The Birth of Jesus – Luke 2:8-18
When Jesus was born there were shepherds nearby taking care of their sheep. The Bible says that it was night time. The may have been asleep when an angel appeared before them which scared them. He told them to not be afraid, but that he brought good news. The people of Israel knew that would send a savior to the world. They were waiting for Him. The angel announced to the shepherds that the time had finally come to see their savior.
Suddenly there were many more angels who came to tell the shepherds about the new baby. They told them that they could find the baby Jesus in a manger.
The shepherds went to the town of Bethlehem to see the baby. Just like the angels said, they found Jesus with his parents. They worshiped the Savior of the world in a manger.
Turning Water Into Wine – John 2:1-11
The first miracle Jesus performed in His public ministry was to turn the water into wine at the wedding of Cana of Galilee. Jesus and His disciples met Jesus’ mother Mary at the wedding. Jesus had just gathered His band of friends in the previous verses. This was to be a real introduction for the disciples of who Jesus was.
Mary came to Jesus when the host ran out of wine. She knew that He was capable of helping the situation. First she approached Jesus who said He was not ready to reveal Himself to the world. But something in their exchange told Mary it was appropriate for Him to help the master of the house.
Mary told the servants to do whatever Christ told them. Jesus asked them to fill six water pots full with water. Then He told them to draw wine from the pots for the ruler of the feast.
The ruler was surprised that the servants had found wine. He took it to the groom who was equally surprised.
John says that because of this first miracle, the disciples saw the glory of Jesus and believed in Him. But we know from some of the coming stories that they still did not have a full understanding of who Jesus was.
Healing the Centurion’s Servant – Matthew 8:5-13
A centurion had a servant who was sick with palsy—a type of paralysis. When someone was struck with this palsy they usually died a few days later. This centurion heard that Jesus was in Capernaum and sought the Lord to heal his servant.
Jesus agreed to go to the man’s house to heal the servant. The centurion, a man of apparently great humility and faith, said that he was not worthy to have the Lord come to his house. But this man also understood authority. He believed that Jesus’ power was such that He could order the healing be done from a great distance and the person would be healed.
The man departed with confidence knowing that his servant was healed. The Bible says that the healing occurred as soon as the man placed his faith in the power of the Lord.
Other passages: Luke 7:1-10
Jesus Calms the Storm – Mark 4:35-40
Jesus and the disciples were crossing the sea of Galilee in a boat one evening when a violent storm appeared. The ship was filled with water and the disciples were afraid of sinking. They found Jesus was sleeping in the back of the boat. They woke Him up. But they thought He was sleeping because He did not care whether they lived or died.
When Jesus woke up He stood and told the sea to be calm. Immediately the wind and waves calmed down. The disciples were now scared for a different reason. They did not really know who Jesus was at this time. This was shortly after many of them joined Jesus as His followers. They did not understand that Jesus was God’s Son and could control everything in the world if He choose.
Jesus and the Woman at the Well – John 4
Jesus sent His disciples to find food while He traveled through an area called Samaria. Many Jews did not like to travel through there because they did not like the people of Samaria. But Jesus said that He needed to go through that area. Why did He need to go? He knew that He would meet a woman there who needed to hear about God.
He stopped at a well where a woman was getting water. Jesus offered her everlasting water. She did not understand what that was. Jesus explained that people who drink water from the well would have to return and drink again. But Jesus was offering salvation—eternal life. He compared salvation to the water. Jesus said that if she would accept the salvation that He was offering then she would never have to be saved again. He called this everlasting water.
Jesus Walks on Water – Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus sent His disciples across the sea of Galilee one night while He went to the mountains to pray. The disciples obeyed and went to their boat. But during the night there was a storm. The disciples worked hard to get the boat to the other side.
Early in the morning they saw a man walking on the water. They were scared. They did not know it was Jesus coming to be with them. Jesus called to the disciples in the boat and told them not to be afraid. Jesus told them who He was. As Jesus came to them the storm began to calm.
Peter asked Jesus if he could walk on the water too. Jesus told him to get out of the boat and walk to Him. Peter was surprised to walk on the water. But soon he started looking at the waves and the storm. When he took his eyes off Jesus he began to sink. Jesus reached out and caught Peter. They went together into the ship.
After they were in the boat the Bible says that the disciples worshiped Jesus. They began to realize that Jesus really was the son of God.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man – Mark 8:22-26
Jesus’ disciples were still surprised every time He did a miracle. Right after the story of Jesus feeding 4,000 people they brought a man to Him who was blind. They were in the city of Bethsaida.
The people asked Jesus to touch the man so that he could see again. They knew Jesus had power to heal people. Jesus took the blind man and led him out of the city. He healed the man by spitting on his eyes and touching them. Jesus asked the man if he could see anything. The man opened his eyes and said that he could see men walking around like trees. Jesus then put His hands on the man’s eyes again. After this the man could see clearly.
Jesus was able to do many wonderful miracles. Each of these miracles helps us understand that Jesus is God’s Son and that He has control over everything in the world.
