INTRODUCTION

1. The purpose of this series is to study the miracles of Jesus and increase our faith as stated in John 20:30-31:

   ³⁰Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

2. In this lesson, we will consider the miracles that demonstrate Christ's power over nature. Notice that each of these miracles were opportunities for the Lord's disciples to learn who Jesus was.

    

WHAT KIND OF MAN IS THIS?

1. When Jesus called His first disciples, He showed His power by a miraculous catch of fish (Luke 5:1-11).

   1. Jesus used Simon Peter's boat as a stage from which to teach the multitudes on the shore of the Sea of Gennesaret (Galilee).

   2. Following this, Jesus told Peter to put out into the deep water and let down the nets for a catch.

   3. Peter complied, but he said that he and the other fishermen (James and John, and also Andrew, see Matt. 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20) had worked all night and caught nothing.

   4. The nets were then so filled with fish that they began to break.  The catch was so large that it filled both boats with fish.

   5. All of the fishermen were amazed, and Peter said, "Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!"  They knew that they were in the presence of the power of God.  (Compare to Isaiah 6:5.)

   6. Jesus said, "Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men."  After this, the fishermen left everything and followed the Lord.

2. When the disciples were fearful of a storm, Jesus commanded it to be still (Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25).

   1. Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat when a fierce storm overtook them.  The waves were breaking over the boat so that it began to fill with water.

   2. Despite the storm, Jesus was asleep in the stern. The disciples awoke Him and said, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"

   3. Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea, and they became perfectly calm.  He also said to His disciples, "Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith?"

   4. The disciples then said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"  The answer was obvious, but they still struggled to believe in Him.

3. When the disciples were in a boat far out to sea, Jesus came to them walking on the water (Matt. 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:15-21).

   1. This was just after Jesus had fed 5,000 men in Galilee (see Lesson 7).

   2. He sent His disciples across the sea, and He sent the multitudes away.  He then went up to a mountain to pray alone.

   3. When the boat containing the disciples was many stadia away from the shore (a stadion was about 600 feet; John's account says they were three or four miles out) and it was the fourth watch of the night (between 3 A.M. and 6 A.M.), Jesus came to the disciples walking on the sea.

   4. When the disciples saw Jesus, they were afraid. They said, "It is a ghost!" and cried out in fear.

   5. Jesus answered and said, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

   6. Peter said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water."  Jesus said, "Come."

   7. Peter stepped out of the boat and began walking toward Jesus, but when he saw the wind, he became frightened and began to sink.  He cried out, "Lord, save me!"

      1. Notice that Peter did well as long as he focused on Jesus.  He failed only when he allowed the world to distract him.

      2. We likewise do well in faith as long as we fix our eyes on Jesus (Heb. 12:2).

   8. Jesus took Peter by the hand and said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"

   9. When they got into the boat, the wind stopped, and the disciples worshiped Him.  They said, "You are certainly God's Son!"  Once again, Jesus proved Himself to the disciples by a miracle.

   10. In Mark 6:51-52, the Scripture elaborates on the disciples' failure of faith.

       1. It says that the disciples were "utterly astonished, for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened."

       2. This indicates that they should not have been surprised by this event.  Rather than thinking that they had seen a ghost, they should have known it was Jesus immediately.

4. When it was necessary to pay the temple tax, Jesus commanded Peter to find a coin in a fish's mouth (Matt. 17:24-27).

   1. The temple tax was two drachmas or two denarii, which was two days' wages.

   2. Peter was asked by those who collected the tax, "Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?"  Peter answered, "Yes."

   3. When Jesus talked to Peter about the temple tax, He indicated that He should be exempt.

      1. The Lord's question to Peter was, "What do you think, Simon?  From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?"  Peter answered, "From strangers."

      2. Jesus said, "Consequently, the sons are exempt."  Because the temple was the house of God, the Son of God was exempt from paying the temple tax.

   4. Even so, Jesus made arrangements to pay the tax in a miraculous way.

      1. He said to Peter, "However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take 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 you and Me."

      2. A shekel was worth two drachmas.  Jesus miraculously provided the tax for Himself and Peter, and proved to Peter yet again that He was the Son of God.

5. When Jesus found a barren fig tree, He caused it to wither (Matt. 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14, 20-24).

   1. On the day after Jesus had made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He was going back into the city in the morning and was hungry.

   2. He came to a fig tree, but found nothing but leaves on it (figs were not in season).  He said to the tree, "No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you."

   3. Matthew's account says that the tree withered at once, and the disciples marveled.  Mark's account indicates that the disciples observed the withered tree the day after Jesus cursed it.

   4. The disciples asked Jesus, "How did the fig tree wither at once?"  This question betrayed their lack of faith, for even at this late stage of Christ's ministry, they still did not fully understand who He was.

   5. Jesus therefore taught the disciples a lesson about faith.

      1. Notice Matthew 21:21-22:

         ²¹And Jesus answered and said to them, "Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will happen.  ²²And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

      2. The disciples did not have the kind of faith Jesus described.  They would finally learn it after His resurrection.

   6. This lesson concerning faith has to be understood with qualification.

      1. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ (Rom. 10:17).

      2. Unless the word of Christ teach us a belief, we cannot have this kind of faith.  We can only expect to receive that which is according to God's will (1John 5:14-15).

6. After the Lord's resurrection, He proved Himself again with another miraculous catch of fish (John 21:1-14).

   1. Six of the disciples went fishing with Peter on the Sea of Galilee but caught nothing all night.

   2. In the morning, Jesus called to them from the shore, but they did not know it was Him.  He said, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch."

   3. When they followed the Lord's directions, the catch was so large (153 fish, v. 11) that they could not haul it in.  It was then that John realized that He was the Lord.

   4. After Peter swam ashore and the rest of the disciples came in by boat, Jesus fed them breakfast.  None of them asked who He was, for they knew He was the Lord.

   5. This event must have reminded Peter of the beginning when Jesus had first commanded him to put in his net for a catch, and the result was miraculous.  Even so, he was still learning to believe.

       

CONCLUSION

1. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt. 28:18).  Indeed, His power over the earth was demonstrated convincingly in these miracles.

2. The power of Jesus is just as potent now, and it is available to every soul for salvation (Rom. 1:16) and strength for believers (Phil. 4:13).  Do you believe in the power of the Son of God?