Why Did Jesus Perform Miracles?
Why Did Jesus Perform Miracles?
Regardless of where you’re reading in the Bible, it won’t take long before you come across a miraculous event. This is particularly true in the four Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). These four books record key events of Jesus’ life and ministry on Earth. And nothing distinguishes Christ’s earthly ministry more than the numerous miracles He performed.
Which raises the question, why did Jesus perform miracles? While each individual instance of Christ performing miracles ought to be considered in the context they were recorded, we can confidently provide an overarching reason. He performed miracles to prove His claim of being the Son of God and the promised Messiah; so that all might believe and have eternal life in His name (John 20:31).
As the “proof” of His astounding claim, understanding these miracles should be of first importance. Let’s look a little closer.
The Promised Savior
First, we must appreciate that the coming of Jesus (and His miracles) was foretold long before His incarnation or earthly ministry.
From the very beginning – before Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden – God had promised to send a Savior to deal with the results of our first parents listening to the serpent.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring;
He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15)
Scholars call this the protoevangelium (proto=first; evangelium=good news). The first foreshadowing of the Good News of Jesus coming to deal with sin. (For much more on this important passage, check out our related article Enmity Unto Death or listen to our free podcast episode on Genesis 3!)
From that moment on, humanity had been waiting for the promised Savior. But how would He be known? What would He be like? How could He be distinguished among all the other would-be saviors?
Fortunately, God sent many prophets ahead of the Messiah. And one important aspect of their ministry was to tell the faithful what to look for.
The LORD Himself makes clear that the promised Seed would come from Abraham, the father of the Jewish peoples:
“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:2-3, bold added)
Later, we are told that the One would come with the prophetic authority of Moses:
“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.’ The LORD said to me, ‘They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him.’” (Deuteronomy 18:15–19)
It was also revealed that Jesus would come from the linage of David:
“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish His kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. I will be to Him a father and He shall be to Me a Son.” (2 Samuel 7:12-14a)
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He shall reign as King and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which He will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
The Scriptures make it clear that the One through whom the nations would be blessed would come through the lineage of David. Through David’s offspring, God would bring forth the righteous Savior. It is this One whose kingdom would be established forever.
For more, check out our free video series on Christ in the Old Testament. You may also be edified by our article revealing how Christ is proclaimed in the books of Moses and our six-article series on The Kingdom of God.
His Works Testify
We were told that the Christ would be a descendant of Abraham, a prophet like Moses, and a king from the line of David. But that still casts a pretty wide net. What was to set Him apart from anyone else able to make a claim to a similar heritage?
His works! The miracles He would perform!
First, let’s acknowledge the Apostle John’s assertion that not every miracle Jesus performed was recorded for us.
“Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book.” (John 20:30)
And:
“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25)
So, while they were not all recorded, we do have written testimony of a multitude of otherwise-impossible signs Jesus gave testifying to His Divinity.
People with leprosy were instantly healed (Matthew 8:1–4; Mark 1:40–42; Luke 17:11–19).
The blind received sight (Matthew 9:27–31; Mark 8:22–25, 10:46–52; John 9:1–7) in accordance with the prophecies Isaiah made about Him (Isaiah 42:6–7, 61:1–2).
Those who were paralyzed were made whole (Matthew 9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26).
Even the dead were raised to life (Matthew 9:1826; Luke 7:11–16; John 11:1–44).
And this is only a selected few of the recorded miracles out of the uncountable number that Christ performed. Another that always seems to stand out in my mind is the time Jesus calmed the storm.
“When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing!’ He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?’ Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, ‘What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?’” (Matthew 8:23–27 bold added)
“What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” What an excellent question. He is the Messiah! God’s anointed Servant sent to declare salvation to the world. We don’t have to wonder if He was the One; His innumerable miracles prove it!
Jesus the Savior
Near the end of John the Baptist’s life and ministry, while in prison for his righteousness, he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was the One.
“Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?’ And Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me.’” (Matthew 11:2-6)
John had already declared to the crowds regarding Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God” (John 1:36)! But now he needed reassurance.
What guarantee does Christ provide? Is John instructed to “just believe?” No!
Jesus points to the miracles He’s performed. In essence, “Look at My works! They testify on My behalf.”
He takes a similar approach while defending His deity to the religious leaders:
“The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, ‘I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?’ The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I SAID, YOU ARE GODS’? ‘If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? ‘If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.’” (John 10:31–38 bold added).
The miracles Jesus performed revealed the truth that He was, and is, the Son of God. The One sent into the world to save it; to bless the nations. The One from the lineage of David, whose kingdom would be established forever.
Do you believe? These miracles were “written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).
For more on how Jesus is the Savior, see our articles: Why Did Jesus Die For Our Sins? and Forsaken By God.
Related Questions
What is the purpose of miracles in the Bible? The overarching purpose of miracles in the Scriptures is to bring glory to God. Most often the miracles were signs that pointed to the truth that the LORD is God and there is none other but Him. Always, man’s response to the miracles should be belief in God, through His Son, Jesus the Christ.
What miracles will Jesus perform in the future? Jesus has given us the ultimate proof that He is the Son of God, the Savior, through His resurrection from the dead. All who believe in the name of Jesus will be saved. However, for the unbelieving world there is perhaps one more important sign and it is the rapture. The gathering of His people in the clouds as He comes back to judge the world in righteousness.
