What Can We Learn From the Miracles of Jesus?

 1. Describe the setting in which Jesus performed his first miracle.

PICTURE the scene in late 29 C.E. at the start of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus and his mother, Mary, and some of his disciples are invited to a wedding feast in Cana, a village north of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. Mary is a friend of the family and is apparently helping to care for the guests. But during the wedding feast, a problem arises that could greatly embarrass the family and the young couple​—the wine runs out.b Perhaps the number of guests is greater than expected. Mary quickly turns to her son and says: “They have no wine.” (John 2:1-3) What does Jesus do? Something extraordinary​—he miraculously turns water into “fine wine.”​—John 2:9, 10.

2-3. (a) How did Jesus use his miraculous power? (b) How can we benefit from considering Jesus’ miracles?

² Jesus would go on to perform many other miracles during his ministry.c He used his miraculous power to help tens of thousands of people. For example, just two of his miracles​—feeding 5,000 men and later 4,000 men—​may have involved a total of over 27,000 people if we include the women and children who were also present. (Matt. 14:15-21; 15:32-38) On both occasions, Jesus also healed many who were sick. (Matt. 14:14; 15:30, 31) Imagine how amazed the crowds were to be miraculously healed and fed by Jesus!

³ The miracles of Jesus have great meaning for us today. In this article, we will discuss some faith-strengthening lessons that those miracles can teach us. Then we will examine how we can imitate the humility and the compassion that Jesus showed when performing miracles.

 4. Jesus’ miracles teach us faith-strengthening lessons about whom?

⁴ The miracles of Jesus teach us faith-strengthening lessons not only about him but also about his Father. After all, Jehovah was the real Source of the miracles. Acts 10:38 tells us: “God anointed him [Jesus] with holy spirit and power, and he went through the land doing good and healing all those oppressed by the Devil, because God was with him.” Remember, too, that in all that Jesus said and did​—including the miracles he performed—​he perfectly reflected his Father’s thinking and feelings. (John 14:9) Consider three lessons we can learn from Jesus’ miracles.

 5. What moved Jesus to perform miracles? (Matthew 20:30-34)

⁵ First, Jesus and his Father deeply love us. While on earth, Jesus showed the depth of his love for people by using his miraculous power to ease their suffering. On one occasion, two blind men cried out to him for help. (Read Matthew 20:30-34.) Notice that Jesus was “moved with pity” and then he healed them. As used here, the Greek verb translated “moved with pity” refers to an intense compassion felt deep inside the body. Such deep compassion, which is an expression of love, also moved Jesus to feed the hungry and to cure a leper. (Matt. 15:32; Mark 1:41) We can be sure that Jehovah, the God of “tender compassion,” and his Son deeply love us and are pained by our suffering. (Luke 1:78; 1 Pet. 5:7) How they must long to remove all the woes that afflict humankind!

 6. What power has God given to Jesus?

⁶ Second, God has given Jesus the power to solve all mankind’s problems. By means of his miracles, Jesus demonstrated his power to conquer obstacles that we could never overcome on our own. For example, he has the power to free us from the root cause of mankind’s problems​—inherited sin and its effects, sickness and death. (Matt. 9:1-6; Rom. 5:12, 18, 19) His miraculous works proved that he can cure “every sort of” sickness and even resurrect the dead. (Matt. 4:23; John 11:43, 44) Also, he has the power to control violent windstorms and defeat wicked spirits. (Mark 4:37-39; Luke 8:2) How reassuring it is to know that Jehovah has placed such power in the hands of his Son!

7-8. (a) Jesus’ miracles give us what confidence? (b) What miracle are you looking forward to in the coming new world?

⁷ Third, we can be fully confident that the future blessings under God’s Kingdom will come true. The miracles Jesus performed as a man on earth teach us what he will do on a much greater scale as the heavenly King of God’s Kingdom. Consider what we will soon experience under Christ’s rule. We will enjoy perfect health, for he will remove every disease and disability that has plagued humankind. (Isa. 33:24; 35:5, 6; Rev. 21:3, 4) We will never go hungry or deal with the devastating effects of natural disasters. (Isa. 25:6; Mark 4:41) We will have the great joy of welcoming our loved ones back from “the memorial tombs.” (John 5:28, 29) What miracle are you especially looking forward to in the coming new world?

⁸ When performing miracles, Jesus showed great humility and compassion​—qualities that we do well to imitate. Let us consider two examples, starting with the account of the wedding feast in Cana.

 9. What did Jesus do at the wedding feast? (John 2:6-10)

⁹ . When the wine ran out at the wedding feast, was Jesus obligated to do anything? No. There was no prophecy foretelling that the Messiah would miraculously produce wine. (John 2:6-10) But just imagine how you would feel if the beverages ran out at your own wedding. Jesus likely felt compassion for the family, especially the bride and groom, and wanted to spare them embarrassment. So, as mentioned at the outset, he performed a miracle. He turned water​—some 390 liters (103 gal)—​into the finest wine. Perhaps he provided such a generous amount so that some would be left over for future use or could even be sold to help the young couple financially. How relieved the newly married couple must have been!

10. What are some meaningful details in the account recorded in John chapter 2? (See also picture.)

¹⁰ Consider some meaningful details in the account recorded in John chapter 2. Did you notice that Jesus did not fill the stone jars with water? Rather than draw attention to himself, he told the servants to fill the jars. (Verses 6, 7) And after he turned the water into wine, Jesus did not personally take some of the wine to the director of the feast. Instead, he told the servants to do that. (Verse 8) Jesus certainly did not take a cup of the wine, hold it up in front of the guests, and boast, ‘Taste some of the wine that I just made!’

11. What can we learn from Jesus’ miracle?

¹¹ What can we learn from Jesus’ miracle of turning water into wine? We learn a lesson in humility. Jesus did not boast about the miracle; in fact, he never boasted about his accomplishments. On the contrary, he humbly and repeatedly gave all glory and credit to his Father. (John 5:19, 30; 8:28) If we imitate Jesus by keeping a humble view of ourselves, we will not boast about our achievements. No matter what we may do in Jehovah’s service, let us boast, not about ourselves, but about the wonderful God we are privileged to serve. (Jer. 9:23, 24) Let us give him due credit. After all, what good could we possibly accomplish without Jehovah’s help?​—1 Cor. 1:26-31.

12. What is another way we can imitate Jesus’ humility? Illustrate.

¹² Consider another way we can imitate Jesus’ humility. Imagine this scenario: An elder spends much time helping a young ministerial servant prepare for his first public talk. As a result, the young brother gives an encouraging talk, to the delight of the congregation. After the meeting, someone comes up to the elder and says: ‘Brother So-and-so gave an excellent talk, didn’t he?’ Does the elder need to say: ‘Yes, but I spent a lot of time helping him’? Or might he humbly say: ‘Yes, he did. I’m so proud of him’? When we are humble, we do not have to take credit for the good things we do for others. We are content with knowing that Jehovah sees and values what we do. (Compare Matthew 6:2-4; Heb. 13:16) Surely, we please Jehovah when we imitate Jesus in showing humility.​—1 Pet. 5:6.

13. What does Jesus see near the city of Nain, and what does he do about it? (Luke 7:11-15)

¹³ Imagine this scene that took place about halfway through Jesus’ ministry. (Luke 7:11-15) He has traveled to Nain, a Galilean city not far from Shunem, where the prophet Elisha resurrected a woman’s son about 900 years earlier. (2 Ki. 4:32-37) As Jesus approaches the gate, he sees a funeral procession leaving the city. The scene is especially sad​—a widow has lost her only child. But the grieving mother is not alone; a large crowd from the city is with her. Jesus interrupts the procession and does something remarkable for this grieving mother​—he resurrects her son! This is the first of three resurrections by Jesus that are specifically reported in the Gospels.

14. What are some meaningful details in the account recorded in Luke chapter 7? (See also picture.)

¹⁴ Consider some meaningful details in the account found in Luke chapter 7. Did you notice that Jesus “caught sight of” the grieving mother and then “he was moved with pity for her”? (Verse 13) So, what he observed​—perhaps her weeping as she walked before the body of her son—​filled his heart with compassion for her. Jesus did not just feel pity for the mother; he showed his compassion for her. He spoke to her, no doubt with a reassuring tone, and said: “Stop weeping.” Then he took the initiative to do something. He brought her son back to life and “gave him to his mother.”​—Verses 14, 15.

15. What can we learn from Jesus’ miracle?

¹⁵ What can we learn from Jesus’ miracle of resurrecting the widow’s son? We learn a lesson in showing compassion to those who grieve. Of course, we cannot raise the dead, as Jesus did. But, like Jesus, we can cultivate compassion for bereaved ones by being observant. We can take the initiative to show compassion by saying and doing what we can to help them and comfort them.d (Prov. 17:17; 2 Cor. 1:3, 4; 1 Pet. 3:8) Even simple words and small gestures can mean a lot.

16. As reenacted in the picture, what do you learn from the experience of a mother who had recently lost her child in death?

¹⁶ Consider an experience. Some years ago while singing a song at a congregation meeting, a sister noticed a mother across the aisle who was crying. The song mentioned the resurrection hope, and that mother had recently lost her young daughter in death. Knowing that, the sister immediately went over, put her arm around the mother, and sang the rest of the song with her. The mother later recalled: “I felt so full of love for the brothers and sisters.” She was very grateful that she had gone to the meeting. “That’s where our help is,” she said, “there at the Kingdom Hall.” We can be sure that Jehovah notices and values even the simple things we do to show compassion to bereaved ones, who are “crushed in spirit.”​—Ps. 34:18.

17. What have we learned in this article?

¹⁷ The Gospel accounts of Jesus’ miracles could make for a rewarding study project. They teach us that Jehovah and Jesus deeply love us, that Jesus has the power to solve all mankind’s problems, and that we can have full confidence in the promised Kingdom blessings so near at hand. As we analyze those accounts, we can meditate on ways we might imitate Jesus’ qualities. Why not schedule a personal study project or a Family Worship session that focuses on other miracles of Jesus? See what lessons you can glean, and then share what you learn with others. Just imagine the upbuilding conversations you could have!​—Rom. 1:11, 12.

18. What will we discuss in the next article?

¹⁸ Toward the end of his ministry, Jesus performed the third of his three reported resurrections. But this one was different​—he resurrected a dear friend, and he did so under unusual circumstances. What lessons can we learn from the Gospel account of that miracle? And how can we strengthen our faith in the resurrection hope? The next article will consider those questions.