We have seen that prophecies connecting Jesus' birth and youth with Bethlehem, Egypt, and Nazareth were miraculously fulfilled. This pattern of Jesus' fulfilling Old Testament prophecies continued throughout His life, giving proof that He was the Christ sent from God to redeem man.

During John's ministry, Jesus approached him, asking to be baptized. Immediately after His baptism, "the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'" (Matthew 3:16-17; cf. Mark 1:9-11). This was clear evidence to those witnessing His baptism that there was a special purpose behind Jesus' coming. John spoke of His baptism, saying, "I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, that is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God" (John 1:32-34).

We will give brief narratives of these along with ones concerning the many signs He did. From these the reader will see that Jesus gave many proofs that He was the Messiah sent by God.

The four Gospels specifically mention in detail some thirty-five miracles and briefly mention many more. These represent only a small portion of Jesus' miracles. As John wrote at the close of his Gospel, "Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book" (John 20:30). Some of these are contained in the other three Gospels, but many are not recorded. John wrote, "There are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written" (John 21:25). When one considers the fact that the four Gospels record only a small fraction of approximately sixty days of Jesus' three-year ministry (roughly 5 percent of the days), and that many, many books have been written on this ministry, it is evident that an innumerable number of books could be written about the rest of His life and ministry.

We do not have room in this booklet to give narratives of Jesus' signs.[See chapter 4 of the author's book, Christian Evidences, for narratives of these signs.] We will give only a couple of narratives, from which the reader will see the type proofs that Jesus gave to show He was the Messiah. The reader is encouraged to read the four Gospels to see these proofs in their original settings and how they occurred in very reasonable ways¾ways one could easily expect God to use. They were never done in a circus or in a magical atmosphere, but they were always done openly, with good purposes in mind. Thus one should easily accept the conclusion that the miracles point out that Jesus was the Christ sent from God.

The first of Jesus' special signs was done at a marriage celebration in Cana. The wine ran out, and Jesus' mother told Him about it. Jesus initially was reluctant to solve the wine-shortage problem, but He did. He had six stone jars filled with water; and when some was drawn out, it was found the water had become wine. This sign produced the desired results in His disciples. "This, the first of his signs... manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him" (John 2:1-11).

Those who had seen Jesus' miracles were affected and believed, yet Jesus did not accept their belief at this point. "Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did: but Jesus did not trust himself to them" (John 2:23-24).

During a visit to Samaria, Jesus met a women at Jacob's well who came to draw water, and He asked her for a drink. Jesus told her if she knew who she was talking to, she would ask for living water. After explaining this, He asked her to call her husband. She responded that she had "no husband." Jesus then told her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband.'" She then sensed that He was a prophet. Later she went into the city and told the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" Many Samaritans from the city believed that Jesus was the Christ, "because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me all that I ever did'" (John 4:4-42).

In Cana an official who had a sick son came to Jesus and begged him to heal his son, for he was near death. Jesus told him, "Go; your son will live." He believed and went home. On the way he met some of his servants. and they told him his son was living. He then asked when he began to improve, and he was told, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." The father knew this was the time Jesus told him his son would recover (John 4:46-54).

Jesus met a man in a synagogue in Capernaum with a "spirit of an unclean demon," and he cried out to Jesus. Jesus rebuked him and the man was healed. "And they were all amazed and said to one another, 'What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.'" This greatly affected those who had seen the miracle, and "reports of him went into every place in the surrounding region" (Luke 4:33-37; cf. Mark 1:21-28).

During this time Luke notes an incident that occurred when people were pressing to hear during one of Jesus' preaching sessions. Because of the crowding, Jesus got into Peter's boat and went out into the lake a short distance. At the end of His sermon He told Simon to "put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." Peter was reluctant to go fishing again because he had fished all night and got nothing. But he did as instructed, and caught a great shoal of fish that filled two boats, so that they began to sink. Simon Peter was astonished and gave recognition to Jesus' power (Luke 5:1-11).

At the beginning of His ministry in Galilee, Jesus went about teaching and preaching the gospel. He backed up these proclamations with evidence that He was sent from God, "healing every disease and every infirmity among the people." This had profound effect on the people; "his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick ... and he healed them" (Matthew 4:23-24).

After the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus came down from the mountain with crowds following Him. A leper approached Him, telling Him that he knew Jesus could make him well. Jesus then stretched out His hand and touched the leper, and "immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Matthew 8:1-3; cf. Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16).

A little later Jesus entered Capernaum and was approached by a centurion who told Him that one of his servants was lying paralyzed at home. Jesus said He would go and heal him. The centurion said he was not worthy to have Him come to his home, but that He only had to say the word. After some positive remarks about the man's faith, Jesus told him, "'Go; be it done for you as you have believed.' And the servant was healed at that very moment" (Matthew 8:5-13; cf. Luke 7:1-10).

Jesus then went to the home of His disciple, Peter, and there He found Peter's mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. He simply touched her hand, and the fever left (Matthew 8:14-15; cf. Mark 1:30-31; Luke 4:38-39). Others learned of this healing, and they brought many ill persons to Him. He "healed all who were sick" (Matthew 8:16).

Jesus not only healed but also showed His power over natural events. He and His disciples were out in a boat, and a great storm came up that about swamped the boat. Jesus was asleep, and the disciples woke Him and asked for help. "He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm." This had a profound effect on those who witnessed this; they "marveled, saying, 'What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?'" (Matthew 8:23-27; cf. Mark 4:36-41; Luke 8:22-25).

Jesus next met "two demoniacs" and He healed them. The result was that a herd of swine rushed over a steep bank into the sea (Matthew 8:28-34; cf. Mark 5:1-17; Luke 8:26-39).

Jesus then returned to His own city, and immediately "they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed." Jesus told him that his sins were forgiven and to "rise, take up your bed and go home." He did this, and "when the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men" (Matthew 9:1-8; cf. Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26).

Jesus found by the Sheep Gate pool a multitude of people who were invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed. One of the men had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been lying there a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be healed?'" He responded and Jesus told him, "Rise, take up your pallet, and walk. And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked." Because this occurred on a Sabbath, the Jewish leaders were disturbed, because, according to their laws, it was not permissible to carry a pallet on the Sabbath. Jesus' response to them was, "My Father is working still, and I am working." He explained by stating, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise" (John 5:1-19).

Later, when Jesus was speaking, a ruler came to Him, stating, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." He went with the ruler, and as they went a women who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up and touched Him. Jesus turned to her and said, "'Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.' And instantly the woman was made well." Then they came to the ruler's house and told the professional wailers there, "'Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.' And they laughed at him." Jesus was left alone with her, and "he took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district" (Matthew 9:18-26; cf. Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56).

On His way home, Jesus met two blind men and a mute person, and healed them. "The crowds marveled, saying, 'Never was anything like this seen in Israel.'" Jesus continued to go to the cities and villages healing every disease and every infirmity (Matthew 9:27-35).

When Jesus and His disciples approached the city of Nain, they came upon a funeral procession leaving it. A widow was leading the procession, weeping over the death of her only child, being taken to the cemetery for burial. When Jesus saw her, he had compassion and went up to the bier and said, "'Young man, I say to you, arise.' And the dead man sat up, and began to speak." The large crowd saw what happened and was struck by fear of God's presence. "They glorified God, saying, 'A great prophet has arisen among us!' and 'God has visited his people!'" The news of this miracle, since it was done before a large crowd, spread throughout Judea and the surrounding area (Luke 7:11-17). This was the first instance where Jesus raised the dead. Luke's telling of this event is very believable since he told it in a simple narrative style, without exaggeration.

After this Jesus gave His disciples authority "to heal every disease and every infirmity" (Matthew 10:1-8). We will see later that this commission would make it possible for them to prove that they also were sent by God.

John the Baptist was put in prison for his preaching and denouncing of sin.

When John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, "Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?" [Jesus did not answer this question directly but told them], "Go and tell John what you hear and see; the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is he who takes no offense at me." Matthew 11:2-6

Jesus realized that not everyone accepted His mighty works as proof that He was sent from God, and He pointed out the consequence of their unbelief. "Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. 'Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes'" (Matthew 11:20-24). Chorazin and Bethsaida were located on the north end of the Sea of Galilee and were in the region where Jesus' Galilean ministry occurred (Matthew 3-18; Mark 1-9; Luke 3-9:50). The people in these cities had seen or heard about Jesus' mighty works (Mark 3:7-8 states that even early in Jesus' ministry great multitudes from a very wide area had heard of Him and came to see Him.) These works were clear evidence that Jesus was the Christ and the hearers should have repented.

The blind eyes of the skeptics did not cause Jesus to stop His mighty works. He went to the synagogue and there met a man with a withered hand. The Pharisees who were standing there had seen enough of Jesus' works that they knew He could heal. They asked Him, "Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?" They were not concerned about the crippled man but only about finding fault with Jesus. After explaining why it was lawful to do good on the sabbath, Jesus simply told "the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, whole like the other" (Matthew 12:9-13; cf. Mark 3:1-5; Luke 6:6-10).

Jesus, being aware of the Pharisees' opposition, withdrew, but "many followed him, and he healed them all, and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: 'Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles'" (Matthew 12:15-21; cf. Mark 3:20-22). Because the Pharisees' opposition to Jesus' ministry was increasing, He asked those healed not to tell others. He wished to withdraw and get away from the plotting Pharisees for now. Later their evil would result in the greatest proof that Jesus was the Christ--His resurrection from the dead.

"Then a blind and dumb demoniac was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw." This amazed the people and they asked the question, "Can this be the Son of David?" But the Pharisees claimed that He healed by demon power. Knowing their thoughts, He said, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste... if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself." Jesus told them to judge this matter, and "if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matthew 12:22-32).

Jesus' answer did not satisfy the Pharisees, and they told Him they wanted a sign from him. They were already seeing miracles, but by asking for one they were trying to make it appear they had an excuse for not believing. He responded by pointing out the strongest one yet to come. "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." He then pointed out that at the judgment the men of Nineveh will condemn their generation, for "they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here" (Matthew 12:38-42).

Concerning the failure of Israel's leaders to see, hear, and understand His parables and see that He was the Christ, Jesus quoted Isaiah, "You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn for me to heal them" (Matthew 13:14-15; cf. Isaiah 6:9-10; Mark 8:18).

Later Jesus again spoke about His use of parables. He said, "This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: 'I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world'" (Matthew 13:35; cf. Psalm 78:2). After returning to His own country from Capernaum, "he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, 'Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?'" They knew His background as a carpenter's son, and His family, "and they took offense at him." Jesus pointed out to them that "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Because of their unbelief, "he did not do many mighty works there" (Matthew 13:53-58; cf. Mark 6:1-6; Luke 4:16-30).

The fame of Jesus was not just among the common people; it soon reached Herod, the king of Judea. He thought Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead. Herod had ordered John killed and his conscience condemned him (Matthew 14:1-12; cf. Mark 6:14; Luke 9:7-9).

When Jesus heard that John the Baptist was killed, He withdrew to a lonely place, but the crowds still followed Him. Jesus had "compassion on them, and healed their sick." Because the crowds remained until evening, they could not be sent away without food, but there were only five loaves and two fish present among them. Jesus asked the crowd to sit down and took the five loaves and two fish and blessed them. After the crowd of five thousand plus women and children ate, there was twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over (Matthew 14:13-21; cf. Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13).

Once after speaking to a crowd, Jesus had His disciples get into a boat and leave, and He went into the hills to pray. Returning at evening time, He found the boat a long distance from land because of the wind. So "He came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, 'It is a ghost!'" He told them not to fear, "It is I." Peter then wanted to walk on the water to Him, and Jesus told him to come. "Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water." Then when he saw the wind, he became afraid and lost his confidence, and begin to sink. Jesus reached out and caught him. They then got into the boat, and the wind ceased. This event caused "those in the boat [to] worship him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God'" (Matthew 14:22-33; cf. Mark 6:45-51; John 6:16-21).

When they got to the other side of the lake, Jesus and His disciples were recognized, and "they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick, and besought him that they might only touch the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well" (Matthew 14:34-36; cf. Mark 6:53-56).

Jesus then went to Tyre and Sidon, and a Canaanite woman came to Him, asking that her daughter be healed. He did not answer her, but after she continued crying for help, He explained to her that He had come to help only the house of Israel. But since the woman showed such faith, He told her, "'Be it done for you as you desire.' And her daughter was healed instantly" (Matthew 15:21-28; cf. Mark 7:24-30).

When Jesus was in the vicinity of Sea of Galilee, He left the area and went into the hills. "Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the dumb, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, so that the throng wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel" (Matthew 15:29-31).

Jesus then called His disciples together and told them; "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way." The disciples wondered where they could get food in the desert for such a crowd. Jesus then asked how many loaves they had, and He was told they had seven and a few small fish. Jesus then had the crowd sit down, gave thanks, and had the fish given to the crowd of four thousand plus women and children. After they ate, seven baskets full of broken pieces were picked up (Matthew 15:32-38; cf. Mark 8:1-9).

When Jesus went to Decapolis, a deaf man with a speech impediment was brought to Him. Jesus healed him: "his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly." Jesus asked that they tell no one about what happened, but "more zealously they proclaimed it. And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, 'He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak'" (Mark 7:31-37).

When Jesus and His disciples came to Bethsaida, a blind man came to Him and begged Him to touch him. He took the blind man out of the village a spit on his eyes, and laid his hands upon his eyes. His light was restored, and he saw everything clearly" (Mark 8:22-26).

On their way to Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" They replied, and He then pressed them for their own opinion. Then Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus told Peter that "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:13-23; cf. Mark 8:27-31; Luke 9:18-22). It was God who revealed this truth, doing this, in part, by empowering the works Jesus was doing. John, in his gospel, records Jesus' explanation that "the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me" (John 5:36-37; cf. John 9:4, 14:10). He also recorded Jesus' statement, "the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness to me" (John 10:25; cf. vs. 32, 38).

A special miracle occurred, known as the Transfiguration, in which God confirmed that Jesus was the Son of God. Jesus had gone with Peter, James, and John to the top of a high mountain, and there "he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him." This clearly was a new experience for His disciples, and they reacted by wanting to build booths for the three. At this point "a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him'" (Matthew 17:1-13; cf. Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36). Peter later recalled this event in his second epistle: "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths... we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,' we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain" (2 Peter 1:16-18). This transfiguration was one of two events that included a verbal witness from God.

After returning from the mountain, a man approached Jesus, asking for help for his epileptic son. The man had taken his son to the disciples, but they could not help him. Now he appealed to Jesus for help. Jesus cured the boy instantly. The disciples then asked why they could not cure him, and Jesus said it was because of their little faith (Matthew 17:14-21; cf. Mark 9:17-29; Luke 9:38-43).

The group next moved on to Capernaum, and there the tax collector of the half-shekel tax asked the disciples, "Does not your teacher pay the tax?" Later, when Jesus returned, they asked Him about it. Jesus asked them a question about who pays taxes, the king's sons or others, and then explained that He was free since He was a Son. He then told them in order "not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel; take that and give it to them for me and for yourself" (Matthew 17:24-27).

During this period of His ministry, Jesus was staying out of Judea because the Jewish leaders tried to kill Him. But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles come. He went to Jerusalem. During this visit, Jesus got into a discussion with the Jewish leaders who were rejecting Him. Even though they rejected Him, "many of the people believed in him; they said, 'When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?'" (John 7:31). They recognized that His signs clearly showed He was the Christ.

Once, when Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, a woman was there who had an infirmity for eighteen years. When Jesus saw her, He said to her, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." When He laid His hands on her, she was immediately healed (Luke 13:11-17).

The fourth Gospel, written by John, has two rather lengthy descriptions of Jesus' miracles. The first of these concerns a man blind from birth. After His disciples asked about him, Jesus "spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing" (John 9:1-34).

The second of John's lengthy discourses involved Jesus' close friends Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Once Lazarus became ill, and the two sisters informed Jesus of the illness, hoping He would heal their brother. Jesus did not rush to Lazarus, but lingered for a couple days. Then, before He left to go to Lazarus, He told His disciples, "Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe." When Jesus and His disciples arrived, they found that Lazarus had been in a tomb for four days. When Martha heard He was coming, she went and met Him and told Him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you." When Jesus saw them and their Jewish friends weeping, "he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled." He then asked where Larazus was buried--and wept too.

Jesus then went to the tomb and asked that the stone in front of the grave be rolled away. Martha responded that by this time there would be an odor. Jesus asked her, "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" They then rolled away the stone at the mouth of the tomb, and Jesus prayed, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. I knew that thou hearest me always, but I have said this on account of the people standing by, that they may believe that thou didst send me." He then cried, "Lazarus, come out." And Lazarus did come out, with his hands and feet still in burial bandages. Again Jesus gave proof of His divinity, and many of the Jews seeing this "believed in him." But some apparently didn't accept His claim because they went and told the Pharisees what had happened (John 11:1-48).

Jesus went to Bethany just before the Passover, and Lazarus was there with Him. Great crowds came there, "not only on account of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, who was raised from the dead." Because of Lazarus' rising from the dead, many Jews believed in Jesus (John 12:9-11).

On the sabbath, Jesus went to dine at a ruler's home, and found a man there with dropsy (edema). Jesus healed him" (Luke 14:1-4). While Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, ten lepers asked Him to have mercy on them. They must have heard that God was at work in Jesus. He told them, "'Go and show yourselves to the priests.' And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks" (Luke 17:11-19).

Most of Jesus' ministry that has been reviewed above was carried out in Galilee. When He left Galilee and entered Judea, "large crowds followed him, and he healed them there" (Matthew 19:2; cf. Mark 10:1). People in Judea apparently had heard about His Galilean ministry and were thus quick to follow Him and seek healing.

The first three Gospels tell of Jesus restoring the sight to blind persons near Jericho. Some treat these accounts as one event thus enabling them to point out discrepancies between the accounts. The problem with their interpretation is that there is no reason to treat these as one event.

Luke wrote that "as he [Jesus] drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging," and hearing a crowd, he inquired about what was happening. He was told that, Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. The blind man then called out for mercy, and Jesus asked him want he wanted, and he immediately received his sight, "and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God" (Luke 18:35-43).

The other two writers describe men receiving their sight as Jesus and His disciples and the crowd left Jericho. Apparently Jesus and His disciples spent the night there (Luke 19:1-10).

Accepting these two accounts as written would make them different events, since Matthew writes about two men, and Mark about one man named Bartimaeus. It is credible to believe that Jesus' healed these three because the blind man who received his sight as He came to Jericho, created a lot of attention. Other blind persons in the area, hearing about this man receiving his sight, would come to the road leaving Jericho hoping to find Jesus so they too could receive their sight.

Matthew wrote about two blind men sitting by the roadside, who cried out for help. Jesus stopped and asked them, "What do you want me to do for you?" They asked to have their eyes opened, and Jesus "touched their eyes, and immediately they received their sight and followed him" (Matthew 20:29-34).

Mark wrote about Bartimaeus, asking to receive his sight as Jesus was leaving Jericho. Jesus told him, "'Go your way; your faith has made you well.' And immediately he received his sight" (Mark 10:46-52).

The next day, when Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowd came out to meet Him with palm branches, crying, "'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel! . . . The reason . . . the crowd went to meet him was that they heard he had done this sign" (John 12:12-18; cf. Matthew 21:1-9; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-38; Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:25-26).

The Jewish leaders still did not respond. "Though he had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him; it was that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 'Lord, who has believed our report, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?'" (John 12:37-40; cf. Isaiah 53:1).

When in Jerusalem, "the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them." This was done openly, and "the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, 'Hosanna to the Son of David!' they were indignant." The leaders did not accept the evidence, but the people did. Jesus pointed out to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise?'" (Matthew 21:14-16, cf. Psalm 8:2).

The next morning, as they returned to the city, Jesus was hungry and passed a fig tree. Finding no fruit on the tree, He said, "'May no fruit ever come from you again!' And the fig tree withered at once" (Matthew 21:18-22; cf. Mark 11:12-14; 20-26). This tree's leaves indicated it had fruit; the leaves follow the fruit on the fig tree. But because it lacked fruit, Jesus said it would never produce fruit again.

As has been noted above, the Jewish leaders did not accept Jesus' signs as showing that He was the Christ, long expected by the Jewish people. Jesus pointed out that this rejection had been prophesied. "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?'" The implication of their rejection was that "the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it" (Matthew 21:42-43; cf. Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17; Psalm 118:22-23; I Peter 2:7). The chief priests and the Pharisees heard this parable and knew He was speaking about them. But they did not change their attitude, but only tried to arrest Him so they could do away with Him.

The previous Scriptures point out the some thirty-five signs of Jesus as they occurred. As we have seen, these signs occurred in very reasonable ways--ways that one could easily expect God to use. They were always done openly, with good purposes in mind. Thus one should easily accept the conclusion that these miracles point out that Jesus was the Christ sent from God.

The people who saw the signs fall generally into two classes: the common people who believed, and the Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus. We can see the common people's response in the following Scriptures:

They were astonished beyond measure, saying, "He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak." Mark 7:36-37

Many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did. John 2:23 And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. John 6:2

Many of the people believed in him; they said, "When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?" John 7:31

It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will. Hebrews 2:3-4

But not everyone believed. This is seen in the following Scriptures:

And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. . . .You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. Matthew 16:1-4

When the Pharisees heard it they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons." Knowing their thoughts, he said to them.... "if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Matthew 12:24-28; cf. Luke 11:15

Herod ... was hoping to see some sign done by him. Luke 23:8

Though he had done so many signs before them, yet they did not believe in him. John 12:37