It was a miracle! How many times have you heard someone say that? Probably hundreds of times. But they don’t really mean that it was a miracle – what they really mean is that the event they witnessed was amazing, improbable, or inexplicable.
But are there real miracles? Have there been times that the natural laws of the universe, such as gravity, or even death, have been stopped, changed, or reversed? To find the answer to this question, we must turn to the Bible.
Fact #1: Jesus performed many miracles
In the four gospels, we find many instances were Jesus performed miracles, such as “Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.” (Matthew 12:22) Perhaps one of the most famous of Jesus’ miracles was the raising of Lazarus from the dead, which we read about in John 11: “Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days…Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44The dead man came out.”
Fact #2: Jesus performed these miracles to prove that he was God
In the book of Acts, Peter says that “Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.”
Fact #3: Jesus gave authority to his disciples to perform miracles
In Matthew 10:1, we’re told that Jesus “called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil[a] spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”
Fact #4: God has given authority to his servants at various times to perform miracles
The Bible has many stories of miracles performed by God’s servants – Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and others. The question is – does God still empower his followers to work miracles in his name? That is a tough question. The answer is beyond the scope of this article, but I hope that you will think and study the Bible to find the answer!
