The Miracles of Jesus

This week I am teaching Year 4 pupils about the miracles and parables of Jesus. It has been so enjoyable for me to study and reflect on these subjects. Most Bible teachers I am sure would agree that teachers get more out of the amount of preparation that goes into teaching sessions than the students. But how to make Bible stories interesting for children can be a challenge!

I always think that visual aids are important whatever our age, and I love to use art in various forms to teach the Bible. For example, we will be looking at Jesus’ first recorded miracle in John’s Gospel chapter 2 – The Wedding at Cana where Jesus turned water into wine.

We will be thinking about the six stone jars that contained the water that Jesus turned into wine. There are numerous images of the jars throughout history, but I like this image as it is taken from an archaeological dig found from a similar period. The Bible tells us that the jars were the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons of water (75 – 115 litres). Therefore, it could be assumed the wedding took place in a priestly household where these types of jars would be used frequently. But what an incredible miracle it was, not only because Jesus miraculously produced a vast amount of wine but we read that when the master of the banquet tasted the wine he declared, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

We will also be thinking about the miracle of Jesus calming the storm when he was in a boat on the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. I recall in 2016 Ish and I went on a trip to the Holy Land with our friends Jeff and Kay Lucas. Here is a picture of us standing by the Sea of Galilee and in the middle a picture of the type of boat our party went out onto the sea. That day the sea was very calm and it was beautifully sunny. Ish took a guitar and we sang ‘Father God I Wonder’ out on the boat, it was a very special time. Apparently the storms can appear very suddenly and the third picture on the right is Rembrandt’s famous painting of the storm at sea that Jesus and his disciples encountered.

There are around 40 miracles recorded in the gospels but they represent only a small number of the things that Jesus did. John chapter 21 verse 25 states:

“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

LET US PRAY

Lord Jesus

We thank you for all the wonderful miracles you completed when you were here on earth that are written about in the Gospels. We also thank you for all the amazing things you continue to do in people’s lives today. Help us to have faith and to trust you more, just as the disciples learned to trust you when you walked on earth. Help us to pray for miracles of healing and provision that your name may be glorified. Amen

RESOURCES

Jesus Calms the Storm (Arch Books for Children) by Jean Thor Cook

Through the Storms by Eric Gaudion

The Miracles in the Gospels by Keith Warrington