig tree, near Jerusalem, is cursed and dies (Matthew 21:19 - 22).

Recommended Articles
What Is a Miracle?
Miracles of Jesus Timeline
Apostle Paul's Signs and Wonders!
Miracles of the Old Testament Prophets
Miraculous Events in New Testament
Old Testament Mighty Works
What Are Evil Wonders?
What Is Jesus' Greatest Miracle?
Why Couldn't Jesus Do Wonders in Nazareth?

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Series References
1906 Jewish Encyclopedia
Adam Clarke's Commentary
AMG Concise Bible Dictionary
Biblical Basis for Modern Science
Complete Book of Bible Lists
Complete Book of Who's Who in the Bible
Encyclopedia of Bible Facts
Harmony of the Gospels
Hitchcock's Biblical Names Dictionary
Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah
Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings
Thayer's Greek Definitions
U.S. Library of Congress
Willmington's Guide to Bible Knowledge