Jesus of Nazareth can be defined in a variety of ways. At Calvary Chapel, we believe he is the Living Son of God, and Savior of all mankind. On this page, we’d like to give you some highlights of his ministry, specifically, his miracles and his resurrection.

The Resurrection
The resurrection is the central element of our Christian faith. Jesus promised us that on the third day after his death, he would return from the dead to walk again on Earth. That’s just what he did! Because Jesus did rise from the dead, we know and have faith that all his claims are true and we can know for sure that there is life after death.

Although Christianity is based largely on faith, it is still unbelievable that even those looking for scientific evidence and support of the resurrection still don’t believe in the wondrous gifts God gives us.

There is an abundance of evidence that exists to support the resurrection.Jesus foretold of his death and the resurrection, and it occurred just as he said it would.

John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’ The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ But the temple he had spoken of was his body.”

John 10:17 “The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life–only to take it up again.”

John 16:16-23 “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.’ Some of his disciples said to one another, ‘What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?’ They kept asking, ‘What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.’ Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, ‘Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy…”

Matthew 12:40 “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

Matthew 16:21 “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Luke 18:31-33 “Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, ‘We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”

The resurrection is the only way that makes sense to explain the empty tomb. A battery of Roman soldiers was placed in front the tomb where Jesus’ body was laid to prevent followers from “stealing the body.” A huge stone also covered the grave’s entrance. There were some that claimed Jesus was not dead, but only weakened. So, what they are saying is that after being whipped, beaten, nailed and hung on a cross for six hours, stabbed with a spear, and wrapped in linen, Jesus was not only able to roll a 4000-pound stone up hill, but was also able to slip past many soldiers to escape.
No other explanation had any validity because the Jewish Leaders could not produce Jesus’ body (it could not be found because Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. More people than just the disciples saw the resurrected Christ. After he rose from the dead, Jesus appeared at least ten times and to as many as 500 people at one time.

Luke 24:36-39 “While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

John 20:26-29 “A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”

Many scholars of the scientific and historical community accept the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. After examining the evidence for the resurrection given by the Gospel writers, the late Simon Greenleaf, an authority on legal issues at Harvard Law School, concluded: “It was therefore impossible that they could have persisted in affirming the truths they have narrated, had not Jesus actually risen from the dead, and had they not known this fact as certainly as they knew any other fact.” Mr. Greenleaf was a Jewish professor who became a believer in Jesus the Messiah after studying the facts for himself.

The Miracles
The following is a listing of passages that detail the miracles performed by Jesus.

Healing
Cures the official’s son In the second of Jesus’ miracles, Jesus cures the son of an official in Galilee and warns us not to ask God for proof of his power (John 4:48).

John 4:43-54
Heals the man who could not walk Jesus heals a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years.

John 5:1-9

Heals Peter’s mother-in-law

Matthew 8:14-15
Mark 1:29-31
Luke 4:38-39

Heals the leper

Matthew 8:2-4
Mark 1:40-42
Luke 5:12-13

Heals the man who could not walk Jesus heals another man that could not walk and shows that through faith and the forgiveness of sin, we can be whole again.

Matthew 9:2-8
Mark 2:2-12
Luke 5:18-26

Heals the centurion’s servant Through great faith the centurion showed, just Jesus saying the words heals his servant, as the centurion did not feel worthy to have Jesus in his home.

Matthew 8:5-13
Luke 7:2-10

Heals a demon-possessed, blind, and mute man.

Matthew 12:22
Luke 11:14

Heals the woman who touched his garment in the crowd A woman who had been bleeding for 12 years had great faith in knowing a touch of Jesus’ clothing would heal her, and it did.

Matthew 9:20-22
Mark 5:25-34
Luke 8:43-48

Heals the Canaanite woman’s daughter

Matthew 15:22-28
Mark 7:25-30

Heals deaf and mute man

Mark 7:32-37

Heals the man born blind, deaf and mute

Mark 8:22-26

Heals the blind, mute, and demonized son After a failed attempt to
heal him by the disciples, Jesus not only demonstrates his great power, but makes an example of their lack of faith.

Matthew 17:14-21
Mark 9:14-29
Luke 9:37-42

Heals ten lepers How often do we fail to thank God for his blessings? Ten lepers are healed, but only one has enough humility to return to Jesus and thank him for the miraculous healing of his illness.

Luke 17:11-19
Luke 13:10-17

Heals the demon-possessed, blind, mute man

Matthew 12:22
Luke 11:14

Resurrection of the Dead
Raises the widow’s son from the dead Jesus shows not only his great power, but also his compassion for those who are hurting.

Luke 7:12-16

Raises Jairus’s daughter from the dead Jesus raises a 12-year-old girl from the dead.

Matthew 9:18-19,23-26
Mark 5:22-24,35-43
Luke 8:41-42,49-56

Raises Lazarus from the dead Jesus brings back to life a man who had been laying in a tomb for several days. This miracle creates a stir throughout the country, and many of the religious leaders now began to follow Jesus after this demonstration of the power of a living God.

John 11:1-46

Jesus is resurrected from the dead Jesus is raised from the dead, just as he had foretold on numerous occasions. This is the most wonderful miracle of all, and is the basis of our faith.

Matthew 28:2-20
Mark 16:1-20
Luke 24:1-48
John 20:1-21:24

Other Miracles

Changes water to wine In his first recorded miracle, Jesus changes water at a wedding into wine and the disciples put their faith in him.

John 2:6-11

Abundance of fish Simon Peter had been trying to catch fish all night at the Sea of Galilee, but had been unsuccessful. Jesus gives him a command from Jesus to lower his nets again. Even through Peter’s doubts, so many fish are caught that his nets begin to break.

Luke 5:4-9

Drives out Demons

Mark 1:23-28
Luke 4:33-37

Calms the storm As an example of our own lack of faith, the men on the boat were terrified they were going to drown, even with the Son of God asleep at their feet. Jesus calms a furious storm on the Sea of Galilee with a wave of his hand. Amidst the worst we can fear,
Jesus sees us through.

Matthew 8:24-27
Mark 4:37-41
Luke 8:23-25

Drives out Demons Jesus drives out demons from two men into pigs.

Matthew 8:28-34
Mark 5:1-20
Luke 8:26-39

Feeds five thousand In one of the most spectacular miracles, Jesus feeds a massive crowd of over 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two small fish. Just as with His word, there was an abundance of food left over!

Matthew 14:15-21
Mark 6:35-44
John 6:5-14

Walks on water and quiets a storm After seeing Jesus walk on the Sea of Galilee, Peter is called to walk to him on the water and does so. Beginning to doubt, Peter starts to sink in the water but is saved by Jesus.

Matthew 14:22-33
Mark 6:45-52
John 6:16-21

Feeds four thousand A similar miracle to the feeding of over 5000, Jesus takes compassion on a large, famished crowd of followers who hadn’t eaten in three days. They are fed with seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. Seven baskets of food are left over.

Matthew 15:32-38
Mark 8:1-9

Curses the fig tree, causing it to wither

Matthew 21:18-20
Mark 11:12-14,20-21

The final miracle: abundance of fish The last miracle performed following his resurrection, Jesus again blesses the nets of the disciples on the Sea of Galilee.

John 21:6
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Portions adapted from “Who is Jesus? An Interactive Journey” © 1997 from Campus Crusade for Christ International – Supplied courtesy of Youth4Him

How do I ask Jesus into my heart?
Pray this prayer (in your own words, or as it is written):
Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I have failed to be the kind of person you made me to be.
I desire now to live according to your will, and I ask that you take control of my life.
I believe that God sent his one and only son, Jesus to die for my sins so that I may have everlasting life.
God, I know only you can save me, and I ask that you come into my heart and save me from sin.
I love you and I ask for you to fill me up with your Holy Spirit that I may be a light in your world.
In Jesus’ precious and Holy name, Amen.

Now What?
If you’ve made the leap into the loving arms of Christ, you may be wondering what the next step is. Now comes time to wipe the tears from your eyes, the dirt from your knees and take this awesome feeling of the Holy Spirit out into the world. But what does that mean? Here are some things you can do.
Tell those you love what has happened to you…like they won’t notice the new look on your face and the glow you carry.
Start reading your bible. If you don’t already have one, get one. Contact us if you have questions about where to get one. If you can, find a bible with some sort of devotional built in.

Pray, Give thanks, ask for constant forgiveness, pray for those you love and those you don’t love so much (the bible says we should do that) pray for anything that is on your heart, and give your life, all of it, to Jesus.