Jesus dealt with people who had a hard time believing that He was the Son of God. He was met with much skepticism and many of the Jewish leaders believed that His words were blasphemous. Jesus did have many lessons that were hard for them to understand. However, this was only because their thinking was so focused on how they believed things ought to be that they could not conceive that things could be different. Jesus tried to get them to think “outside of the box” but to no avail. Jesus then reasoned with them not based on His teachings but concerning His works.
Jesus, speaking to the Jewish leaders, said in John 10:37-38, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.” Jesus tells them that if they do not believe His teachings then believe the works that He is doing. The works themselves should confirm to them that He is the Son of God because no one else could do these things. The previous verse is from the book of John. John is called the book of belief because it records numerous miracles of Jesus.
John 5:2-9 describes one such miracle. It says, “Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed… Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.” No one else either then or now can make a man who was lame for thirty-eight years walk again. Yet, Jesus was able to heal him.
In John 6, a great multitude of people were following Jesus. Because they had been with Him for so long listening to His teachings, they began to grow weary and hungry. Jesus said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” The best the disciples could do was to find a lad who had five barley loaves and two small fish. Yet, that was enough for Jesus as He blessed it and commanded that His disciples disperse the bread and fish to the multitudes. Not only was the multitude fed until they were full but twelve baskets full of fragments were taken up. Across the timeline of human history, who else was able to do such a feat?
In John 6:16-21, we see Jesus walking on the water. This passage reads, “Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Do you know of anyone else that can walk on water?
In John 9:6-7, Jesus and His disciples come across a blind man. Out of compassion for him, the passage reads, “He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.” Who else could make the blind see again?
In John 11, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Not only is this a miracle in itself but even more so that he had been dead for four days! Martha, Lazarus’ sister, was so shocked at Jesus’ request for them to remove the stone from the tomb that she said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” That did not stop Jesus. He went ahead and resurrected him nonetheless. Do you know of any one who can resurrect the dead? Jesus was able to do it.
This is only surpassed by His own resurrection in John 20. Yet, Jesus had told many before hand that this would happen. John 2:18-21 says, “So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body.” Not only is the miracle of His resurrection revealed before our eyes but the prophecies of His resurrection are miracles within themselves because they show us an ability that is beyond ourselves.
Finally, following the Lord’s resurrection, He appeared to many. One such meeting was with Thomas. Though the other apostles had seen Jesus, Thomas was absent from those appearances. He said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Thomas got his chance in the following verses by which he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” That is the conclusion that Jesus wants everyone to come to.
Even if like the Jews, we cannot get our mind around Jesus and His teachings, we can conclude that He is the Son of God because of the many miracles He has done. Coming to that conclusion, we can set our minds about knowing Him and His word and the reason why He came into this world and that is to save us from our sins.
If you would like more evidence that Jesus truly is the Son of God and learn of the salvation that He offers, please let us know.
Roy Knight
