Matthew 8; Luke 7:11–17

The Miraculous Power of Jesus Christ

A young man wrapped in burial clothe is sitting up in a gurney. Jesus has his hand on his shoulder, his disciples can be seen in the background.

One of the ways Jesus demonstrated His power was through miraculous healings, which included raising a widow’s son from the dead. This lesson is intended to strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ’s power to perform miracles in our day and in your life.

Miracles

A miracle is “an extraordinary event caused by the power of God. … Faith is necessary in order for miracles to be manifested” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Miracle,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

What are some of your favorite miracles recorded in the scriptures? Why?
What do you learn about Jesus Christ from these miracles?

During the Savior’s life, He performed many miracles. As you study some of these in this lesson and throughout the week, ponder how you would answer the following questions:

What do you understand about miracles?
What questions do you have about them?
What miracle(s) do you hope God will perform in your life?

You may want to record your answers in your study journal. Look for answers to your questions this week as you study miracles performed by Jesus Christ.

What do miracles teach us about Jesus Christ?

One scripture study skill that can help you come to know Jesus Christ better is to look beyond what He does and prayerfully ponder what His actions reveal about His character. As you read, consider asking questions such as “What do I learn about the Savior’s motives, priorities, and attributes from what He is doing and saying?”

Read Luke 7:11–17, looking for details in the story that teach you about Jesus Christ. For example, pay attention to what verse 13 helps you understand about why He performed this miracle. You may also want to watch the video “Widow of Nain” (2:22), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org, as you study this account.

Widow of Nain
Jesus raises the son of the widow of Nain from death. Luke 7:11–16

Writing on a piece of paper with a pen or pencil.

Jesus performed many miracles

Choose one or more of the following miracles to study. Continue paying attention to what you learn about the Savior from these accounts.

Matthew 8:1–4; Mark 1:40–42.

Jesus heals a leper. A leper would have been shunned from society because leprosy was a painful, contagious, and sometimes deadly disease. Most people would have avoided approaching or touching him.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe in a very personal relationship with the Savior. In reading the New Testament and the Book of Mormon I have often wondered what it must have been like to feel the Saviors touch and receive healing through his virtue. This image depicts the story found in Matthew 8 of the New Testament. The leper who approached Jesus had faith that, if willing, he could make him clean. With the simple words, “be thou clean” a life was brought from despair to hope. What must that moment have been like? The newly cleansed man, gazing into the face of the Savior of the world.

Jesus heals a centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5–8, 13). A centurion was a commanding officer of about 100 men in the Roman military. Many Jews in Jesus’s day hated Roman soldiers because of religious differences and because they represented the nation that had conquered them.

Jesus casts devils out of a man living among tombs (Mark 5:1–13, 18–20). A man lived among tombs, yelling and hurting himself. When the people in the area could not bind him with chains, they avoided him, leaving him isolated among the tombs.

Miracles in our day

Have you ever wondered if the Savior still performs miracles today? While many people have not experienced some of the dramatic miracles recorded in the scriptures, such as the parting of the Red Sea or the raising of the dead, it is important to remember that miracles still occur today. The Savior declared, “I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever” (2 Nephi 27:23).

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught:

Many miracles happen every day in the work of our Church and in the lives of our members. Many of you have witnessed miracles, perhaps more than you realize.

(Dallin H. Oaks, “Miracles,” Ensign, June 2001, 6)

What thoughts or questions do you have about this statement by President Oaks?

Optional: Want to Learn More?

What is the ultimate miracle?

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency taught:

Some miracles affect many people. The ultimate such miracle is the Atonement of Jesus Christ—His triumph over physical and spiritual death for all mankind. No miracle is more far-reaching or more magnificent.

(Dallin H. Oaks, “Miracles,” Ensign, June 2001, 9)

Do dramatic miracles like those recorded in the scriptures still happen today?

One example of a remarkable modern-day miracle was shared by President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008):

I was asked if I would visit a woman in the hospital whose doctors had told her she was going blind and would lose her sight within a week. She asked if we would administer to her and we did so, and she states that she was miraculously healed. … I said to her, “I didn’t save your sight. Of course, the Lord saved your sight. Thank Him and be grateful to Him.”

(Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 343)

Why don’t people receive every miracle they seek with faith in Jesus Christ?

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency said:

Miracles are not available for the asking. … The will of the Lord is always paramount. The priesthood of the Lord cannot be used to work a miracle contrary to the will of the Lord. We must also remember that even when a miracle is to occur, it will not occur on our desired schedule. The revelations teach that miraculous experiences occur “in his own time, and in his own way” (D&C 88:68).

(Dallin H. Oaks, “Miracles,” Ensign, June 2001, 9)

Why would the devils in the account in Mark 5:11–13desire to enter swine?

The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) explained:

We came to this earth that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man, and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into the herd of swine, showing that he would prefer a swine’s body to having none. All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not.

(Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 211)

Will more miracles occur before the Savior returns?

President Russell M. Nelson testified:

Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory.

(Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 96)