Miracles often depend upon faith on the part of those who will benefit from them. Human responses to miracles take various forms. Some respond in faith and obedience, whilst others are confirmed in their unbelief and rebellion. Passages gathered in the Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin H. Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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"Do not be afraid," Elijah said to her. "Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.'" So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household.
And as for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove back the sea with a strong east wind that turned it into dry land. So the waters were divided,
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live." So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live.
When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD—the Lord of all the earth—touch down in the waters of the Jordan, its flowing waters will be cut off and will stand up in a heap." So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of them. Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over the dry ground, until the entire nation had crossed the Jordan.
So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Then Elisha said, "Get some flour." He threw it into the pot and said, "Pour it out for the people to eat." And there was nothing harmful in the pot.
Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, "Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be clean." But Naaman went away angry, saying, "I thought that he would surely come out, stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the spot to cure my leprosy. Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not have washed in them and been cleansed?" So he turned and went away in a rage. Naaman's servants, however, approached him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'?" So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a little child, and he was clean.
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." Then He said to the paralytic, "Get up, pick up your mat, and go home." And the man got up and went home.
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins..." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home." And immediately the man got up, picked up his mat, and walked out in front of them all. As a result, they were all astounded and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on the earth to forgive sins..." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, pick up your mat, and go home." And immediately the man stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God.
Jesus turned and saw her. "Take courage, daughter," He said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was cured from that very hour.
"Daughter," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it happen to me according to your word." Then the angel left her.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.
So He could not perform any miracles there, except to lay His hands on a few of the sick and heal them. And He was amazed at their unbelief. And He went around from village to village, teaching the people.
"Go," said Elisha, "borrow jars, even empty ones, from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a few. Then go inside, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these jars, setting the full ones aside." So she left him, and after she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing jars to her, and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another." But he replied, "There are no more jars." Then the oil stopped flowing.
"Lord, if it is You," Peter replied, "command me to come to You on the water." "Come," said Jesus. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the strength of the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?"
When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus and knelt before Him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not heal him." "O unbelieving and perverse generation!" Jesus replied. "How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to Me." Then Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?" "Because you have so little faith," He answered. "For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
When Israel saw the great power that the LORD had exercised over the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and believed in Him and in His servant Moses.
and Aaron relayed everything the LORD had said to Moses. And Moses performed the signs before the people, and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD had attended to the Israelites and had seen their affliction, they bowed down and worshiped.
Many in the crowd, however, believed in Him and said, "When the Christ comes, will He perform more signs than this man?"
There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and put away your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up, and all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
Then Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down and prayed, and turning toward her body, he said, "Tabitha, get up!" She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. Peter took her by the hand and helped her up. Then he called the saints and widows and presented her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.
When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.
The people were utterly astonished and said, "He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!"
Suddenly King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and asked his advisers, "Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?" "Certainly, O king," they replied.
they recognized him as the man who used to sit begging at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Even Simon himself believed and was baptized. He followed Philip closely and was astounded by the great signs and miracles he observed.
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.
He sprang to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and leaping and praising God.
Who among the gods is like You, O LORD? Who is like You—majestic in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders?
And Miriam sang back to them: "Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea."
Nebuchadnezzar declared, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king's command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
I am pleased to declare the signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me. How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation.
I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end. He delivers and rescues; He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth, for He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions."
And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:
After further threats they let them go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.
The crowds gave their undivided attention to Philip's message and to the signs they saw him perform.
Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth."
While He was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the signs He was doing and believed in His name. But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all.
Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women followed her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang back to them: "Sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and rider He has thrown into the sea." Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the Desert of Shur. For three days they walked in the desert without finding water. And when they came to Marah, they could not drink the water there because it was bitter. (That is why it was named Marah.) So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"
On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai. And there in the desert they all grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in the land of Egypt!" they said. "There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!"
But the people thirsted for water there, and they grumbled against Moses: "Why have you brought us out of Egypt—to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?"
The people quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had perished with our brothers before the LORD! Why have you brought the LORD's assembly into this wilderness for us and our livestock to die here? Why have you led us up out of Egypt to bring us to this wretched place? It is not a place of grain, figs, vines, or pomegranates—and there is no water to drink!"
"Were not all ten cleansed?" Jesus asked. "Where then are the other nine? Was no one found except this foreigner to return and give glory to God?"
When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons sitting there, clothed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it described what had happened to the demon-possessed man and also to the pigs. And the people began to beg Jesus to leave their region.
Meanwhile, those who had seen it reported how the demon-possessed man had been healed. Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.
On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great fear came over all who heard what had happened.
This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear came over all of them. So the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, "Peter is standing at the gate!" "You are out of your mind," they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."
Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?" And Abraham said to God, "O that Ishmael might live under Your blessing!"
So she laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?" And the LORD asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Can I really bear a child when I am old?'
"How can I be sure of this?" Zechariah asked the angel. "I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years."
And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time."
"This is the finger of God," the magicians said to Pharaoh. But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I will multiply My signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay My hand on Egypt, and by mighty acts of judgment I will bring the divisions of My people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.
Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.
In spite of all this, they kept on sinning; despite His wonderful works, they did not believe.
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of His miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.
The Jews still did not believe that the man had been blind and had received his sight until they summoned his parents
Then they heaped insults on him and said, "You are His disciple; we are disciples of Moses. We know that God spoke to Moses, but we do not know where this man is from."
"I already told you," Jesus replied, "but you did not believe. The works I do in My Father's name testify on My behalf. But because you are not My sheep, you refuse to believe.
Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.
If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, "What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."
Now Stephen, who was full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They began to argue with Stephen,
When the girl's owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace. They brought them to the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil by promoting customs that are unlawful for us Romans to adopt or practice."
Our fathers in Egypt did not grasp Your wonders or remember Your abundant kindness; but they rebelled by the sea, there at the Red Sea.
And the LORD said to Moses, "How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them?
not one of the men who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness—yet have tested Me and disobeyed Me these ten times— not one will ever see the land that I swore to give their fathers. None of those who have treated Me with contempt will see it.
They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them. He worked wonders before their fathers in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan. He split the sea and brought them through; He set the waters upright like a wall. He led them with a cloud by day and with a light of fire all night. He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them drink as abundant as the seas. He brought streams from the stone and made water flow down like rivers. But they continued to sin against Him, rebelling in the desert against the Most High. They willfully tested God by demanding the food they craved.
They did not remember His power — the day He redeemed them from the adversary, when He performed His signs in Egypt and His wonders in the fields of Zoan.
When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money. "Give me this power as well," he said, "so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."