By Brandon Smith
When I was about 10 years old, a high-school-aged guy would often play baseball with us. We were always amazed at his ability. To us, he was like Ken Griffey, Jr. in the flesh.
One day I was standing too close while he was at the plate. He took a huge swing at the ball, and his backswing whipped around and connected solidly with the side of my head. The blunt force was so hard that it broke the skin and fractured the bone above my ear. Even so, I only spent one night in the hospital. It felt like a miracle that I wasn’t hurt worse.
We can all relate to “miracles” like this, can’t we—lucky breaks where the unexpected happens? But Jesus’ miracles were true miracles.
Why did He perform them? What was Jesus after when He performed signs and wonders?
Jesus’ miracles set Him apart. He wasn’t just an illusionist, some sort of precursor to David Blaine. Jesus’ miracles were real and they showed people who He was. They revealed that He was the Messiah. They revealed His glory. And they revealed that God’s Kingdom had come to earth.
Let’s look a closer at each of these.
First, Jesus’ miracles revealed He was the Messiah. The Old Testament had spoken of the Messiah who would come and bring an end to sin and death (Isaiah 61:1-3). In Matthew 11:2-5, John the Baptist asks Jesus if He truly is the Messiah. Jesus’ response? “Sin and death are already being pushed back because people are being healed and resuscitated” (my paraphrase). When John asked if Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus pointed to His miracles as proof.
Second, Jesus’ miracles revealed His glory. In John 2:11 we read that the disciples believed in Him because they saw His glory through His miracle of turning water into wine. They knew this was more than a magic trick or a nice turn of events (like a one-night stay in the hospital). It was plain to them that His miracles were otherworldly—that He must have come from above.
Finally, Jesus’ miracles revealed that God’s Kingdom had come to earth. For sin and death to be defeated, God Himself would have to step in and clean up our mess. Jesus did just that. As He Himself said, “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Matthew 12:28). When sin and death are being pushed back, it’s clear that God is at work in our midst.
Jesus’ miracles are not chance, luck, or good fortune. They’re the power of God. And they are bringing us all the way home to New Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22).
Written by Brandon D. Smith
7 thoughts on "Why Did Jesus Perform Miracles?"
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Justin Carey says:
The miracles of Jesus are proof that He is the Messiah. It shows that God came to man, and is pushing back the darkness, bringing His Kingdom, and making all things new.
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Trey says:
As the text shows, Jesus did miracles because it gave credence and legitimacy to Him. I don’t think we need to see miracles all the time, especially those of us who are believers because Christ has already made it clear who He is. Back then, no one had heard of Him and these miracles showed how He was sent from God and revealed His glory.
I do want to see more miraculous things, and I know The Lord is still capable and willing to do them, BUT, He certainly doesn’t need to do anything else go reveal His glory or make His name great. We already have so many things throughout history that show us that. Back when Jesus was here on earth, they didn’t have all of those examples yet. -
Josh says:
No offense, but who are we to say the moment we didn’t get hurt worse wasn’t a miracle?
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Malcolm Combest says:
God is so amazing. You can experience his amazingness in so many ways every day. You just have to open your eyes. Today one of my friends visited the Grand Canyon, and the pictures are just of a fraction of God’s beautiful creation. He does amazing works and wonders every day. It’s just that I get so blinded by worldly things that I often miss them.
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Nathan Gassaway says:
To me, the miracles of Jesus are just icing on the cake when it comes to His earthly ministry. He could have come and died on the cross in one day, but He instead chose to come and live among men. I believe God wanted to show us that He knew what it was like to be human, and show us His amazing power, as well as His saving grace
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William Rector says:
Right now this all feels very informative and I’m struggling to take in the immeasurable value of Christ, who performs miracles. Give me a moment please…
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Jake says:
Jesus’ miracles show us who he is, they provide validity to the fact that he is the Lord God. He came here to set us free, to rescue us in the midst of our suffering. These stories are a glimpse of the future glory we have in store with the Lord.
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