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Miracles of Jesus
Gospels; c. AD 28–30· Event· Bible story & events
Faith & scriptureHeld by believers on faith and scripture; history can neither confirm nor rule it out.
The Gospels report that Jesus healed the sick, drove out demons, raised the dead and calmed nature: about three dozen miracles in all.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Most are healings: the blind, the lame, lepers, and a paralyzed man lowered through a roof (Mark 2). Others are exorcisms, the raising of Lazarus (John 11), and 'nature miracles' such as calming a storm, walking on water, and feeding 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish (Mark 6). That feeding is the only miracle besides the resurrection told in all four Gospels. John calls the miracles 'signs' pointing to who Jesus is.
Why it matters
For the Gospels they show God's kingdom breaking in (see Kingdom of God). They drew crowds, and healing on the Sabbath also made him enemies (Mark 3:1–6).
Faith and history
Historians cannot test miracles, but most agree Jesus was known as a healer and exorcist: it appears in every Gospel source, Josephus calls him a doer of 'surprising deeds' (Antiquities 18.63), and the Talmud calls it sorcery (Sanhedrin 43a).
Questions and debates
Whether the stories record real events, healings of stress-related illness, or theological storytelling is the central divide between believers and skeptical scholars.
Connections (2)
▸Jesus of Nazareth is credited with Miracles of JesusFaith & scripture
The connection
The Gospels make healing and exorcism central to Jesus' work in Galilee, drawing crowds from village to village. Jesus pointed to them as signs of his mission: 'the blind receive their sight, the lame walk' (Matthew 11:5). Opponents did not deny the deeds but said he drove out demons by Satan's power (Mark 3:22).
When and where
Mostly around the Sea of Galilee, in towns like Capernaum, about AD 28–30; also in Jerusalem (John 5, 9) and nearby Bethany (John 11).
How do we know?
Most historians accept he was known as a healer and exorcist. Miracle stories fill roughly a third of Mark, the earliest Gospel; for outside sources, see Miracles of Jesus.
Questions and debates
Jesus was not the only reputed wonder-worker: Jewish tradition remembers Honi the Circle-Drawer and Hanina ben Dosa for answered prayers. How distinctive his reputation was is debated.
▸Miracles of Jesus were signs, the Gospels say, of The Kingdom of GodFaith & scripture
The connection
Jesus links the two directly: 'if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you' (Luke 11:20). Healings and exorcisms show God's rule pushing back sickness and evil, a foretaste of the healed world the prophets promised (Isaiah 35:5–6).
When and where
Jesus' ministry in Galilee, about AD 28–30; recorded in Luke 11:20, Matthew 12:28 and his reply to John the Baptist (Matthew 11:2–6).
How do we know?
The link is explicit in sayings most scholars trace back to Jesus. Whether the miracles happened is a matter of faith.
Questions and debates
Scholars debate whether Jesus meant his miracles as proof of who he was, as John's 'signs' suggest, or mainly as acts of compassion pointing to the kingdom.