John 11:38-44
Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”
Matthew 9:18-26
Jesus Raises a Dead Girl
18 While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” 19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.
20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.
23 When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.
Mark 5:22-43
Jesus Raises a Little Girl
22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”
36 Overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.
After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.
Luke 7:11-17
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son
11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out—the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, “Don’t cry.”
14 Then he went up and touched the bier they were carrying him on, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I say to you, get up!” 15 The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us,” they said. “God has come to help his people.” 17 This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.
Luke 8:41-56
Jesus Raises Jairus' Daughter
41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”
51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”
53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
Isaiah 55:8
God Thinks and Does Things Differently than Man
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.
Matthew 1:18-25
A Virgin Birth
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
John 2:1-11
Jesus Turns Water into Wine
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.
Luke 18:31-34
Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time
31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”
34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.
Luke 24:36-49
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
John 20:24-31
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 3:13
Jesus Came from Heaven
13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven--the Son of Man.
Thinking about miracles may take a different way of thinking, and a different mindset...Man seems to want to have a reasonable faith and a reasonable belief system...Yet, this in a way contradicts faith...This is because our LORD and Savior is a God of miracles...So often we want reason to lead us in our thinking...And that is fine, but maybe that gets in the way of how we think about miracles and even how we view our faith...
So if one believe our minds want first to take us down the path of reason, we can then believe it is hard for man to believe in miracles...It was at first hard for Joseph to believe that Mary was impregnated by the miracle of the Holy Spirit...This was a miracle from God...And because Joseph her husband found this so hard to believe (and he was a faithful man), he did not want to expose her to public disgrace, so he had in mind to divorce her quietly...This type of pregnancy was not reasonable...Joseph, at first found the virgin birth to be hard to believe and quite a miracle...So it took another miracle for Joseph to believe his wife that she had not been impregnated by another man...God would send an angel to Joseph, in a vision so he could understand these things...And the Disciples were that way also...They were surprised and caught off guard when Jesus resurrected, and He told them He would be raised on the third day three different times...But the Disciples were skeptics and thought at first they had seen a ghost, instead of their Teacher...And though they had seen Him resurrect people (He resurrection miracles are in all four gospels) while they were out spreading the gospel, they still were shocked by His resurrection...These men had witnessed many types of miracles and resurrection miracles, yet were surprised that Jesus made it back to life...And the biggest skeptic of all was Thomas...He wanted physical proof and to touch the One that he knew had died on the cross...
These miracles must have been confusing to His Disciples...Because man does not think in terms of miracles...And while the Disciples had seen many different miracles, like Jesus turning water into wine and many other healing miracles, we as man seem to believe what we must try to reason out things and rationalize out things to the best of our own understanding...And this takes us further away from miracles and believing in them...The Disciples and those who followed and watched Jesus noticed all kinds of miracles...Yet, they did not quite understand really about miracles until His resurrection...And only then did the Disciples understand about His previous miracles, and believe He is the Messiah...After His resurrection, they literally saw the Light, and the Light went off in their heads -He IS the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One...
One would think that with all the previous miracles that surrounded Jesus, that at least the Disciples would have an idea, that something might happen after His death...Especially, with all the resurrection miracles He did...But man does not think it seems in terms of miracles...Our miracle belief seems to fade, and our reasoning on the way we understand things seems to outweigh our belief in miracles...So maybe we think twice or three times about miracles, and try to explain them rationally...And they cannot be explained with reason, that is why they are miracles...
I do think there was one person who thought He would return after His death, and that is His Mother Mary...She knew full well that He could do something at the wedding in Cana...She ask Him for a miracle, and He gave her and the others the miracle of the water changing into wine...After being impregnated by the Holy Spirit and knowing that He was quite the Special One, and then raising Him to adulthood -would given her great insight that He could die and come back to life...
Miracles maybe a moment to moment way of thinking...Maybe we believe in miracles one minute and then think about them differently the next minute and the next day...When one really thinks about miracles, it is often in the current moment of a need when we cry out for God's intervention, and for a miracle...And maybe in our times of needs, we most want God and His intervention(s)...But our minds get focused on the current day and the current moment trumps things that we cannot deem and think of as reasonable...For instance, we may wonder if God is with us today, after feeling Him strong last week...Past events and those concerning miracles lose some of their strengths in our rational thinking and in our memories, it seems... Reason maybe overriding the miracles, just because of the way we think...Our minds do not seem to grasp and firmly hold on to miracles...Our mind wants to believe in reason alone...I think many of us long to see a current miracle to support and strengthen our faith...But how many current miracles would we need?...It seems to me there are frequent times when we want God and do ask Him for a miracle...I know I have ask for miracles much more than once to help me with my faith, and with my and my family's life...And these miracles we ask for seem to in this current moment type thinking...I might ask God for a miracle today, if someone needs some assistance with their health...And then next month I might ask Him for more help for someone who needs help moving to a new job and getting adjusted in a new town...And tomorrow it might be something else...These are all prayers for miracles and God's intervention...And let us say that God did assist me in my prayers these last several times...And He can do this, and intervene when He deems necessary...But if miracles are a moment to moment thing and fade from us most of the time, then I will want another Godly miracle, sooner rather than later...Tomorrow I may want another current miracle to strengthen my doubting faith again...And I use the Disciple Thomas as the best example...Thomas had seen most, if not all of Jesus' miracles...And after seeing all these miracles, He still doubted that Jesus had risen...So Thomas with all the evidence and proofs of the last three years that Thomas had, he sort of disregarded them or forgot them or those memories had faded...Thomas still did not believe...He needed the proof of this current moment to finally be convinced...And Jesus gave it to him...
When I think of miracles, my mind goes quickly to Jesus...I would start with Him, because He can do miracles...We get a close look at miracles in the four gospels...Jesus did not have our kind of thinking...He always knew of heaven, because He is from heaven...He thinks of life in terms of the the Spiritual, the Sacred, and the eternities...His thoughts are not like our thoughts...He knows God will always be there to assist and do His will -that is God's will...Jesus was completely focused on God's will and not His own will, past present, and future...It seems that God was and is with Jesus intervening and giving Him authority...Jesus, is the Only Man who could do many and all kinds and types of miracles of any kind...And maybe when One is always thinking Spiritually and eternally, miracles can happen easier...When the mind is completely focused on God past, future, and current moment -then maybe mountains get moved...So miracles are possible with Him...It seems God was and is with Jesus all through His ministry, and all through His life -always there, always intervening and helping Him with the many miracles that He did...And Jesus thought He could do miracles and it is just a part of His thinking...
Our understanding of God's intervention and asking Him to help or assist us and our family and friends is very limited...So maybe our miracles are limited...I think this is why Thomas and we forget what happened ten years ago or three years ago and we want things in our minds updated and more current...So, expecting us to believe something that happened two thousand years ago, remains an act of faith...We do not really understand how God works, and He certainly works at Godspeed and in mysterious ways...And how and why He does miracles...And I also think our minds always looking for reason, can play these current moment tricks on us...The mind is trying to fool us and not think that was a miracle, and get back and settle in on reason...The mind wants to get back to reason and the reasonable...
Maybe we need to use our imaginations more...Is it possible to always think reasonably keeps us away from miracles and from our LORD?...It maybe possible that miracles are not far from any of us...