Are Jesus' Miracles Real?
Month 5: Jesus — God With Us · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 20:30–31 & Acts 2:22
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. — John 20:30–31
22 Men of Israel, listen to this message: Jesus of Nazareth was a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. — Acts 2:22
Memory Verse
“Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?””— Mark 4:41 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Chronicles 27–29
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 137 of 365 — David's final charge and Solomon made king.)The Heart of It
Some people today say miracles are just made-up stories. They call them nice fairy tales for children. But look closely at how the Bible talks about Jesus' miracles. John tells us he wrote down the "signs" Jesus did "so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ" (). These were not told in secret to gullible people far away. They were done out in the open, in front of crowds, friends, and enemies alike. When Peter preached at Pentecost, he said Jesus was "a man certified by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs… as you yourselves know" (). He could say "as you yourselves know" because the people listening had seen it.
Here is something worth noticing. Even Jesus' enemies never said the miracles didn't happen. They couldn't. Too many people had watched. Instead, they tried to explain them away or stop Him. And the followers who saw these things were so sure of them that most of them were willing to be killed rather than take it back. People might die for something they sincerely believe. But they don't die for what they know they made up. The miracles of Jesus aren't fairy tales tacked onto a good teacher. They are the public proof that "God with us" had truly come.
Around the Table
Jesus did real, amazing things. He healed sick people. He calmed storms. And lots of people saw it with their own eyes!
Let's do it: Count on your fingers: storm calmed, sick healed, blind see, hungry fed. Cheer for four real wonders of Jesus!
Jesus did His miracles out in the open, in front of crowds. He didn't do them in secret. That's why people believed.
Let's talk: Why does it matter that lots of people saw the miracles, not just one or two?
Even the people against Jesus agreed the miracles happened. They just couldn't stop Him (). The question was never "Did it happen?" It was always "Who is He?"
Let's go deeper: How is a public miracle with many witnesses different from a private story no one can check?
💬 Conversation Starter
Imagine you saw something amazing happen, like the ocean going totally still in one second. Who is the first person you would tell? Would they believe you?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "Miracles are just made-up stories": We can kindly answer this way. The Gospels were written while the eyewitnesses were still alive. They spread in the very cities where the events happened. And they report public miracles that even Jesus' enemies tried to explain rather than deny. People who saw it with their own eyes chose to die rather than take it back. That is not how legends behave. We can say so gently and with respect ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
A common objection is that ancient people were ignorant and would believe anything. But the New Testament writers knew very well that virgins don't normally have babies (), and that dead men stay dead. That is exactly why these events stunned them. The strength of the case rests on many early sources that agree without copying each other, and on witnesses who were willing to suffer for what they said. As McDowell and Wallace argue, the resurrection and the miracle accounts pass the kind of tests a detective applies to any eyewitness claim. Help your older kids see that faith here is not a leap away from the evidence. It is a step that follows the evidence. Then point them past the "did it happen" question to the real one Mark asks. Who is this?
Draws on: Josh McDowell, Evidence That Demands a Verdict; J. Warner Wallace, Cold-Case Christianity.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that the wonderful things Jesus did really happened, in front of real people. Help us believe with our whole hearts that Jesus is Your Son. And give us courage to tell others kindly. In Jesus' name, amen."
Jesus' miracles were public, and people saw them. They are real signs that God truly came to be with us.