Miracles Attributed to Jesus A Full Allegorical Study of the Miracles of Jesus to Heal Them All

Miracles Attributed to Jesus
A Full Allegorical Study of the Miracles of Jesus to Heal Them All

Contents
1 Blind man of Bethsaida 1
1.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
2 Calming the storm 2
2.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 Cleansing ten lepers 4
3.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4 Coin in the ﬁsh’s mouth 5
4.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5 Cursing the ﬁg tree 7
5.1 The text in Mark and Matthew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
5.2 Interpretations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5.3 Parallels in other texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5.4 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5.5 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
5.6 Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
6 Exorcising a boy possessed by a demon 9
6.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
6.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
7 Exorcising the blind and mute man 10
7.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
7.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
8 Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac 12
8.1 Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
8.2 Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
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8.3 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
8.4 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
9 Exorcism of the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter 14
9.1 The Story . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
9.2 Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
9.3 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
9.4 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
10 Feeding the multitude 16
10.1 The Feeding of the 5,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
10.2 The Feeding of the 4,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10.3 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10.4 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
10.5 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
11 Healing a man with dropsy 18
11.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
11.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
12 Healing the blind near Jericho 19
12.1 Narrative development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12.2 Son of David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
12.3 Bartimaeus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
12.4 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
12.5 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
12.6 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
12.7 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
13 Healing the centurion’s servant 21
13.1 Scriptures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
13.2 Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
13.3 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
13.4 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
14 Healing the deaf mute of Decapolis 23
14.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
14.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
15 Healing the ear of a servant 24
15.1 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
16 Healing the man blind from birth 25
16.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

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16.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
16.3 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
17 Healing the man with a withered hand 27
17.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
17.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
18 Healing the mother of Peter’s wife 28
18.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
18.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
19 Healing the paralytic at Bethesda 29
19.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
19.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
20 Healing the paralytic at Capernaum 30
20.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
20.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
21 Healing the royal oﬃcial’s son 31
21.1 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
22 Healing the two blind men in Galilee 32
22.1 Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
22.2 Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
22.3 Signiﬁcance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
22.4 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
22.5 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
23 Raising of Jairus’ daughter 33
23.1 Interpretations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
23.2 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
23.3 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
24 Jesus cleansing a leper 35
24.1 Biblical narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
24.2 Leviticus 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
24.3 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
24.4 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
25 Jesus exorcising a mute 37
25.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
25.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
26 Jesus exorcising at sunset 38

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26.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
26.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
27 Jesus healing an inﬁrm woman 39
27.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
27.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
28 Jesus healing in the land of Gennesaret 40
28.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
28.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
29 Jesus healing the bleeding woman 41
29.1 Gospels of Matthew and Luke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
29.2 In art and later traditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
29.3 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
30 Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum 44
30.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
30.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
31 Jesus walking on water 45
31.1 Biblical narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
31.2 Interpretations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
31.2.1 Christian teachings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
31.2.2 Historical-critical analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
31.2.3 Literary-critical analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
31.2.4 Gospel of Mark (c.66-70 CE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
31.2.5 Gospel of Matthew (c. 80-90 CE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
31.2.6 Gospel of John (c. 90-100 CE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
31.3 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
31.4 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
31.5 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
32 Marriage at Cana 50
32.1 Biblical account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
32.2 Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
32.3 Geography and archaeology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
32.4 In art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
32.5 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
32.6 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
32.7 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
33 Miracles of Jesus 53
33.1 Types and motives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

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33.1.1 Cures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
33.1.2 Exorcisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
33.1.3 Resurrection of the dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
33.1.4 Control over nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
33.2 List of miracles found outside the New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
33.3 Setting and Interpretations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
33.3.1 Cultural background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
33.3.2 Traditional Christian interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
33.3.3 Liberal Christianity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
33.3.4 Non-religious views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
33.4 Gallery of miracles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
33.4.1 Cures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
33.4.2 Power Over Demonic Spirits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
33.4.3 Resurrection of the dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
33.4.4 Control over nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
33.5 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
33.6 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
33.7 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
34 Miraculous catch of fish 61
34.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
34.2 First miraculous catch of fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
34.3 Second miraculous catch of fish—153 large ones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
34.3.1 153 fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
34.4 Gallery of art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
34.5 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
34.6 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
35 Raising of the son of the widow of Nain 64
35.1 Biblical account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
35.2 Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
35.3 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
35.4 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
36 Raising of Lazarus 66
36.1 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
36.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
37 Resurrection appearances of Jesus 68
37.1 Appearances reported in the gospels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
37.1.1 Matthew 28 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
37.1.2 Luke 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
37.1.3 John 20–21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

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37.1.4 Mark 16 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
37.2 Appearances reported elsewhere in the New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
37.2.1 Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
37.2.2 1 Corinthians 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
37.2.3 Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
37.3 The appearance to Mary Magdalene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
37.3.1 Mary’s report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
37.3.2 Noli me tangere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
37.3.3 Gnostic significance of Mary Magdalene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
37.4 Other views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
37.5 Liturgical use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
37.6 Appearances reported outside the New Testament . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
37.6.1 Apocryphal Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
37.6.2 The Book of Mormon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
37.7 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
37.8 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
37.9 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
37.10External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
38 Transfiguration of Jesus 77
38.1 New Testament accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
38.2 Theology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
38.2.1 Significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
38.2.2 Historical development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
38.2.3 Transfiguration and Resurrection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
38.2.4 Presence of prophets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
38.3 Location of the mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
38.4 Feast and commemorations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
38.5 Gallery of images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
38.5.1 Paintings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
38.5.2 Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
38.5.3 Churches and monasteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
38.6 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
38.7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
38.8 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
38.9 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
38.9.1 Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
38.9.2 Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
38.9.3 Content license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Chapter 1
Blind man of Bethsaida
Christ Healing the Blind Man, Mironov.
The Blind Man of Bethsaida is the subject of one of
the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. It is found only in
Mark 8:22-26.[1][2]
The exact location of Bethsaida in this
pericope is subject to debate among scholars, but is likely
Bethsaida Julias on the north shore of Lake Galilee.[1]
According to the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus came to
Bethsaida, a town in Galilee, he was asked to heal a blind
man. Jesus took his patient out of town, put some spit-
tle on his eyes, and laid hands on him. “I see men like
trees, walking,” said the man. Jesus repeated the pro-
cedure, resulting in clear and perfect eyesight. “Neither
go into the town,” commanded Jesus, "nor tell anyone in
the town.” (New King James Version). Even though the
story is found only in Mark, it is strongly supported by
the Criterion of Embarrassment, since early Christians
(or Christians at any time, for that matter), would not have
been happy that Jesus had to give two blessings to achieve
a proper result. We only read of one other miracle done
in Bethsaida, the feeding of the multitude in Luke 9:16,
but John 21:25 states that many other things were done
by Jesus than what is written. In Matthew 11:21, Jesus
cursed the city for their lack of belief in Him despite “the
mighty works done in you.” (ESV)
1.1 See also
• Life of Jesus in the New Testament
• Ministry of Jesus
• Parables of Jesus
• The Blind man Bartimaeus
1.2 Notes
[1] The Miracles of Jesus by Craig Blomberg, David Wenham
2003 ISBN 1592442854 page 419
[2] Biblegateway Mark 8:22-26
1

Chapter 2
Calming the storm
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee by Rembrandt, 1632.
Eugène Delacroix: Christ Calming the storm
Calming the storm is one of the miracles of Jesus in
the Gospels, namely in Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25 and
Matthew 8:23-27.[1][2][3]
This episode is distinct from
Jesus’ walk on water which also involves a boat on the
lake and appears later in the narrative, in chapter 14 of
Matthew.
According to the Gospels, one evening Jesus and his dis-
ciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat, when
a furious storm came up, with the waves breaking over
the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the
stern, sleeping on a cushion, but the disciples woke him
and said to him, “Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"[4]
The Gospel of Mark then states that:
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to
the waves, “Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind
died down and it was completely calm. He said
to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do
you still have no faith?" They were terrified and
asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind
and the waves obey him!"[5]
Author Michael Keene commented that the Sea of
Galilee was known for its sudden and fierce storms and
that the Jews were people of the land who were generally
uncomfortable at sea, specially since they believed the sea
to be full of frightening creatures. [6]
The Pulpit Com-
mentary attributes these sudden storms to winds arising
on the summits of Mount Hermon, in the Anti-Lebanon
mountains to the north.
The disciples were probably in a small, open fishing boat
when they encountered this great storm. The original
Greek word for the storm is “seismos” which literally
means “a shaking” and is the term we use to get the word
seismic which is descriptive of earthquakes. The violence
of the storm shook the water in the lake creating waves
that covered the boat and started filling it with water.[7]
The Anglican clergyman John Clowes commented that
by asking the question “Why are you so afraid?", Jesus
was asking his disciples to explore in their own minds the
cause and origin of fear, so they would realize that all
fear has its roots in natural affection and thought, sepa-
rate from spiritual affection and thought. And by asking
“Do you still have no faith?" Jesus was manifestly point-
ing to a defect in their spiritual principles. Clowes further
commented that by that last question Jesus was manifestly
2

2.2. REFERENCES 3
instructing his disciples, and through them all future gen-
erations of mankind, that fear is the constant result of the
weakness of Heavenly principles in the human mind. [8]
• Artworks
• James Tissot - Jesus Stilling the Tempest (Jésus cal-
mant la tempête) - Brooklyn Museum
• Ludolf Backhuysen, - Christ in the Storm on the Sea
of Galilee
2.1 See also
• Chronology of Jesus
• Luke 8
2.2 References
[1] Biblegateway Mark 4:35-41 Biblegateway.com
[2] Biblegateway Luke 8:22-25 Biblegateway.com
[3] Biblegateway Matthew 8:23-27 Biblegateway.com
[4] The People’s New Testament Commentary by M. Eu-
gene Boring and Fred B. Craddock (Oct 1, 2004) ISBN
0664227546 page 126
[5] Mark 4:39-41.
[6] Michael Keene 2002 St Mark’s Gospel and the Christian
faith ISBN 0-7487-6775-4 page 26
[7] McArthur, Dr. John (1987). Matthew 8-15 MacArthur
New Testament Commentary. The Moody Bible Institute
of Chicago. p. 33. ISBN 0-8024-0763-3.
[8] John Clowes, 1817 The Miracles of Jesus Christ published
by J. Gleave, Manchester, UK page 47

Chapter 3
Cleansing ten lepers
James Tissot - The Healing of Ten Lepers (Guérison de dix
lépreux) - Brooklyn Museum
Christ cleansing ten lepers is one of the miracles of Jesus
in the Gospels (Gospel of Luke 17:11-19).[1][2]
According to the Gospel, on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus
traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.
As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy
met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud
voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
When he saw them, he said:
“Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back,
praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’
feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked:
“Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the
other nine? Was no one found to return and
give praise to God except this foreigner?"
Then he said to him:
“Rise and go; your faith has saved you.”
This miracle emphasizes the importance of faith, for Je-
sus did not say: “My power has saved you” but attributed
the healing to the faith of the beneﬁciaries.[3][4]
3.1 See also
• Miracles of Jesus
• Christ cleansing a leper
• Related Bible part: Luke 17
3.2 References
[1] Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Matthew-
Luke by David C. Cook and Craig A. Evans (Feb 27,
2003) ISBN 0781438683 page 365
[2] Biblegateway Luke 17:11-19
[3] Berard L. Marthaler 2007 The creed: the apostolic faith in
contemporary theology ISBN 0-89622-537-2 page 220
[4] Lockyer, Herbert, 1988 All the Miracles of the Bible ISBN
0-310-28101-6 page 235
4

Chapter 4
Coin in the fish’s mouth
Apostle Peter paying the temple tax with coin from the fish’s
mouth by Augustin Tünger, 1486.
Tilapia zilli ("St. Peter’s fish") - served in a Tiberias restaurant.
The coin in the fish’s mouth is one of the miracles of
Jesus, told in the Gospel of Matthew 17:24-27.[1][2][3]
In the Gospel account, in Capernaum the collectors of the
two-drachma temple tax ask Peter whether Jesus pays the
tax, and he replies that he does. When Peter returns to
where they are staying, Jesus speaks of the matter, ask-
ing his opinion: “From whom do the kings of the earth
collect duty and taxes — from their own children or from
others?" Peter answers, “from others,” and Jesus replies:
“Then the children are exempt. But so that we may not
cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line.
Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will
find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for
my tax and yours.”
The story ends at this point, without stating that Peter
caught the fish as Jesus predicted.[4]
The four-drachma coin would be exactly enough to pay
the temple tax (two-drachma coin) for two people.[5]
The
coin in the fish’s mouth is generally seen as a symbolic
act or sign, but there is little agreement concerning what
it signifies.[4]
The Bible does not specify the species of the fish caught
by Peter, but Tilapia is sometimes referred to as “St. Pe-
ter’s fish”.
4.1 See also
• Render unto Caesar
• The Tribute Money (Masaccio)
4.2 References
[1] Daniel J. Scholz 2009 Introducing the New Testament
ISBN 0-88489-955-1 page 86
[2] Steven L. Cox, Kendell H Easley, 2007 Harmony of the
Gospels ISBN 0-8054-9444-8 page 349
[3] Herbert Lockyer, All the Miracles of the Bible (Zondervan,
1988) page 219.
5

6 CHAPTER 4. COIN IN THE FISH’S MOUTH
[4] Graham H. Twelftree, Jesus the Miracle Worker: A His-
torical and Theological Study (InterVarsity Press, 1999),
page 137.
[5] Keener, Craig S., 2009, The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-
Rhetorical Commentary, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing,
ISBN 0-8028-6498-8, page 445.

Chapter 5
Cursing the fig tree
Byzantine icon of the cursing of the fig tree.
Cursing the fig tree is one of the miracles of Jesus in
the Gospels. It is included in the gospels of Mark and
Matthew, but not in Luke or John. In the Markan text it
comes in two parts: in the first, just after the Triumphal
entry into Jerusalem and before the Cleansing of the Tem-
ple, Jesus curses a fig tree for being barren; in the sec-
ond part, presumably the next day, the tree has with-
ered, prompting Jesus to speak of the efficacy of prayer.[1]
Matthew presents it as a single event.
5.1 The text in Mark and Matthew
Mark 11:12-14 and 11:20-25[2]
The next day as they were leaving Bethany,
Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig
tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any
fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but
leaves, because it was not the season for figs.
Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat
fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard
him say it.
...
In the morning, as they went along, they
saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter
remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look!
The fig tree you cursed has withered!” “Have
faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell
you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw
yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in
their heart but believes that what they say will
happen, it will be done for them. Therefore I
tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe
that you have received it, and it will be yours.
And when you stand praying, if you hold any-
thing against anyone, forgive them, so that your
Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Matthew 21:18-22[3]
Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his
way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a
fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found
nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it,
“May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately
the tree withered. When the disciples saw this,
they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither
so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Truly
I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt,
not only can you do what was done to the fig
tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go,
throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.
If you believe, you will receive whatever you
ask for in prayer.”
Most scholars believe that Mark was the first gospel, and
was used as a source for Matthew.[4]
The differences be-
tween the incident as described in Mark, and the ver-
sion given in Matthew, are explicable from the view-point
7

8 CHAPTER 5. CURSING THE FIG TREE
of Markan priority, i.e. that Matthew revised the story
found in Mark.[5]
5.2 Interpretations
Traditional Christian exegesis regarding these accounts
include affirmation of the Divinity of Jesus by demon-
strating his authority over nature. Traditional Reformed
thinking states that this event was a sign given by Jesus of
the end of the exclusive covenant between God and the
Jews - see also Supersessionism. According to this in-
terpretation, the tree is a metaphor for the Jewish nation
i.e. it had the outward appearance of godly grandeur (the
leaves), but it was not producing anything for God’s glory
(the lack of fruit). This interpretation is connected to the
parable of the barren fig tree.[6]
F. F. Bruce states that fig trees produce “taqsh” before
the season if they are going to bear fruit in the season it-
self. Since this one didn't, it was a sign that it would not
produce any fruit that year either.[7]
Theology professor
Craig Keener has used these passages as a reason for an
early dating for the Gospel of Matthew, saying only some-
one with a close knowledge of the Mount of Olives would
have known that its fig trees come out in leaves around the
Passover time of year.[8]
5.3 Parallels in other texts
In the Gospel of Luke, a similar story is told as one of
Jesus’ parables known as the Parable of the barren fig tree.
It has very similar wording to Mark and Matthew.
A very different story appears in Infancy Gospel of
Thomas, but has a similar quotation from Jesus: “…be-
hold, now also thou shalt be withered like a tree, and shalt
not bear leaves, neither root, nor fruit.” (III:2).[9]
5.4 See also
• Figs in the Bible
• Parable of the budding fig tree
• Parable of the barren fig tree
5.5 References
[1] Kinman, Brent (1995). Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem: in the
context of Lukan theology and the politics of his day. Brill.
p. 123. ISBN 978-90-04-10330-6.
[2] “Biblegateway Mark 11:12–25”. Biblegateway.com. Re-
trieved 2012-01-05.
[3] “Biblegateway Matthew 21:18-22”. Biblegateway.com.
Retrieved 2012-01-05.
[4] Burkett, Delbert Royce, “An introduction to the New Tes-
tament and the origins of Christianity” (Cambridge Uni-
versity Press, 2002) p.143
[5] Davies, William David, & Allison, Dale C., “Matthew 19-
28” () p.147
[6] Richard Whately, Lectures on Some of the Scripture Para-
bles, John W. Parker and Son, 1859, p. 153.
[7] Bruce, Frederick, 1992, “Are The New Testament Docu-
ments Reliable?", ISBN 0-8028-2219-3, p 73-74. (for an
online source, see F.F. Bruce, "The New Testament doc-
uments, are they reliable?", page 40/77, @ ncbible.info)
[8] Keener, Craig, 1999, “A Commentary on the Gospel of
Matthew”, ISBN 0-8028-3821-9, p 504.
[9] James, M. R., 1924, The Apocryphal New Testament, Ox-
ford: Clarendon Press
5.6 Further reading
• Clowes, John, 1817, The Miracles of Jesus Christ (J.
Gleave, Manchester, England)
• Davies, William David, & Allison, Dale C.,
“Matthew 19-28” (T&T Clarke, 1997) pp. 147ff.
• Lockyer, Herbert, 1988 All the Miracles of the Bible,
ISBN 0-310-28101-6
• Kilgallen, John J., 1989 A Brief Commentary on the
Gospel of Mark (Paulist Press, ISBN 0-8091-3059-
9)
• Lane, William L., “The Gospel of Mark” (Eerd-
mans, 1974) pp. 398ff.
• Maguire, Robert, 1863 The Miracles of Christ
(Weeks and Co., London)
• Trench, Richard Chenevix, Notes on the miracles of
Our Lord, (John W. Parker, 1846)
• Van der Loos, H., 1965 The Miracles of Jesus (E. J.
Brill, Leiden)
• Wiersbe, Warren W., 1995 Classic Sermons on the
Miracles of Jesus, ISBN 0-8254-3999-X

Chapter 6
Exorcising a boy possessed by a demon
Exorcising a boy possessed by a demon from Très Riches Heures
du Duc de Berry, 15th century.
Exorcising a boy possessed by a demon is one of the
miracles attributed to Jesus in the synoptic Gospels, in-
volving the healing of an epileptic boy through exorcism.
It appears first in the Gospel of Mark and is repeated,
slightly changed in the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel
of Luke. In the Gospel narrative, this takes place follow-
ing the Transfiguration.
The Gospel of Mark account describes how Jesus is sur-
rounded by a crowd, one of whom asks for help for his
son, who 'has a spirit that makes him unable to speak'.
He explains that the spirit makes him foam at the mouth,
grind his teeth, and become rigid. He tells Jesus that he
had asked the disciples to cure the boy, but they had been
unable to do so. Jesus responds by describing his follow-
ers as a 'faithless generation', and asks 'how much longer
must I be among you?'.
When he is brought to Jesus, the boy immediately expe-
riences convulsions. Jesus asks the father how long this
has affected the child; the father replies that this had been
since his childhood and asks Jesus to help if he can. Jesus
tells him that everything is possible to one who believes,
and the man responds, 'I believe; help my unbelief!'.
Jesus then commands the spirit to leave the boy, and it
does. Seeing that he looks like a corpse, many in the
crowd think he is dead, but Jesus helps him to his feet.
Afterwards the disciples ask Jesus why they were unable
to cure the boy and he explains, 'This kind can come
out only through prayer.'[some sources add, 'and through
fasting'][1]
The Gospel of Matthew version is considerably shorter,
and drops the reference to a crowd and (in most versions)
the need for prayer. It also specifies that the boy is suffer-
ing from epilepsy.[2]
The Gospel of Luke version is also
shortened, but mention of the crowd is retained.[3]
6.1 See also
• Epileptic seizure
• Exorcism
6.2 References
[2] Biblegateway Matthew 17:14-21
9

Chapter 7
Exorcising the blind and mute man
Exorcising the blind and mute man by James Tissot, late 19th
century
Exorcising the blind and mute man is one of the
miracles of Jesus in the Gospels. [1]
It appears in Matthew
12:22-32, Luke 11:14-23 and Mark 3:20-30.[2][3][4]
According to the Gospels, Jesus healed a demon-
possessed man who was blind and mute, so that he could
both talk and see. People were astonished and said,
“Could this be the Son of David?"
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only
by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives
out demons.”
Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them:
“Every kingdom divided against itself will
be ruined, and every city or household divided
against itself will not stand. If Satan drives
out Satan, he is divided against himself. How
then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out
demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your peo-
ple drive them out? So then, they will be your
judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that
I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God
has come upon you.”
“Or again, how can anyone enter a strong
man’s house and carry oﬀ his possessions with-
out ﬁrst tying up the strong man? Then his
house can be plundered.
“Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
And so I tell you, people will be forgiven every
sin and blasphemy. But blasphemy against the
Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks
a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the
age to come.”
7.1 See also
• Exorcism
• Finger of God (Commandments)
7.2 References
[1] Matthew by David L. Turner (Apr 15, 2008) ISBN
0801026849 page 320
10

7.2. REFERENCES 11

Chapter 8
Exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac
Medieval book illustration of Christ Exorcising the Gerasenes
demonic
The exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac is one of the
miracles attributed to Jesus in the New Testament.[1]
The story appears in the three Synoptic Gospels, but not
the Gospel of John. All accounts involve Jesus exorcising
demons, identiﬁed collectively in the Mark and Luke nar-
ratives as "Legion".
8.1 Narrative
The earliest account is from the Gospel of Mark, in
which Jesus goes across the lake to the 'territory of the
Gerasenes (Gerasa)'. There, a man 'possessed by a de-
mon' comes from the caves to meet him. People had tried
to tie him down but he was too strong to be bound, even
with chains for he would always break out of them; night
and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out
and cut himself with stones. Jesus approaches and calls
the demon to come out of the man, who replies “What
do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?
I beg you in the name of God never to torment me!" Je-
sus asks the demon for his name and is told “My name
is Legion, for we are many.” The demons beg Jesus not
Map of Decapolis showing location of Gerasa
to send them away, but instead to send them into the pigs
on a nearby hillside, which he does. The herd, about two
thousand in number, rush down the steep bank into the
lake and are drowned. The man is now seen, dressed and
restored to sanity.[2]
The Lucan gospel version [3]
shortened this but re-
tained most of the details. The author of the Matthew
Gospel shortens the story more dramatically and turns
the possessed man into two men;[4][5]
the location is also
changed, from the territory of the Gerasenes to that of the
Gadarenes (Gadara). The story appears to be set close
to the Sea of Galilee, but neither Gadara nor Gerasa is
nearby; Gerasa is around 50km South East and Gadara
10km away, about a three hour walk. Origen speculated
that there had been a town called 'Gergasa' on the shores
12

8.4. REFERENCES 13
of the Sea.[6]
In this version, Jesus does not ask for the
demon’s name – an important element of traditional ex-
orcism practice.[7]
8.2 Commentary
It has been widely accepted by scholars that several motifs
throughout the account refer to the Roman legion. Fur-
ther possible echoes include Isaiah 65:4 with parallels to
both graves and swine: [8]
“A people who ... sit among the graves, and
spend the night in the tombs;
Who eat swine’s flesh, and the broth of abom-
inable things is in their vessel”.
The differing geographical references to Gadara and
Gerasa can be understood in light of the social, economic,
and political influence each city exerted over the region.
In this light, Mark identified the exorcism with the lo-
cal center of power, Gadara, located about ten kilome-
tres southeast of Lake Galilee, whereas Matthew identi-
fied the event with the regional center of power, Gerasa,
located further inland.[9]
The city of Gerasa (also known
as Jerash) had been a major city-center since its founding
and during the Roman period it was one of the ten cities
known as the Decapolis.
8.3 See also
8.4 References
[1] The Life and Ministry of Jesus: The Gospels by Douglas
Redford 2007 ISBN 0-7847-1900-4 page 168
[2] Mark 5:1–20
[3] Luke 8:26-39
[4] Matthew 8:28
[5] Donald Senior, What are They Saying about Matthew?
(Paulist Press, 1996) page 84.
[6] M. Eugene Boring, Mark: A Commentary (Presbyterian
Publishing Corp, 2006) pages 148–149.
[7] Craig S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew
(Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999) page 282.
[8] Brown, Raymond E. et al., The Jerome Biblical Commen-
tary, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice–Hall Inc.,
1968, p. 32.
of Chicago. p. 41. ISBN 0-8024-0763-3.

Chapter 9
Exorcism of the Syrophoenician woman’s
daughter
The Woman of Canaan by Michael Angelo Immenraet, 17th cen-
tury
The Exorcism of the Syrophoenician woman’s daugh-
ter, as described in the Gospel of Mark (7:24-30), or
the Canaanite woman’s daughter as described in the
Gospel of Matthew (15:21-28), is one of the miracles
of Jesus in the Gospels.[1]
According to these particular
Gospels, in this miracle Jesus exorcised the daughter of
the Canaanite or Phoenician woman in the region of Tyre
and Sidon.
9.1 The Story
The story goes as follows:
The Canaanite woman came to Jesus, crying out, “Lord,
Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-
possessed and suﬀering terribly.”
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him
and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out
after us.”
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep
of Israel.”
The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!"
Jesus exorcising the Canaanite Woman’s daughter from Très
Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, 15th century.
she said.
He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s
bread and toss it to the dogs.”
“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs
that fall from their master’s table.”
Then Jesus said to her:
“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is
granted.”
14

9.4. REFERENCES 15
And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
This episode is according to Graham H. Twelftree an ex-
ample of how Jesus emphasizes the value of faith, as also
shown in the Healing the Centurion’s servant episode.[1]
9.2 Further reading
• Burkill, T. A. “The Historical Development of the
Story of the Syrophoenician Woman (Mark vii: 24-
31).”, Novum Testamentum 9 (1967): 161-177.
• Downing, F. Gerald. “The Woman from Sy-
rophoenicia, and her Doggedness: Mark 7:24-31
(Matthew 15:21-28).” Women in the Biblical Tradi-
tion. Ed. George J. Brooke. Lewiston: The Edwin
Mellen Press, 1992. 129-149.
• Schäﬂer, Markus, “The Syrophoenician Woman
(Mk 7:24-31)"
• Alt, C., The Dynamic of Humility and Wisdom:
The Syrophoenician Woman and Jesus in Mark
7:24-31a, Lumen et Vita, Vol. 2, 2012
9.3 See also
9.4 References
[1] Jesus the miracle worker: a historical & theological study
by Graham H. Twelftree 1999 ISBN 0-8308-1596-1
pages 133-134

Chapter 10
Feeding the multitude
Feeding the multitudes by Bernardo Strozzi, early 17th century.
Feeding the multitude is the combined term used to
refer to two separate miracles of Jesus reported in the
Gospels.
The first Feeding Miracle, "The Feeding of the 5,000" is
the only miracle (apart from the resurrection) which is
present in all four canonical Gospels: Matthew 14:13-21,
Mark 6:31-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:5-15. [1]
The
second miracle, "The Feeding of the 4,000" with seven
loaves of bread and fish is reported by Matthew 15:32-
16:10 and Mark 8:1-9, but not by Luke or John.
10.1 The Feeding of the 5,000
The Feeding of the 5,000 is also known as the “miracle of
the five loaves and two fish” given that the Gospel of John
reports that five barley loaves and two small fish supplied
by a boy were used by Jesus to feed a multitude. Accord-
ing to the Gospels, when Jesus heard that John the Baptist
had been killed, he withdrew by boat privately to a soli-
tary place near Bethsaida. The crowds followed Jesus on
foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large
crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
As evening approached, the disciples came to him and
said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late.
Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and
buy themselves some food.”
Jesus said they did not need to go away therefore the dis-
ciples were to give them something to eat. They said
they only had five loaves of bread and two fish, then Je-
sus asked them to bring what they had to him. Jesus di-
rected the people to sit down in groups on the grass. In
Mark’s Gospel the crowds sat in groups of 50 and 100,[2]
and in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus’ instructions were to seat the
crowd in groups of 50,[3]
implying that there were 100
such groups.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to
heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he
gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them
to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the
disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces
that were left over. The number of those who ate was
about five thousand men, beside women and children.
The Church of the Multiplication in Tabgha is the site where some
Christians believe the feeding of the five thousand to have taken
place.
16

10.4. REFERENCES 17
10.2 The Feeding of the 4,000
This story, which appears in the Gospels of Mark and
Matthew, is also known as the "miracle of the seven
loaves and fishes", as the Gospel of Matthew refers to
seven loaves and a few small fish used by Jesus to feed
a multitude.[4]
According to the Gospels, a large crowd
had gathered and was following Jesus. Jesus called his
disciples to him and said:
“I have compassion for these people; they have
already been with me three days and have noth-
ing to eat. I do not want to send them away
hungry, or they may collapse on the way.”
His disciples answered:
“Where could we get enough bread in this re-
mote place to feed such a crowd?"
“How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked.
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
“Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then
he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had
given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the dis-
ciples, and they in turn to the people. They all ate and
were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven
basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The num-
ber of those who ate four thousand men, besides women
and children. After Jesus had sent the crowd away, he
got into the boat and went to the vicinity of Magadan (or
Magdala).”
Some commentators note the differences between some
of the details of the accounts as a means of emphasiz-
ing that there were two distinct miracles: for example,
the baskets used for collecting the food which remained
were twelve 'κοφινους' (hand baskets) in Mark 6:43 but
seven 'σπυριδας' (large baskets) in Mark 8:8. Cornelius
a Lapide stated that a 'σπυρίς' or 'large basket' was dou-
ble the size of a 'κόφινος'.[5]
An indication of the size
of a 'κόφινος' is that Saint Paul was let out of a building
through a wall in one to avert a plot to kill him.[6]
10.3 See also
• Chronology of Jesus
10.4 References
• HarperCollins Bible Commentary, 2000
• Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Tes-
tament Doubleday 1997 ISBN 0-385-24767-2
• Kilgallen, John J. A Brief Commentary on the Gospel
of Mark Paulist Press 1989 ISBN 0-8091-3059-9
10.5 Notes
[1] Robert Maguire 1863 The miracles of Christ published by
Weeks and Co. London page 185
[2] Mk 6:40
[3] Lk 9:14
[4] John Clowes, 1817, The Miracles of Jesus Christ published
by J. Gleave, Manchester, UK, page 161
[5] Pulpit Commentary on Mark 8:8 - see http://biblehub.
com/commentaries/pulpit/mark/8.htm
[6] Acts 9:25

Chapter 11
Healing a man with dropsy
Christ Healing, by Rembrandt, 1649
Healing a man with dropsy is one of the miracles of
Jesus in the Gospels (Luke 14:1-6).[1][2]
According to the Gospel, one Sabbath, Jesus went to eat
in the house of a prominent Pharisee, and he was being
carefully watched. There in front of him was a man suf-
fering from dropsy, i.e. abnormal swelling of his body.
Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law:
“Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?"
But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he
healed him and sent him on his way.
Then he asked them:
“If one of you has a child or an ox that falls into
a well on the Sabbath day, will you not imme-
diately pull it out?"
And they had nothing to say.
11.1 See also
• Pikuach nefesh
11.2 References
2003) ISBN 0781438683 page 245
[2] Biblegateway Luke 14:1-6, biblegateway.com
18

Chapter 12
Healing the blind near Jericho
Jesus healing blind Bartimaeus, by Johann Heinrich Stöver,
1861.
Each of the three Synoptic Gospels tells of Jesus healing
the blind near Jericho, as he passed through that town,
shortly before his passion.
The Gospel of Mark tells of the cure of a man named
Bartimaeus healed by Jesus as he is leaving Jericho. The
Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke include dif-
ferent versions of this story.
12.1 Narrative development
The earliest version is in the Gospel of Mark (10:46-52)
which tells of the cure of a blind beggar named Barti-
maeus (literally “Son of Timaeus”, one of the few recipi-
ents of healing who are given names). As Jesus is leaving
Jericho with his followers, Bartimaeus calls out: 'Son of
David, have mercy on me!' and persists even though the
crowd tries to silence him. Jesus has them bring the man
to him and asks what he wants; he asks to be able to see
again. Jesus tells him that his faith has cured him; he im-
mediately regains his sight and follows Jesus.
Apart from telling a miracle story that shows the power
of Jesus, the author of the Gospel uses this story to ad-
vance a clearly theological purpose. It shows a character
who understands who Jesus is and the proper way to re-
spond to him - with faith. The beggar, on being called to
Jesus, discards his cloak, symbolising the leaving behind
of possessions. And the use of the title, 'Son of David' -
the only occasion on which this is used in the Gospel of
Mark - serves to identify Jesus as the Messiah.[1]
The Gospel of Matthew changes this story in a number of
ways, and uses it twice: in one version, the blind beggar
Bartimaeus becomes two unnamed blind men, sitting by
the roadside; there is no mention of a cloak; Jesus does
not mention faith, but instead is 'moved by compassion';
and instead of simply announcing the cure, he touches
their eyes. 20:29-34 A version of the same story is told
earlier in the narrative, when Jesus is preaching in Galilee.
On this occasion, he asks the blind men if they believe
he can cure them, and when they assure them they do,
he commends their faith and touches their eyes, restoring
their sight. He warns them to tell nobody of this, but they
go and spread the news throughout the district. (Matthew
9:27-31)
The Gospel of Luke 18:35-43 handles the story in a dif-
ferent way; there is one unnamed blind man, and the au-
thor shifts the incident to take place as Jesus is approach-
ing Jericho, so it can lead into the story of Zacchaeus.[2]
12.2 Son of David
Vernon K. Robbins emphasizes that the healing of Bar-
timaeus is the last of Jesus’ healings in Mark, and links
Jesus’ earlier teaching about the suﬀering and death
of the Son of Man with his Son of David activity in
Jerusalem.[3][4]
The story blends the Markan emphasis
19

20 CHAPTER 12. HEALING THE BLIND NEAR JERICHO
on the disciples’ 'blindness’ - their inability to under-
stand the nature of Jesus’ messiahship - with the neces-
sity of following Jesus into Jerusalem, where his suffer-
ing and death make him recognizable to Gentiles as Son
of God.[5]
Paula Fredriksen, who believes that titles such as "Son
of David" were applied to Jesus only after the crucifixion
and resurrection, argued that Mark and Matthew placed
that healing with the proclamation “Son of David!"
just before “Jesus’ departure for Jerusalem, the long-
foreshadowed site of his sufferings.”[6]
The title “Son of
David” is a messianic name.[7][8]
Thus, Bartimaeus’ excla-
mation was, according to Mark, the first public acknowl-
edgement of the Christ, after St. Peter’s private confes-
sion at Mark 8:27–30.
12.3 Bartimaeus
The naming of Bartimaeus is unusual in several respects:
(a) the fact that a name is given at all, (b) the strange
Semitic-Greek hybrid, with (c) an explicit translation
“Son of Timaeus.” Some scholars see this to confirm a
reference to a historical person;[9]
however, other schol-
ars see a special significance of the story in the figurative
reference to Plato’s Timaeus who delivers Plato’s most
important cosmological and theological treatise, involv-
ing sight as the foundation of knowledge. [10]
12.4 Notes
[1] Stephen Ahearne-Kroll, The Psalms of Lament in Mark’s
Passion: Jesus’ Davidic Suffering (Cambridge University
Press, 2007) pages 138-140
[2] Luke Timothy Johnson, The Gospel of Luke (Liturgical
Press, 1991) page 283.
[3] Jesus the Teacher: A Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation of
Mark by Vernon K. Robbins 2009, ISBN 978-0-8006-
2595-5. 41-43.
[4] Vernon K. Robbins, “The Healing of the Blind Bartimaeus
(10:46-52) in the Marcan Theology,” Journal of Biblical
Literature 92 (1973), 224-243
[5] Vernon K. Robbins, “The Reversed Contextualization of
Psalm 22 in the Markan Crucifixion: A Socio-Rhetorical
Analysis” (1992)
[6] Fredriksen, From Jesus to Christ, p. 181.
[7] “Reflections: The blind Bartimaeus: Mark 10:46-52,” Oc-
tober 24, 2009, The Manila Bulletin, The Manila Bulletin
website, citing365 Days with the Lord, (St. Paul’s, Makati
City, Philippines) from St. Paul’s website (dead link). Ac-
cessed October 28, 2009.
[8] Barrie Wetherill, “Jesus cures blind Bartimaeus,” from
The Life of Jesus Christ, found at easy English Bible study.
Accessed October 28, 2009.
[9] Vincent Taylor. The Gospel according to St. Mark. 1966
St. Martin’s Press Inc. p 448.
[10] Mary Ann Tolbert, Sowing the Gospel: Mark’s World
in Literary-Historical Perspective 1996, Fortress Press.
p189.
12.5 See also
• The Blind Man of Bethsaida
12.6 References
• Paula Fredriksen, From Jesus to Christ (2000), ISBN
0-300-08457-9
• Vernon K. Robbins, Jesus the Teacher: A Socio-
Rhetorical Interpretation of Mark 2009, ISBN 978-
0-8006-2595-5
12.7 External links
• Additional images of Bartimaeus

Chapter 13
Healing the centurion’s servant
“Matthew 8:5-13” redirects here.
“Luke 7:1-10” redirects here.
Healing the Centurion’s servant by Paolo Veronese, 16th century.
Healing the centurion’s servant is one of the miracles
of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew [1]
and Luke.[2]
According to the Gospels, a Roman centurion asked Jesus
for help because his boy servant was ill. Jesus offered to
go to the centurion’s house to perform the healing, but
the centurion suggested that Jesus perform the healing at
a distance. When Jesus heard this, he said:
Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone
in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that
many will come from the east and the west, and
will take their places at the feast with Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But
the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown out-
side, into the darkness, whern there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth. Go! Let it be
done just as you believed it would.
And the boy was healed at that very hour.
13.1 Scriptures
Matthew 8:5-13 (TNVI)
Luke 7:1-10 (TNVI)
13.2 Commentary
The centurion supported the Jewish community by build-
ing them a synagogue and showing love for the Israelite
nation. Since Gentiles were considered unclean by Jews,
the actions of the Jewish elders approaching Jesus to peti-
tion him to heal the centurion’s servant who was critically
ill and about to die provides evidence that this particular
centurion was viewed in a different light than a typical
Gentile. Out of humility and respect for Jewish custom
regarding clean and unclean, the centurion did not want
Jesus to come into his house and become unclean, so he
sent out friends to meet Jesus as he was coming close to
the house.
The faith of the centurion is highlighted by Jesus to the
crowd that followed since he believed that Jesus only
needed to speak the word, and his servant would be
healed. This shows his absolute confidence in the power
of Jesus’s word over the power of sickness. Jesus could
erase the sickness without even being physically present
next to the servant child. The authority of Jesus is com-
pared to that of a military commander that can command
someone to go or to come and the instructions would be
obeyed. Being a soldier, the centurion would be inti-
mately familiar with the process of issuing and obeying
commands. He had faith that Jesus could command and
drive out evil powers because of his authority in the spirit
world.[3]
For the local Jewish population, a Roman centurion is the
principal representative of the Roman Empire in the area,
both militarily and administratively. He is Rome as far as
they are concerned, so the recognition of the Lordship of
Jesus by this principle Roman representative of military
power provides strong affirmation of the supremacy of
Christ.[4]
Author John Clowes commented that the use of Abra-
ham, Isaac and Jacob refers to the degree of blessedness
by which people are admitted to the feast, in that Abra-
ham signifies the celestial degree, Isaac the spiritual and
Jacob the natural degree.[5]
Only Luke 7:2 refers to the servant as doulos, unambigu-
ously meaning “servant”. Elsewhere the term translated
from the Greek as “servant” is pais, which can be trans-
21

22 CHAPTER 13. HEALING THE CENTURION’S SERVANT
lated in a number of different ways including “child”
(e.g., Matt 2:16; Luke 2:43,8:51-54 where it refers to
a girl), “son” (John 4:51), “servant” (Luke 15:26, Acts
4:25), “male concubine”, or be unclear.[6]
According to James Neill, the Greek term “pais” used for
the servant in Matthew’s account almost always had a sex-
ual connotation.[7]
In support of this view, he remarks that
the word pais, along with the word “erasthai” (to love) is
the root of the English word "pederasty".[7]
He sees in the
fact that, in Luke’s parallel account, the centurion’s ser-
vant is described as “valued highly”[8]
by the centurion an
indication of a homosexual relationship between the two,
and says that the Greek word “doulos” (a slave) used of
him in Luke’s account suggests he may have been a sex
slave.[7]
Daniel A. Helminiak writes that the word pais
was sometimes given a sexual meaning.[9]
Theodore W.
Jennings Jr. and Tat-Siong Benny Liew write that Ro-
man historical data about patron-client relationships and
about same-sex relations among soldiers support the view
that the pais in Matthew’s account is the centurion’s “boy-
love” and that the centurion did not want Jesus to enter
his house for fear the boy would be enamoured of Jesus
instead. D.B. Saddington writes that while he does not
exclude the possibility, the evidence the two put forward
supports “neither of these interpretations”,[10]
The Gospel of John narrates a similar account of Jesus
healing the son of a royal official at Capernaum at a dis-
tance in John 4:46-54. Some, such as in Fred Crad-
dock in his commentary on Luke,[11]
treats them as the
same miracle. However, in his analysis of Matthew, R. T.
France presents linguistic arguments against the equiva-
lence of pais and son and considers these two separate
miracles.[12]
Merrill C. Tenney in his commentary on
John[13]
and Orville Daniel in his Gospel harmony[14]
also
consider them two different incidents.
13.3 See also
• Homosexuality in the New Testament: Pais
13.4 References
[3] van der Loos, Dr. Hendrik (1965). The Miracles of Jesus.
E.J. Brill, Leiden, Netherlands. pp. 536–538.
[4] Kyrychenko, Alexander (January 31, 2014). The Roman
Army and the Expansion of the Gospel. Walter de Gruyter.
p. 182. ISBN 978-3-11-034402-8.
[6] Marston, Paul (2003). Christians, Gays and Gay Chris-
tians. Free Methodists. Archived from the original on
2006-04-27.
[7] Neill, James (2009). The Origins and Role of Same-Sex
Relations In Human Societies. McFarland. p. 216.
[8] Luke 7:2
[9] Daniel A. Helminiak, ''Sex and the Sacred'' (Rout-
ledge 2012 ISBN 978-1-13657075-9), p. 192.
Books.google.com. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
[10] “The Centurion in Matthew 8:5–13: Consideration of the
Proposal of Theodore W. Jennings, Jr., and Tat-Siong
Benny Liew”. jstor.org.
[11] Fred Craddock: Luke, 2009 ISBN 0-664-23435-6, page
94
[12] The Gospel according to Matthew: an introduction and
commentary by R. T. France 1987 ISBN 0-8028-0063-7
page 154
[13] Merrill Tenney: John, Expositor’s Bible Commentary,
vol. 9, Zondervan.
[14] Orville Daniel: A Harmony of the Four Gospels, 2nd Ed,
Baker Books Pub.

Chapter 14
Healing the deaf mute of Decapolis
Christ healing the deaf mute of Decapolis, by Bartholomeus
Breenbergh, 1635
Healing the deaf mute of Decapolis is one of the
miracles of Jesus in the Gospels, namely Mark 7:31-37.[1]
Its narration offers many parallels with the healing of the
blind man of Bethsaida in Mark 8:22-26.
According to the Gospel of Mark, when Jesus entered the
region of the Decapolis after passing through Sidon and
down the Sea of Galilee, some people brought to him a
man who was deaf and could hardly talk, and they begged
Jesus to place his hand on him. The Gospel of Mark then
states:
33 After he took him aside, away from the
crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears.
Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 34
He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh
said to him, “Ephphatha!" (which means “Be
opened!"). 35 At this, the man’s ears were
opened, his tongue was loosened and he began
to speak plainly. Jesus commanded them not to
tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more
they kept talking about it. People were over-
whelmed with amazement. “He has done ev-
erything well,” they said. “He even makes the
deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Commentator of Mark, Lamar Williamson, writes that
this is the last unit in a series of miracles concerned with
the identity of Jesus, as earlier confirmed by Apostle Pe-
ter's christological affirmation in Mark 8:29 where Peter
exclaimed: “You are the Messiah”.[2]
14.1 See also
• New Testament places associated with Jesus
• Muteness
14.2 References
[2] Lamar Williamson 1983 Mark ISBN 0-8042-3121-4
pages 138-140
•
•
•
23

Chapter 15
Healing the ear of a servant
Jesus healing the ear of a servant during his arrest, Museu de
Évora, Portugal, c. 1500.
Healing the ear of a servant is one of the miracles of
Jesus in the Gospels.[1]
Even though the incident of cut-
ting the ear is recorded in all four gospels, John 18:10–11;
Matthew 26:51; Mark 14:47; and Luke 22:51, the servant
and the disciple are named as Malchus and Simon Peter
only in John. Only Luke records that Jesus healed the
severed ear.
The Gospel of Luke (22:49-51) describes Jesus healing
the ear of the servant of a high priest during the Arrest of
Jesus after one of the followers of Jesus had cut it off:
When Jesus’ followers saw what was going
to happen, they said, “Lord, should we strike
with our swords?" And one of them struck
the servant of the high priest, cutting off his
right ear. But Jesus answered, “No more of
this!" And he touched the man’s ear and healed
him.[2]
This healing episode follows the kiss of Judas and is the
last miracle reported in the Canonical Gospels prior to the
Crucifixion of Jesus.
15.1 References
[1] Bauckham, Richard (2006). Jesus and the Eyewitnesses:
The Gospels as Eyewitness Testimony. Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing. p. 195. ISBN 0-8028-3162-1
24

Chapter 16
Healing the man blind from birth
Christ healing the blind, by Nicolas Colombel, 1682
Jesus performed the miracle of healing the man blind
at birth as recorded in the Gospel of John, 9:1-12.[1]
According to the Gospel, Jesus saw a man blind from
birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this
man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus replied:
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,”
said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works
of God might be displayed in him. As long as
it is day, we must do the works of him who sent
me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the
world.”
Having said this, he spat on the ground, made some mud
with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” he
told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means
“Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home
seeing.
His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him beg-
ging asked, “Isn't this the same man who used to sit and
beg?" Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he
only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the
man.”
“How then were your eyes opened?" they asked. He
replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and
put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash.
So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
“Where is this man?" they asked him. “I don't know,” he
said.
In this miracle, Jesus applies the title Light of the World
to himself in John 9:5, saying:[2]
When I am in the world, I am the Light of the
World.
This episode leads into John 9:39 where Jesus metaphori-
cally explains that he came to this world, so that the blind
may see.[2]
According to Christian tradition, the man’s name was
Celidonius.
16.1 See also
• Light of the World
• Seven signs in the Gospel of John
16.2 References
[1] Biblegateway John 9:1-12
25

26 CHAPTER 16. HEALING THE MAN BLIND FROM BIRTH
[2] Matera, Frank J. New Testament Christology. Louisville,
Ky. : Westminster John Knox Press, 1999, 235.
16.3 External links
• Jesus Cures the Man Born Blind from The Poem of
the Man-God

Chapter 17
Healing the man with a withered hand
Christ healing the man with a withered hand, Byzantine mosaic.
Healing the man with a withered hand is one of the
miracles of Jesus in the Gospels, namely in Mark 3:1-6,
Luke 6:6-11 and Matthew 12:9-13.[1][2][3][4]
On a Sabbath when Jesus went into the synagogue, the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a
reason to accuse him, so they watched him closely to see
if he would heal on the Sabbath and they asked him: “Is it
lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" According to the Gospel
of Matthew:
He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep
and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you
not take hold of it and lift it out? How much
more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore
it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he
said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he
stretched it out and it was completely restored,
just as sound as the other.
According to the Gospel of Mark, the Pharisees then went
out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might
kill Jesus.
This miracle is the subject of the spoken sermon portion
of composer John Adams' "Christian Zeal and Activity".
17.1 See also
17.2 References
2003) ISBN 0781438683 pages 240-241
27

Chapter 18
Healing the mother of Peter’s wife
Healing Peter’s mother-in-law by John Bridges, 19th century.
Healing the mother of Peter’s wife is one of the
miracles of Jesus in the Gospels, namely in Mark 1:29-31,
Luke 4:38-41 and Matthew 8:14-15.[1][2][3][4]
In the Gospels of Simon and Judus this episode takes
place after the Beheading at the Synagogue in Caper-
naum. Jesus goes to Apostle Peter's house. There he sees
the mother of Peter’s wife lying in bed with a high fever.
Jesus touches her hand and the fever leaves her, and she
gets up and begins to wait on him.
Peters mother-in-law was sick with a great fever before
Jesus came into the house and was made aware of the
sickness. Jesus was with some of his disciples when he
walked over to her and rebuked the fever in a similar
fashion to the way he rebuked devils. Jesus commanded
the sickness to leave, and it went away immediately. She
was healed so quickly and thoroughly that not only was
the fever gone, but she was able to immediately resume
performing household duties such as serving food to the
guests. In the ancient world, fever was a distinct illness
and not just the symptom of various inﬁrmities. In the
Talmud, fever is described as a ﬁre.[5]
Following this, the Gospels report that at sunset, the peo-
ple brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sick-
ness or were demon-possessed, and laying his hands on
each one, Jesus healed them and cast demons out of them
(Matthew 8:16-18).
18.1 See also
18.2 References
28

Chapter 19
Healing the paralytic at Bethesda
Christ healing the paralytic at Bethesda, by Palma il Giovane,
1592.
Healing the paralytic at Bethesda is one of the mirac-
ulous healings attributed to Jesus .[1]
This occurs only in the Gospel of John, which says it
took place near the Sheep Gate close to a fountain or a
pool called Bethzatha (other versions have Bethesda and
Bethsaida).
The Gospel account describes how Jesus encounters one
of the invalids who used to lie here, a man who had been
paralysed for thirty-eight years. He asks the man if he
wants to get well. The man explains that he is unable to
enter the water when the water is stirred up, because he
has no one to help in and others go down ahead of him.
Jesus tells him to pick up his mat and walk; the man is
instantly cured and is able to do so.
The Gospel then explains that this healing took place on
the Sabbath, and the local Jews told the cured man that
the Law forbade him to carry his mat on this day. He tells
them that he had been told to do so by the man who had
healed him. They ask him who this healer was but he is
unable to tell them because Jesus had slipped away into
the crowd.
Jesus ﬁnds the man later in the temple and tells him not
to sin again, so that nothing worse happens to him. The
man goes away and tells the Jewish people that Jesus had
cured him. The man went away and told the Jews that it
was Jesus who had made him well.
The Gospel account explains that the Jews began to per-
secute Jesus because he was healing on the Sabbath. He
responds by saying that “My Father is still working, and
I also am working.” This makes them all the more de-
termined to kill him because not only is he breaking the
Sabbath but he is making himself equal to God by calling
God his father. (John 5:1-18)
19.1 See also
19.2 References
2003 ISBN 1592442854 page 462
29

Chapter 20
Healing the paralytic at Capernaum
Christ healing the paralytic at Capernaum by Bernhard Rode
1780.
Healing the paralytic at Capernaum is one of the
miracles of Jesus in the Gospels in Matthew (9:1-8), Mark
(2:1-12) and Luke (5:17-26).[1][2][3][4]
According to the Gospels, when Jesus entered
Capernaum, the people heard that he had come
home. They gathered in such large numbers that there
was no room left, not even outside the door, and he
preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing
to him a paralyzed man, carried by four other people.
Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the
crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus
by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man
was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the
paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
20.1 See also
20.2 References
2003 ISBN 1592442854 page 440
30

Chapter 21
Healing the royal official’s son
Healing the royal official’s son by Joseph-Marie Vien, 1752.
Healing the royal official’s son is one of the miracles of
Jesus that appear in the Gospel of John (John 4:46-54).
This episode takes place at Cana, though the official’s son
is some distance away, at Capernaum.
In the Gospel of John (NIV):
“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Je-
sus told him, “you will never believe.”
The royal official said, “Sir, come down before
my child dies.”
“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
While he was still on the way, his servants
met him with the news that his boy was living.
When he inquired as to the time when his son
got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one
in the afternoon, the fever left him.”
Then the father realized that this was the ex-
act time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your
son will live.” So he and his whole household
believed.
A similar episode appears in the Gospels of Matthew 8:5-
13 and Luke 7:1-10, as Healing the Centurion’s servant.
While Fred Craddock treats these as the same miracle, R.
T. France considers them separate miracles.[1][2]
21.1 References
[1] Fred Craddock: Luke, 2009 ISBN 0-664-23435-6, page
94
[2] The Gospel according to Matthew: an introduction and
commentary by R. T. France 1987 ISBN 0-8028-0063-7
page 154
31

Chapter 22
Healing the two blind men in Galilee
Christ and the two blind men by Julius Schnorr, 19th century
Jesus healing two blind men is a miracle attributed to
Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. [1]
It follows immediately
on the account of the Daughter of Jairus.[2]
22.1 Narrative
According to the Gospel account, as Jesus continues his
journey after raising the daughter of Jairus, two blind
men follow him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of
David!" When he had gone indoors, the blind men come
to him, and he asks : “Do you believe that I am able to
do this?" They reply, “Yes, Lord”. He then touches their
eyes, and says, “According to your faith let it be done to
you"; and their sight is restored. He warns them sternly,
to tell nobody, but they go and spread the news of the
healing 'throughout that district'. [3]
22.2 Development
The story is a loose adaptation of one in Gospel of Mark,
of the healing of a blind man called Bartimeus. In a prac-
tice characteristic of the author of the Matthew Gospel,
the number of persons is doubled and unnecessary details
removed. The same story is told later in the same Gospel
(Matthew 20:29-34) with almost identical details.[4]
22.3 Signiﬁcance
The author of the Matthew Gospel introduces the term
'Son of David' to indicate that the healings show Jesus as
the Messiah.[5]
22.4 See also
22.5 References
[1] The Gospel of Matthew (New International Commentary
on the New Testament) by R. T. France (Jul 27, 2007)
ISBN 080282501X page 365
[3] Matthew 9:27-31
[4] Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew (Liturgical
Press, 1991) page 133.
[5] Graham H. Twelftree, Jesus the Miracle Worker: A His-
torical and Theological Study (InterVarsity Press, 1999)
page 120.
32

Chapter 23
Raising of Jairus’ daughter
“Jairus” redirects here. For other uses, see Jairus (disam-
biguation).
The record of the daughter of Jairus is a combina-
Raising of Jairus’ Daughter by Paolo Veronese, 1546
tion of miracles of Jesus in the Gospels (Mark 5:21–43,
Matthew 9:18–26, Luke 8:40–56).[1][2][3]
The story immediately follows the exorcism at Gerasa.
Jairus, a patron or ruler of a Galilee synagogue, had asked
Jesus to heal his 12-year-old daughter, who in Mark’s and
Luke’s accounts was dying, and in Matthew’s simpliﬁed
account, had already died.
As they were traveling to Jairus’ house, a sick woman in
the crowd touched Jesus’ cloak and was healed of her
sickness (see Christ healing the bleeding woman). Mo-
ments later, a messenger arrived with the news that Jairus’
daughter had died, and he was advised not to trouble Jesus
any further. However, Jesus responded:
Be not afraid, only believe. (Mark 5:36)
Jesus continued to the house, where he informed all those
present that the girl was not dead but asleep. He then went
upstairs and restored the little girl to life. In Mark’s ac-
count, the Aramaic phrase "Talitha Koum" (transliterated
into Greek as ταλιθα κουμ and meaning, “Little girl, I say
to you, get up!") is attributed to Jesus.
The combined stories have been used as an example of
intercalation, where one incident is inserted within an-
other, linked in this case by the connection between the
12-year ailment and the 12-year-old girl.[4]
23.1 Interpretations
John Donahue and Daniel Harrington state that this
episode shows that “faith, especially as embodied by the
bleeding woman, can exist in seemingly hopeless situa-
tions”. [5]
Michael Keene states that there is a link between Jairus
and the woman: “The link between them is faith since
both Jairus and the bleeding woman showed great faith in
Jesus” [6]
John Walvoord and Roy Zuck state that: “What appeared
to be a disastrous delay in the healing of the woman ac-
tually assured the restoration of Jairus’ daughter. It was
providentially ordered to test and strengthen Jairus’ faith.”
[7]
Johann Lange also states that: “This delay would serve
both to try and to strengthen the faith of Jairus.”[8]
23.2 See also
• Luke 8
33

34 CHAPTER 23. RAISING OF JAIRUS’ DAUGHTER
23.3 References
[1] Biblegateway Mark 5:21–43
[2] Biblegateway Matthew 9:18–26
[3] Biblegateway Luke 8:40–56
[4] Intercalations in the synoptic tradition
[5] John R. Donahue, Daniel J. Harrington 2005 The Gospel
of Mark ISBN 0-8146-5965-9 page 182
[6] Michael Keene, 2002 St Mark’s Gospel and the Christian
faith ISBN 0-7487-6775-4 page 72
[7] John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck, 1983 The Bible Knowl-
edge Commentary ISBN 0-88207-812-7 page 124
[8] Johann Peter Lange, 1960 A commentary on the Holy
Scriptures Zondervan Press ASIN: B00133NOEM page
174

Chapter 24
Jesus cleansing a leper
Christ cleansing a leper by Jean-Marie Melchior Doze, 1864.
Jesus cleansing a leper is one of the miracles of Jesus
in the Gospels, namely in Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45
and Luke 5:12-16.[1][2][3]
24.1 Biblical narrative
According to the Gospels, when Jesus came down from
the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man
full of leprosy came and knelt before Him and begged
him saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me
clean?"
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am
willing,” he said. “Be clean!" Instantly he was cured of
his leprosy. Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don't
tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer
the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them”.
Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading
the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town
openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people
still came to Him from everywhere.
24.2 Leviticus 13
There is some speculation as to whether the illness now
called Hansen’s disease is the same described in Biblical
times as leprosy.[4]
As the disease progresses, pain turns
to numbness, and the skin loses its original color and be-
comes thick, glossy and scaly. Sores and ulcers develop,
especially around the eyes and ears, and the skin begins to
bunch up with deep furrows between the swelling so that
the face of the afflicted individual looks similar to that of
a lion. Since the disease attacks the larynx also, the voice
becomes hoarse and acquires a grating quality.[5]
Leviticus 13 outlines specific procedures for dealing with
a person suspected of being infected with leprosy. A
priest would have to inspect he lesion, and after a period
of monitoring and observation, if the condition did not
improve, the person would be declared ritually “unclean”.
To be declared unclean because of leprosy meant that the
unfortunate person had to tear his clothes and put a cov-
ering upon his upper lip and cry, “unclean, unclean.”[6]
As the Jews were concerned that the condition was con-
tagious, such individuals were to live separated outside
the camp. Ostracized from the community, they were
left homeless without the support structure of family and
friends. In approaching Jesus, the man was in violation of
Levitical law. In touching the leper, Jesus defies Levitical
law.[7]
When Jesus sent forth the disciples with instructions to
heal the sick, cleansing the lepers was specifically men-
tioned in Matthew 10:8.
British Baptist preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon
preached a sermon likening the condition of a person af-
flicted with leprosy to that of someone in a state of sin.[8]
Leprosy symbolizes the defilement of sin which results in
separation from God and the community.
35

36 CHAPTER 24. JESUS CLEANSING A LEPER
24.3 See also
• Cleansing ten lepers
• Tzaraath
24.4 References
[1] Gundry, Robert H., Mark (May 10, 2009) ISBN
0802829104 page 95
[4] van der Loos, Hendrik (1968). The Miracles of Jesus.
Brill Archive. p. 464.
of Chicago. p. 8:1-4. ISBN 0-8024-0763-3.
[7] Farren, Suzy. “Jesus’ Healing of the Leper Is a Mes-
sage for Our Ministry”, Health Progress, May-June 2002,
Catholic Health Association of the United States
[8] Spurgeon, C. H., “The Cleansing of the Leper”, Exeter
Hall, Strand, December 30, 1860

Chapter 25
Jesus exorcising a mute
Christ exorcising a mute by Gustav Dore, 1865.
Jesus exorcising a mute is one of the miracles of Jesus
in the Gospels.[1]
It appears in Matthew 9:32-34, imme-
diately following the account of Christ healing two blind
men miracle.[2]
According to the Gospel of Matthew, just as the two blind
men were healed by Jesus were going out, a man who
was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to
Jesus. And when the demon was driven out, the man who
had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said,
“Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”
But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that
he drives out demons.”
25.1 See also
25.2 References
[1] Matthew by Robert Horton Gundry (Oct 1, 1995) ISBN
0802807356 page 179
37

Chapter 26
Jesus exorcising at sunset
Fifth century mosaic of Christ exorcising demons, Basilica of
Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy.
Jesus exorcising at sunset is one of the miracles of Jesus
in the Gospels. It appears in the Gospels just after the
Healing the mother of Peter’s wife, namely in Matthew
8:16-17, Mark 1:32-34 and Luke 4:40-41.[1][2][3][4][5]
According to the Gospels, after Jesus had healed the
mother of Peter’s wife, when evening came, many who
were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove
out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. Accord-
ing to the Gospel of Matthew, this was to fulfill what was
spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.
According to the Gospel of Luke, as the demons came
out of many people, they shouted, “You are the Son of
God!" But Jesus rebuked them and would not allow them
to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.
Sundown signified the end of the Sabbath. Many people
came out or were brought out to Jesus to be healed of their
infirmities and delivered from evil spirits. As described
in the biblical account of the event, every single person
that came out was healed or delivered. Jesus had com-
passion on the mass of people in his presence because
he identified with the pain and suffering they were go-
ing through even though he wasn't subject to the afflic-
tions himself. The supernatural power flowing out of Je-
sus provided evidence of him being the foretold Messiah
of Israel as prophesied by the Isaiah the prophet.[6]
26.1 See also
26.2 References
[1] Matthew by Robert Horton Gundry (Oct 1, 1995) ISBN
0802807356 page 149
[2] Biblegateway 8:16-17
[5] Clowes, John, 1817, The Miracles of Jesus Christ pub-
lished by J. Gleave, Manchester, UK page 36
of Chicago. pp. 17–19. ISBN 0-8024-0763-3.
38

Chapter 27
Jesus healing an infirm woman
Christ healing an infirm woman by James Tissot, 1886-1896.
Jesus healing an infirm woman is one of the miracles
of Jesus in the Gospels (Luke 13:10-17).[1]
According to the Gospel, Jesus was teaching in one of the
synagogues on Sabbath, and a woman was there who had
been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent
over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw
her, he called her forward and said to her:
“Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.”
Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she
straightened up and praised God.
Indignant because Jesus had healed on Sabbath, the syn-
agogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for
work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the
Sabbath.”
Jesus answered him:
“You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the
Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall
and lead it out to give it water? Then should
not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom
Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years,
be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound
her?"
When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but
the people were delighted with all the wonderful things
he was doing.
27.1 See also
27.2 References
39

Chapter 28
Jesus healing in the land of Gennesaret
Jesus healing the sick by Gustav Dore, 19th century
Jesus healing in the land of Gennesaret is one of the
miracles of Jesus in the Gospels, i.e. Matthew 14:34-36
and Mark 6:53-56.[1][2]
According to the Gospel of Mark, as Jesus passes through
Gennesaret, just after the miracle of Walking on Water,
all those who touch the edge of his cloak are healed:
“When they had crossed over, they landed at
Gennesaret and anchored there. As soon as
they got out of the boat, people recognized Je-
sus. They ran throughout that whole region and
carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard
he was. And wherever he went—into villages,
towns or countryside—they placed the sick in
the marketplaces. They begged him to let them
touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who
touched him were healed.”
1st-century historian Flavius Josephus refers to the Gen-
nesaret area as having very rich soil.[3]
The town was per-
haps half way between Capernaum and Magdala.[4]
28.1 See also
• Christianity and fringed garments
28.2 References
[1] Biblegateway Matthew 14:34-36, biblegateway.com
[2] Biblegateway Mark 6:53-56, biblegateway.com
[3] The Physical Geography, Geology, and Meteorology of
the Holyand by Henry Baker Tristram 2007 ISBN
1593334826 page 11
[4] Lamar Williamson 1983 Mark ISBN 0804231214 pages
129-130
40

Chapter 29
Jesus healing the bleeding woman
Christ Healing a bleeding woman, as depicted in the Catacombs
of Rome.
Jesus healing the bleeding woman (or “woman with an
issue of blood” and other variants) is one of the miracles
of Jesus in the Gospels (Mark 5:21-43, Matthew 9:18-26,
Luke 8:40-56).[1] [2][3][4]
In the Gospel accounts, this miracle immediately follows
the exorcism at Gerasa and is combined with the miracle
of the Daughter of Jairus. The incident occurred while
Jesus was traveling to Jairus’ house, amid a large crowd:
And a woman was there who had been subject
to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered
a great deal under the care of many doctors and
had spent all she had, yet instead of getting bet-
ter she grew worse. When she heard about Je-
sus, she came up behind him in the crowd and
touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I
just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Imme-
diately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her
body that she was freed from her suffering.
At once Jesus realized that power had gone
out from him. He turned around in the crowd
and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You
see the people crowding against you,” his dis-
ciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who
touched me?’ ” But Jesus kept looking around
to see who had done it.Then the woman, know-
ing what had happened to her, came and fell at
his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the
whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your
faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed
from your suffering.”
The woman’s condition, which is not clear in terms of a
modern medical diagnosis, is translated as an “issue of
blood” in the King James Version and a “flux of blood”
in the Wycliffe Bible and some other versions. In schol-
arly language she is often referred to by the original
New Testament Greek term as the haemorrhoissa (ἡ
αἱμοῤῥοοῦσα, “bleeding woman”).
Because of the continual bleeding, the woman would have
been continually regarded in Jewish law as a niddah or
menstruating woman, and so ceremonially unclean. In or-
der to be regarded as clean, the flow of blood would need
to stop for at least 7 days. Because of the constant bleed-
ing, this woman lived in a continual state of uncleanness
which would have brought upon her social and religious
isolation.[5]
29.1 Gospels of Matthew and Luke
Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts specify the “fringe” of his
cloak, using a Greek word which also appears in Mark
6.[6]
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia article on
fringes in scripture, the Pharisees (one of the sects of
Second Temple Judaism) who were the progenitors of
modern Rabbinic Judaism, were in the habit of wearing
extra-long fringes or tassels (Matthew 23:5), a reference
to the formative çîçîth. Because of the Pharisees’ author-
ity, people regarded the fringe with a mystical quality.[7]
41

Miracles Attributed to Jesus A Full Allegorical Study of the Miracles of Jesus to Heal Them All

Miracles Attributed to Jesus A Full Allegorical Study of the Miracles of Jesus to Heal Them All

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