NEW TESTAMENT MIRACLES

Craig Keener researched New Testament miracles. A member of the left-wing Jesus Seminar criticized Craig Keener’s book, The Historical Jesus of the Gospels, because the book contained reports of Jesus’ miracles, even though Keener followed standard historiographical principles which apply to the New Testament gospel accounts as ancient biographies. Strobel, The Case for Miracles, 83.

Keener responded to skeptic Michael Shermer’s objection to the gospels that the authors told “far-fetched stories about fictional miracles in order to make a moral point.” Keener’s specific response was just because the gospels make moral points does not mean the gospel authors were not reporting on historical events. Readers of the gospels from the middle of the second century through most of the nineteenth century regarded the gospels as biographies. Today, most scholars regard the gospels like modern biographies that report historical events that occurred in the person’s life. Therefore, the gospels should not be classified as mythology. Strobel, The Case for Miracles, 84. For example, the opening words of Luke’s gospel state that Luke “carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:4). Strobel also commented, “After all, Jesus wasn’t averse to his own miracles being scrutinized. He told eyewitnesses to his miracles to report what they had personally seen (Matthew 11:4-5), and he instructed a person healed of leprosy to show himself to the priest so he could be examined(Mark 1:44).” Strobel, The Case for Miracles, 123.

The shepherds adore Jesus after his birth.

God becomes human in the form of Jesus (John 1:1-18; Luke 2:1-7).

Jesus got into Simon-Peter’s boat after they had not caught anything and then they caught so many fish that the nets began to break (Luke 5:1-11).

Jesus talks to the Samaritan woman and tells her she had 5 husbands and the man she had was not her husband, even though Jesus never met her before. He then tells her to worship in spirit and truth and that he is the Messiah called Christ. She tells the Samaritans and many of them believe (John 4:1-30).

Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1–11).

Jesus heals the son of a government official in Cana (John 4:46–54).

Christ passes unseen through a crowd in Nazareth (Luke 4:28–30).

Jesus teaches with great authority as if he is God (Mark 1:28-28; Luke 4:31-32).

Jesus heals a demon possessed man in the synagogue in Capernaum (Luke 4:33-37).

Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law and many others (Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41).

Jesus heals a man with leprosy in Capernaum (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16).

Jesus tells a paralyzed man to stand up and take his mat. Free Bible Images.

Jesus heals a paralyzed man in Capernaum (Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26).

Jesus heals a lame man by a pool (John 5:1-15).

Jesus heals a man’s hand on the Sabbath in Galilee. (Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11).

Jesus heals every disease and sickness in Galilee: those suffering severe pain, the demon possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed (Matthew 4:23-5:20).

Jesus heals a Roman Centurion’s paralyzed servant in pain at home in Capernaum. Jesus is astonished at the Centurion’s faith that Jesus could heal his servant from a distance (Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 7:1-10; John 4:46-54).

Jesus raises a widow’s son from the dead in Nain (Luke 7:11–17).

Jesus heals a demon possessed man who was blind and mute so he could talk and see in Galilee. Some accuse Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebub (Satan) (Matthew 12:22–37; Mark 3:20-30; Luke 11:46-26).

Jesus calms a storm in Galilee (Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25).

Jesus heals and sends the demons into a herd of pigs that plunge into the lake. Free Bible Images.

Jesus heals two demon possessed men in Gadarenes by sending demons into a herd of pigs (Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39).

Jesus raises a girl from the dead and heals a sick woman who had been subject to bleeding for 12 years (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56).

Jesus heals two blind men and a demon possessed man that was mute in Capernaum (Matthew 9:27-34).

Jesus heals a lame man by the pool in Jerusalem (John 5:1-15).

Jesus sends out the 12 apostles to teach and preach, and gives them authority over evil spirits and to cure diseases (Matthew 9:35-10:42; Mark 6:6-11; Luke 9:1-5).

Jesus feeds 5 thousand people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish (Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15).

Jesus walks on water.

Jesus walks on water (Matthew 14:22–36; Mark 6:45-56; John 6:16-24).

Jesus heals all who touch him (Matthew 14:34-36; Mark 6:53-56).

Jesus says he is the true bread of eternal life from heaven for those who believe and trust in Jesus (John 6:25-59).

Jesus sends a demon out of a Greek Syrophonecian woman’s daughter (Matthew 15:21–28; Mark 7:24-30).

Jesus heals many people: the deaf, mute, lame, crippled, and others (Matthew 15:29-31; Mark 7:31-37).

Jesus feeds 4 thousand people with 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish (Matthew 15:32–39; Mark 8:1-10).

Jesus heals a blind man in Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26).

Jesus is transfigured on the mountain (Matthew 17:1–13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36).

Jesus heals a boy with an evil spirit (Matthew 17:14-23; Mark 9:14-32; Luke 9:37-45).

Jesus pays the Temple Tax with a coin that Peter found in the mouth of a fish that Jesus told him to go out and catch (Matthew 17:24–27).

Jesus sends out the 72 with authority and in Jesus’ name and power. The 72 make the demons submit to Jesus, trample on snakes and scorpions, overcome the power of the enemy, and suffer no harm. Jesus tells them they should rejoice that their names are written in heaven (Matthew 11:20-24; Luke 10:1-20).

Jesus heals a crippled woman (Luke 10-17).

Jesus heals a man with dropsy (swollen limbs) (Luke 14:1-6).

Jesus passes unseen through the crowd at the temple (John 8:59).

Jesus heals the man blind from birth. Bible Images.

Jesus heals a man that was born blind (John 9:1-12).

Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11:38-44).

Jesus cleanses 10 lepers, but only the Samaritan leper returns to Jesus to praise God (Luke 17:11-19).

Jesus heals one beggar and or two blind beggars in Jericho because of their faith (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43).

Jesus curses a fig tree and it withers (Mark 11:12–14).

Jesus heals the ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest, after Peter cut it off with his sword (Matthew 26:50-54; Mark 14:46-50; Luke 22:50–51 (only Luke mentions healing of the ear); John 18:10-11).

Jesus rises from the dead. The resurrection (Matthew 28:1-7; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-10; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18).

The resurrected Jesus appears to women. Free Bible Images.

Jesus appears to other women (Matthew 28:8-10).

Jesus appears to two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13–34).

Jesus appears to the 11 disciples while they are eating and rebukes them for their lack of faith and refusal to believe Jesus had risen from the dead. He commissions them to preach the good news of Jesus to all creation (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18).

Jesus appears to 10 apostles. Thomas is absent (Luke 35-43; John 20:19–24).

Doubting Thomas touches Jesus’ wounds and believes. Free Bible Images.

Jesus appears to 11 apostles. Thomas is present, doubts, touches Jesus’ nail marked hands and wound in his side, and believes (Mark 16:14; John 20:24–31).

Jesus appears to 7 disciples while they are fishing, they are unable to catch fish, they catch fish when Jesus tells them to throw the net on the right side of the boat, and Jesus challenges Peter to love Jesus and to feed/take care of Jesus’ sheep (John 21:1–25).

Jesus appears to his disciples in Jerusalem for 40 days after his resurrection and teaches about the resurrection, and then Jesus ascends to heaven (Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-10).

Jesus appears to Peter and the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:5).

Jesus appears to 500 of his followers (1 Corinthians 15:6).

Jesus appears to James, his half-brother, and all the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:7).

Jesus converts Saul-Paul from a persecutor of Christians to a proclaimer of Christianity. Free Bible Images.

Jesus appears to Saul of Tarsus-Paul on the road to Damascus and blinds and converts Paul (Acts 9:1–5, 22:6-21; 1 Corinthians 15:18).

Peter heals a crippled beggar (Acts 3:1-13).

God kills Ananias and Sapphira because they lied to the Holy Spirit about their vow to God as to how much they gave to God (Acts 5:1-11).

Paul and the apostles perform many miraculous signs and wonders, and heal many people (Acts 5:12-16).

The angel of the Lord opens the doors of the jail and frees the apostles (Acts 5:17-26).

Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performs amazing miracles and signs (Acts 6:8).

Stephen was martyred but still asked God to forgive his killers. Free Bible Images.

Stephen confronts the council of religious leaders about their resistance to the Holy Spirit and crucifixion of Jesus, and they ordered that he be stoned to death. Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus at God’s right hand. Then Jesus received Stephen’s spirit and Stephen prayed to God to not charge those stoning him with his death (Acts 7:51–59).

Philip casts out many evil spirits, including but not limited to, Simon the sorcerer, and heals many who had been paralyzed or lame (Acts 8:6–13).

The Lord speaks to Ananias, a believer in Damascus, in a vision to go find Saul-Paul and lay his hands on him so Paul could see again. The Lord restores Paul’s sight. (Acts 9:10-19).

Peter heals Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for 8 years (Acts 9:32-35).

Peter raises Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:39-42).

The Lord speaks to Cornelius, a devout Roman army officer who feared and prayed to God, in a vision in which an angel tells him to find Peter (Acts 10:3–4, 30–32).

The Lord speaks to Peter in a vision in which he sees all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. A voice tells him to kill and eat them because they are acceptable to God. Then the three men Cornelius sent find Paul. The Holy Spirit tells Peter to go with the three men and to eat with Cornelius. Peter does so even though Jews did not eat with Romans, because God told him to never think of anyone as impure. They waited before God to hear the message the Lord gave to Peter (Acts 10:9–33).

Agabus, a prophet from Jerusalem, who travels to Antioch, accurately prophesizes by the Holy Spirit that a great famine would come upon the Roman world during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius (A.D. 41-54) due to a drought that extended across the Roman Empire for many years (Acts 11:28; 21:11).

The angel of the Lord frees Peter from jail. Free Bible Images.

The angel of the Lord makes the chains fall off Peter’s wrists and opens the door of the jail as Peter follows the angel out of the jail (Acts 12:7–11).

Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, tells the sorcerer Elymas that the Lord was punishing Elymas by blinding him temporarily. This was because Elymas interfered with Paul and Barnabas presenting the word of God to Paphos Island Governor Sergius Paulus by urging the governor to pay no attention to them, and turning the governor away from the Christian faith (Acts 13:6-12).

Paul heals a man that had crippled feet from birth because Paul realized the man had faith to be healed (Acts 14:8-11).

The Holy Spirit prevents Paul and Silas from going to the provinces of Asia and Bithynia (Acts 16:6-10).

God calls Paul in a vision of a man from Macedonia in northern Greece to go preach the Good News there. Paul and Silas do so (Acts 16:9-10).

Paul commands, in the name of Jesus Christ, a demon to come out of a demon possessed slave girl fortune-teller. Then her masters seek to have Paul and Silas beaten and imprisoned (Acts 16:16-23).

Paul and Silas pray and sing hymns to God in prison. Suddenly, an earthquake occurs, the prison doors open, and the chains fall off Paul, Silas, and every prisoner (Acts 16:24–26).

Paul baptizes 12 Christian believers in Ephesus in the name of Lord Jesus. Paul then lays his hands on them and the Holy Spirit comes on them and they start speaking in other tongues or languages and prophesying or proclaiming the truth (Acts 19:1-7).

God gives Paul the power to do unusual miracles of healing diseases and casting out evil spirits. Even handkerchiefs or cloths that Paul touched could do this when they were placed on the skin of the sick people or people possessed by evil spirits (Acts 19:11–12).

An evil spirit attacks and injures Sceva’s (a leading Jewish priest) 7 sons that were attempting to cast out an evil spirit in a man. The evil spirt attacked them because the evil spirit did not know them, but only knew Jesus and Paul (Acts 19:13–16).

Paul raises Eutyhus from the dead after he fell out a window and died. Free Bible Images.

Paul raises Eutychus from the dead after he fell out of a window three stories to his death (Acts 20:7-12).

An angel of God tells Paul not to be afraid of dying in a storm at sea, because Paul and those sailing would survive after being shipwrecked on an island (Acts 27:10-42).

Paul is unharmed by a poisonous snake bite while on the island of Malta (Acts 28:1-6).

Paul prays for and heals Publius’ father of a fever and dysentery. Paul also heals other sick people on the island (Acts 28:7-10).

There were many other miracles of Jesus that were not recorded in the Bible, but were witnessed by the apostles.  The miracles in the Bible were written so that readers may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, Son of God, and that by believing in him they will have eternal life (John 20:30; Acts 10:38–39).

God’s revelation of the Four Horsemen representing God’s judgement for sin. Free Bible Images.

God gives John a vision on Patmos of events that will happen soon so John could share God’s revelation from Jesus Christ. John faithfully reports everything he sees regarding the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1-3, 9-11; 22:8-21).