The Bible contains many stories and verses about miracles. Miracles demonstrate God’s power and glory, provide evidence of His existence and love for humanity, and inspire faith and belief in those who witness them. Here is an overview of some of the main Bible passages about miracles:
Jesus’ miracles in the Gospels
The four Gospels record over 30 miracles performed by Jesus during His earthly ministry. These include healings, exorcisms, resurrection of the dead, power over nature, and feeding of the multitudes. Some examples include:
- Turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11)
- Healing the royal official’s son (John 4:46-54)
- Healing a paralytic (Mark 2:1-12)
- Feeding the 5000 (Matthew 14:13-21)
- Walking on water (Matthew 14:22-33)
- Giving sight to a man born blind (John 9:1-41)
- Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44)
- The resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20)
Jesus performed miracles to fulfill prophecy and reveal His identity as the Messiah. The miracles displayed His authority over sickness, demons, nature, death, and sin.
Moses and the miracles of the Exodus
When God called Moses to deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He equipped Moses with miraculous signs to display His power before Pharaoh. These miracles included:
- Turning Moses’ staff into a snake (Exodus 4:2-5)
- The ten plagues on Egypt, such as the Nile turning to blood and the Passover (Exodus 7-12)
- The parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14)
- Manna and quail from heaven (Exodus 16)
- Water from the rock at Horeb (Exodus 17:1-7)
These awe-inspiring miracles forced Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, while increasing the Israelites’ faith in God’s saving power.
Elijah and Elisha’s miracles
The prophets Elijah and Elisha performed many miracles that showed God’s authority and care for His people. Some examples are:
- Elijah multiplied flour and oil for a widow (1 Kings 17:8-16)
- Elijah raised a widow’s son from death (1 Kings 17:17-24)
- Elijah called down fire from heaven (1 Kings 18:20-40)
- Elisha parted and crossed the Jordan River (2 Kings 2:13-14)
- Elisha purified poisoned water (2 Kings 2:19-22)
- Elisha multiplied oil for a widow (2 Kings 4:1-7)
- Elisha raised a Shunammite woman’s son from death (2 Kings 4:18-37)
- Elisha healed Naaman’s leprosy (2 Kings 5:1-14)
These signs authenticated Elijah and Elisha as God’s spokesmen and showed God’s mercy and love for those who turned to Him.
Healing and resurrection miracles in Acts
The book of Acts records how God empowered the early church to perform wonders and miracles in Jesus’ name. Examples include:
- Peter and John healing a lame beggar (Acts 3:1-10)
- The apostles healing the sick and demon possessed (Acts 5:12-16)
- Philip teleporting from one place to another (Acts 8:26-40)
- Peter raising Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-42)
- Paul healing a crippled man at Lystra (Acts 14:8-10)
- Paul casting out an evil spirit from a slave girl (Acts 16:16-18)
- Extraordinary miracles through Paul, such as healings and exorcisms (Acts 19:11-12)
- Eutychus restored to life after falling from a window (Acts 20:7-12)
- Paul unharmed by a viper’s bite (Acts 28:3-6)
These miracles helped spread the gospel and establish the early church in apostolic times.
Jesus’ miracles foretold in the Old Testament
The Old Testament prophets looked ahead to the coming Messiah and foretold the miraculous signs that would accompany His ministry. For example:
- “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy.” (Isaiah 35:5-6)
- “The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” (Isaiah 61:1)
- The LORD said to Moses, “…I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:17-18)
These and other prophetic passages helped people recognize Jesus as the Messiah through the miracles He performed.
Miracles point to God’s power and glory
A key purpose of biblical miracles is to glorify God and prove His mighty power. Miracles inspire awe at God’s greatness.
- “Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)
- “O LORD my God, you have done many miracles for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.” (Psalm 40:5)
- “Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?'” (John 11:40)
Miracles reveal God’s compassion and mercy
Miracles in Scripture demonstrate God’s loving care and mercy towards those in need. His miracles provide, heal, restore, and deliver.
- “Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ And immediately the leprosy left him.” (Mark 1:41-42)
- “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” (Matthew 14:14)
- “‘Lord, have mercy on my son,’ he said… Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.” (Matthew 17:15,18)
Miracles offer evidence for faith
Miracles provide evidence that God exists, that Jesus is the Son of God, and that the gospel is true. They strengthen the faith of those who witness them.
- “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John 14:11)
- “Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.” (John 20:30-31)
- “Men of Israel, listen to this: 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.” (Acts 2:22)
Miracles inspire faith and worship
Miracles in the Bible inspire awe, faith, and worship for God. People glorified God when they saw His wonders.
- “They were all filled with awe and praised God. ‘A great prophet has appeared among us,’ they said. ‘God has come to help his people.’” (Luke 7:16)
- “Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.” (Luke 5:25)
- “Then whoever hears the sound of the trumpet and does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes his life, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have saved his life.” (Ezekiel 33:4-5)
Jesus promises believers will do greater works
Jesus told His disciples that believers who came after Him would do even greater miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12)
- “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:17-18)
Cautions about miracles
The Bible issues some cautions about miracles. Jesus resisted those who wanted to see miracles merely for entertainment. Miracles performed by evil sources are condemned. And pursuing miracles should not be prioritized over morality and love.
- “A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.” (Matthew 16:4)
- “If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder spoken of takes place, and the prophet says, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (gods you have not known) ‘and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer.” (Deuteronomy 13:1-3)
- “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2)
Conclusion
The many miracles recorded in Scripture serve to glorify God, authenticate His messengers, express His compassion, provide evidence for belief, and inspire worship and faith. While being wary of false or immoral miracles, believers can have confidence in God’s miraculous power on display throughout the Bible’s pages, from the Exodus, to the prophets, to the life of Jesus Christ and the early church.