Miracles

We can conclude that Jesus must have been a compelling speaker, but we can also assume that much of his fame came from the news that he was performing miracles. As I mentioned last time, word must have spread like wildfire—especially when the miracles were directed toward healing the sick. He would have been mobbed, and indeed, we are told that he would often instruct the healed person not to say anything, just as he did with the blind man of Bethsaida. (See: Mark 1:40; 1:43; 7:36; Matthew 9:30; Luke 8:56)

We are also told that—to bypass the crowds—one paralyzed man had resourceful friends, who lowered the man on a mat through an opening in the roof. (Mark 2:1-12) Therefore, we can easily assume that it must have been a chaotic scene, whenever Jesus went out in public. 

Publicly, many of the Jewish religious leaders were opposed to Jesus, but in private it may have been a different story. We are told that a leader of the synagogue named Jairus threw himself at Jesus’ feet and begged him to heal his twelve-year-old daughter—which Jesus did. (Luke 8:41-56).  And even after Jesus’ arrest, King Herod was “greatly pleased” to see him, hoping that he’d perform a miracle. (Luke 23:8)

Interestingly enough, it seems that oftentimes the miracles depended upon the strength of the recipient’s faith, and where there was no faith there were no miracles. Compare Jesus’ words to a blind man in Mark 10:52 (“Go your way; your faith has saved you”) to Matthew 13:58 (“And he did not do many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.")

And perhaps the most famous example is that of the Roman centurion, an important soldier in the conquering army who—surprisingly—came to ask Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus agreed to go with him, the centurion said it wouldn’t be necessary: “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed." Jesus replied: “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” (Matthew 8:5-13)

Other well-known miracles:

Water into wine: Jesus’ first recorded miracle, when he attended a wedding in Cana. The hosts had run out of wine, and Jesus’ mother prompted him to help them out, even though he was reluctant to show his power as yet. Mom knows best, though. (John 2:1-11)  

The Feeding of the Five Thousand: this miracle is the only one to appear in all four Gospels; Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:31–44, Luke 9:12–17, and John 6:1–14. The event occurred when a large crowd had followed Jesus to a remote area where there was little food. Using five loaves of bread and two fish, Jesus multiplied the food to feed approximately 5,000 men (plus women and children), and we are told there were twelve baskets of leftovers. 

Raising Lazarus from the Dead: Jesus heard word that Lazarus, one of his friends, was very sick in a nearby town. By the time he arrived, however, the man had died and been in the tomb for four days. Before the crowd of mourners, Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out, and he did, still wrapped in his burial cloths. (John 11:1–44)

Walking on Water:  After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent the apostles by ship back to the other side of the Sea of Galilee while he remained behind to pray. Night fell, and the apostles’ ship was caught in a fearsome storm. Fearing for their lives, the men then saw Jesus, walking toward them on the water. They were frightened, thinking that they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus told them not to be afraid, entered the ship, and the storm subsided. (John 6:1-14)

Fun fact: The Jewish leaders at the time criticized Jesus for performing miracles on the Sabbath, and used this as a pretext in their plot to kill him. (John 5:1-18).