Jesus of Nazareth can be defined
in a variety of ways. At Grace Ministries, we believe he is
the Living Son of God, and Savior of all mankind. On this page,
we'd like to give you some highlights of his ministry, specifically,
his miracles and his resurrection.
For more wonderful information about Jesus,
please use the links below:
Who is Jesus?
Accept the Gift
The Resurrection
The resurrection is the central element of our
Christian faith. Jesus promised us that on the third day after his
death, he would return from the dead to walk again on Earth. Thats
just what he did! Because Jesus did rise from the dead, we know
and have faith that all his claims are true and we can know for
sure that there is life after death.
Although Christianity is based largely on faith,
it is still unbelievable that even those looking for scientific
evidence and support of the resurrection still dont believe
in the wondrous gifts God gives us. There is an abundance of evidence
that exists to support the resurrection.
Jesus foretold of his death and the resurrection,
and it occurred just as he said it would.
John 2:19-21 "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy
this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.' The Jews
replied, 'It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and
you are going to raise it in three days?' But the temple he had
spoken of was his body."
John 10:17 "The reason my Father loves
me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again."
John 16:16-23 "In a little while you will
see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.'
Some of his disciples said to one another, 'What does he mean by
saying, 'In a little while you will see me no more, and then after
a little while you will see me,' and 'Because I am going to the
Father'?' They kept asking, 'What does he mean by 'a little while'?
We don't understand what he is saying.' Jesus saw that they wanted
to ask him about this, so he said to them, 'Are you asking one another
what I meant when I said, 'In a little while you will see me no
more, and then after a little while you will see me'? I tell you
the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You
will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth
to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby
is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child
is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief,
but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take
away your joy..."
Matthew 12:40 "For as Jonah was three days
and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man
will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Matthew 16:21 "From that time on Jesus
began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and
suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and
teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third
day be raised to life."
Luke 18:31-33 "Jesus took the Twelve aside
and told them, 'We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that
is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.
He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult
him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will
rise again."
The resurrection is the only way that makes
sense to explain the empty tomb.
A battery of Roman soldiers was placed in front
the tomb where Jesus' body was laid to prevent followers from stealing
the body. A huge stone also covered the graves entrance.
There were some that claimed Jesus was not dead, but only weakened.
So, what they are saying is that after being whipped, beaten, nailed
and hung on a cross for six hours, stabbed with a spear, and wrapped
in linen, Jesus was not only able to roll a 4000-pound stone up
hill, but was also able to slip past many soldiers to escape.
No other explanation had any validity because
the Jewish Leaders could not produce Jesus body (it could
not be found because Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.
More people than just the disciples saw
the resurrected Christ.
After he rose from the dead, Jesus appeared
at least ten times and to as many as 500 people at one time.
Luke 24:36-39 "While they were still talking
about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, 'Peace
be with you.' They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw
a ghost. He said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts
rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!
Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you
see I have.'"
John 20:26-29 "A week later his disciples
were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors
were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be
with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my
hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting
and believe.' Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus
told him, 'because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed
are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 "For what I received
I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for
our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he
was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that
he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared
to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most
of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he
appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he
appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."
Many scholars of the scientific and historical
community accept the fact of Jesus resurrection.
After examining the evidence for the resurrection
given by the Gospel writers, the late Simon Greenleaf, an authority
on legal issues at Harvard Law School, concluded: "It was therefore
impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths
they have narrated, had not Jesus actually risen from the dead,
and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other
fact." Mr. Greenleaf was a Jewish professor who became a believer
in Jesus the Messiah after studying the facts for himself.
The Miracles
The following is a listing of passages that
detail the miracles performed by Jesus.
Healing
Cures the official's son In the second of
Jesus’ miracles, Jesus cures the son of an official in Galilee and
warns us not to ask God for proof of his power (John
4:48). John
4:43-54
Heals the man who could not walk Jesus heals
a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years. John
5:1-9
Heals Peter's mother-in-law Matthew
8:14-15
Mark
1:29-31
Luke
4:38-39
Heals the leper Matthew
8:2-4
Mark
1:40-42
Luke
5:12-13
Heals the man who could not walk Jesus heals
another man that could not walk and shows that through faith and the
forgiveness of sin, we can be whole again. Matthew
9:2-8
Mark
2:2-12
Luke
5:18-26
Heals the centurion's servant Through great
faith the centurion showed, just Jesus saying the words heals his
servant, as the centurion did not feel worthy to have Jesus in his
home. Matthew
8:5-13
Luke
7:2-10
Heals a demon-possessed, blind, and mute
man Matthew
12:22
Luke
11:14
Heals the woman who touched his garment in
the crowd A woman who had been bleeding for 12 years had great faith
in knowing a touch of Jesus’ clothing would heal here, and it did.
Matthew
9:20-22
Mark
5:25-34
Luke
8:43-48
Heals the Canaanite woman's daughter
Matthew
15:22-28
Mark
7:25-30
Heals deaf and mute man Mark
7:32-37
Heals the man born blind, deaf and mute
Mark
8:22-26
Heals the blind, mute, and demonized son
After a failed attempt to heal him by the disciples, Jesus not only
demonstrates his great power, but makes an example of their lack of
faith. Matthew
17:14-21
Mark
9:14-29
Luke
9:37-42
Heals ten lepers How often do we fail to
thank God for his blessings? Ten lepers are healed, but only one
has enough humility to return to Jesus and thank him for the miraculous
healing of his illness. Luke
17:11-19
Heals woman of her illness Jesus heals a
woman bound by illness for 18 years. Luke
13:10-17
Heals the demon-possessed, blind, mute man
Matthew
12:22
Luke
11:14
Resurrection of the Dead
Raises the widow's
son from the dead Jesus shows not only his great power, but also
his compassion for those who are hurting.
Luke
7:12-16
Raises Jairus's daughter from the dead Jesus
raises a 12-year-old girl from the dead. Matthew
9:18-19,23-26
Mark
5:22-24,35-43
Luke
8:41-42,49-56
Raises Lazarus from the dead Jesus brings
back to life a man who had been laying in a tomb for several days.
This miracle creates a stir throughout the country, and many of the
religious leaders now began to follow Jesus after this demonstration
of the power of a living God. John
11:1-46
Jesus is resurrected from the dead Jesus
is raised from the dead, just as he had foretold on numerous occasions.
This is the most wonderful miracle of all, and is the basis of our
faith. Matthew
28:2-20
Mark
16:1-20
Luke
24:1-48
John
20:1-21:24
Other Miracles
Changes water to wine In his first recorded
miracle, Jesus changes water at a wedding into wine and the disciples
but their faith in him.
John
2:6-11
Abundance of fish Simon Peter had been trying
to catch fish all night at the Sea of Galilee, but had been unsuccessful.
Jesus gives him a command from Jesus to lower his nets again. Even
through Peter’s doubts, so many fish are caught that his nets begin
to break. Luke
5:4-9
Drives out Demons Mark
1:23-28
Luke
4:33-37
Calms the storm As an example of our own
lack of faith, the men on the boat were terrified they were going
to drown, even with the Son of God asleep at their feet. Jesus
calms a furious storm on the Sea of Galilee with a wave of his hand.
Amidst the worst we can fear, Jesus sees us through.
Matthew
8:24-27
Mark
4:37-41
Luke
8:23-25
Drives out Demons Jesus drives out demons
from two men into pigs.
Matthew
8:28-34
Mark
5:1-20
Luke
8:26-39
Feeds five thousand In one of the most spectacular
miracles, Jesus feeds a massive crowd of over 5,000 people with just
five loaves of bread and two small fish. Just as with His word, there
was an abundance of food left over! Matthew
14:15-21
Mark
6:35-44
John
6:5-14
Walks on water and quiets a storm After seeing
Jesus walk on the Sea of Galilee, Peter is called to walk to him on
the water and does so. Beginning to doubt, Peter starts to sink in
the water but is saved by Jesus. Matthew
14:22-33
Mark
6:45-52
John
6:16-21
Feeds four thousand A similar miracle to
the feeding of over 5000, Jesus takes compassion on a large, famished
crowd of followers who hadn't eaten in three days. They are fed with
seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. Seven baskets of food
are left over. Matthew
15:32-38
Mark
8:1-9
Curses the fig tree, causing it to wither
Matthew
21:18-20
Mark
11:12-14,20-21
The final miracle: abundance of fish The
last miracle performed following his resurrection, Jesus again blesses
the nets of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee. John
21:6
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