How Jesus Did Miracles – Video and Article

Introduction

This is the third article in a series. It will explain how Jesus did miracles. In the previous two series articles, I discussed how the Bible tells us that Jesus is fully God, but he chose to become fully human and subjected himself to human limitations.

If you haven’t read those articles already, I would strongly encourage you to read those first and then return to this article. Here are links to each of them:

• Roles and Relationships in the Trinity
• The Humanity of Jesus

In case you haven’t read them, here is a very quick review.

1. Jesus is fully God, coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit
2. 2000 years ago, as part of the Father’s plan, Jesus voluntarily chose to subject himself to human limitations, being born as a human baby with a physical body, and to living life as a human being with normal human abilities.

In this article, we will look at the Bible’s answer to this question:

How did Jesus perform miracles even though he subjected himself to human limitations?

Peter’s Summary – TLDR

A very short and clear answer is provided for us in Acts 10:38.

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil for God was with him.

Acts 10:38

This verse says that when Jesus was on the earth as a human, God the Father anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. While Jesus walked the earth, power was provided to him by the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit enabled him to perform healings and miracles, and to destroy the works of the devil.

Let us now take a look in the Gospels where more details are provided about this extremely fascinating truth.

Jesus’ First Miracle

In John 2:11 the Bible says that Jesus performed his first miracle by turning the water to wine at the wedding in Cana. This occurred when he was 30 years old.

Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee.
In this way he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:11

If Jesus performed his first miracle at age 30, then that means he performed no miracles before then. He performed no miracles during the first 30 years of his life.

Something happened at age 30 that enabled him to begin doing miracles.

Exactly what happened is spelled out clearly if we look at the events surrounding his baptism in the Jordan river.

Baptism in the Jordan

Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my one dear Son; in you I take great delight.”

Luke 3:21-22

After Jesus was baptized in water, the Holy Spirit descended upon him. At age 30, the Holy Spirit became involved in the life of Jesus in a way that he wasn’t before.

Immediately after this, we see the following passages in Luke 4

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness

Luke 4:1

Jesus is Full of the Holy Spirit

Now Jesus is described as being “full of the Holy Spirit” in a way that he wasn’t before.

After Jesus defeated the temptations of the devil in the wilderness, we see this statement:

Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and news about him spread throughout the surrounding countryside.

Luke 4:14

The Bible tells us that at this point in the story, Jesus is operating in the power of the Holy Spirit. He is not operating in his own power. Rather he is cooperating with the Holy Spirit and using the power provided to him by the Holy Spirit.

He begins to show us what it is like for a “human” to work together with the Holy Spirit.

Soon after this, we see some interesting events start to take place, including the previously mentioned turning of water to wine at the wedding.

Jesus goes into a synagogue in Nazareth and reads the famous quote from Isaiah 61.

He says:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the regaining of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Luke 4:18

Then he says this:

“Today this scripture has been fulfilled even as you heard it being read.”

Luke 4:21

Jesus, out of his own mouth, tells us all that he is now working with the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish God’s will in the earth. He is not doing miracles based on his own ability. He is now doing things by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Miracles

In Luke’s account, the next thing we see is Jesus driving a demon out of a man in the synagogue in Capernaum (Luke 4:35), which amazes everyone present (Luke 4:36).

Then he heals Simon’s mother-in-law (Luke 4:39).

Then he heals and delivers everyone that came to him (Luke 4:40-41).

At some point, Jesus returns to his hometown and begins to teach in the synagogue there, where there were people who knew him most of his life up to this point.

The people in the synagogue made the following comments, as found in Mark 6:2-3.

“Where did he get these ideas? And what is this wisdom that has been given to him? What are these miracles that are done through his hands?”

Mark 6:2-3

It is clear from this that these people were not used to Jesus doing miracles. This also shows us conclusively that he had not been acting like this during the first 30 years of his life before this. If miracles were a normal activity for Jesus throughout his childhood, then the people from his hometown would not be reacting like this. His behavior is drastically different than it used to be.

In Matthew 12:28, Jesus tells us again in his own words how he drives out demons. He says:

“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has already overtaken you.”

Matthew 12:28

Jesus says that he drives out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

How did Jesus perform miracles even though he subjected himself to human limitations?

He cooperated with the Holy Spirit. He operated in the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s power enabled him to go beyond human limits to manifest God’s will in the earth.

Because of this, we view Jesus as our example. He became a man, and subjected himself to the same limits that we have. He cooperated with the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish God’s will. It was the Holy Spirit that enabled Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, raise the dead, and perform all of his other miracles.

This same Holy Spirit that worked with Jesus lives inside of each and every believer, waiting for us to begin working with him by faith.

These incredible and amazing truths will be the subject of the next article and video in this series.

Link to previous article in series

Link to first article in series