Last night, the Bible Study Team at our local congregation met to begin a new Bible study that will last the next several weeks. We are watching a video series by Appian Media called “Following the Messiah.” Last night’s episode was all about the miracles of Jesus. In the series, they show all the different places across the Bible lands where Jesus performed some of His most iconic miracles. Miracles are often debated on whether or not they were real. Did Jesus really perform these incredible acts or were they just luck, time, and chance? I believe that Jesus is God (John 1). I believe God is all powerful and is capable of things that you and I couldn’t even dream of. But that doesn’t necessarily give us any concrete proof that these miracles actually happened. I want to share with you a view observations from last night’s Bible study.
First, the places are real. The Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Cana, Jericho, Jerusalem, Kursi, and many more cities mentioned in the Bible as being locations of Jesus’ miracles actually exist. If you had the time and money, you can go walk in the footsteps of Jesus. You can see the storms on the Sea of Galilee that Jesus would have calmed, you can see the natural amphitheater where Jesus would have taught and fed the 5,000, and you can visit Capernaum; Jesus’ “home base” when in the region of Galilee.
Second, the local people believe in these miracles. To you and I, these are stories that took place in a “far away land.” They often become no more real than fairy tales. But to the locals who live in these places, these miracles are part of their history. The tomb of Lot where he was raised from the dead; the house of Jairus where his daughter was sick and died; the Pool of Siloam where Jesus healed a blind man. To the locals, these stories aren’t made up fairy tales, they are as real as our country’s Civil War and Civil Rights Movement.
Were the miracles real? I can’t give you concrete evidence. But if the miracles of Jesus were put on trial, the evidence is overwhelming. The places are real. The stories have remained unchanged. The locals know the history. I think all this only solidifies what I already believe…Jesus is God and has the power to perform wonders and signs that you and I couldn’t even dream of. We serve an awesome and powerful God. We serve a compassionate God. The greatest miracle of all was Jesus raising from the dead…more on that next week.
~ Kevin
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