The Messiah and His Miracles (Continued)

Further attesting signs

Raising the Dead

Besides healing those who were almost dead, Jesus Messiah raised those who had died. The gospel narratives record the raising of the dead in general terms. When the Messiah gave His disciples power to raise the dead , they reported back with the words, “the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them”  (Matt.11.5). 

The gospel writers have also included a sample selection of this particular genre of miracle. The three synoptic writers recorded the ‘quickening’ of a young girl, the twelve-year-old daughter of Jairus, a synagogue ruler. Luke adds an incident when Jesus stopped a funeral to raise a widow’s son. In addition, John is famous for his narrative of the raising of Lazarus, beloved brother of Mary and Martha, who had been in the tomb four days.

A comparison of the 3 miracles would show :


1. A daughter. 2. A son. 3. A brother.

1. Just died. 2. Dead a day. 3. Dead four days.

1. In the home. 2. At the funeral. 3. At the cemetery.

1. Raised from a bed. 2. Raised from a bier. 3. Raised from the tomb.

1. She ate 2. He talked 3. He walked.

Raising the dead was the most startling of all His miracles. To give sight to the blind was wonderful, to loosen the limbs of the paralysed extraordinary, to cleanse a leper was amazing, to provide hearing for the deaf and speech for the dumb was remarkable, to give clarity of thought to the lunatic was astonishing, but when He raised the dead He did all these things at one time. To give life to a corpse, especially one who had been days in the grave, was astounding. The cadaver is blind, deaf, dumb, paralysed, numb, unclean and without a thought in its head, all together. In giving them the essence of life he provided sight, speech, feeling, hearing, mobility and best of all a head full of thoughts, imaginations and aspirations – in other words, He caused them to live.

Nevertheless, it was still not the final answer, for each of these three died again, but they were tokens of an ultimate resurrection. Martha said, “I know that he (my brother Lazarus) will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” (John 11.24) The resurrection of which Martha spoke, is still future – then the dead will rise no more to die. Confidence in that respect is high, because Jesus raised the dead while incarnate on earth. The second fact that gives confidence is, Jesus also rose from the dead - rose to die no more – He is the firstfruits of those that died. In Jesus we have the answer to the question Ezekiel raised in the giant graveyard, “can these bones live?” Messiah’s answer is an unequivocal ‘Yes’.

When Jesus died He descended into Hades, and emptied that part where the Old Testament saints were resting, namely, that section of Hades called Abraham’s bosom or Paradise. As a sign that this was accomplished the Messiah sent into Jerusalem many resurrected saints after His own resurrection. It was the sign of the prophet Jonah multiplied many times.

Next Time : Authenticating Miracles in John's Gospel