Study From The Watchtower, 5-11-June-2023, What do we learn from the miracles of Jesus?, Underlined Answers.

 Study From The Watchtower, Week of June 5 to 11, 2023, What do we learn from the miracles of Jesus?, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Answer.

Dark Yellow: Additional Answer.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

"He went through the land doing good and healing all who were oppressed" (ACTS 10:38).

1. Under what circumstances did Jesus perform his first miracle?

LET'S TRAVEL to the end of the year 29. Jesus has just started his ministry. He, his mother, and some of his disciples attend a wedding banquet in Cana, a town north of Nazareth, where he grew up. María is a friend of the bride and groom's family and apparently she is helping to attend to the guests. But something happens that would make the newlyweds and their families look very bad: the wine runs out. Perhaps there are more guests than expected. Mary quickly goes to her son and tells him: "They have no wine left" (John 2: 1-3). What does Jesus do? Something extraordinary: he turns water into “good wine” (John 2: 9, 10).

2, 3. (a) How did Jesus use his power? And why is it good to analyze the miracles of Jesus?

2 Jesus did many more miracles during his ministry. He used his power to help thousands and thousands of people. For example, on one occasion he fed 5,000 men and on another 4,000. With just those two miracles, it is possible that in total he fed more than 27,000 people, if we include the women and children who were there (Matt. 14:15-21; 15:32-38). On both occasions, Jesus also healed those who were sick (Matt. 14:14; 15:30, 31). Surely all those people were amazed to see that Jesus miraculously fed and healed them.

3 We can learn a lot from the miracles of Jesus. In this article we will find lessons that will strengthen our faith. We will also see how to imitate the humility and compassion that Jesus showed in performing these miracles.

LESSONS ON JEHOVAH AND JESUS

4. Who can we learn from by reviewing the miracles of Jesus?

4 The miracles of Jesus not only teach us much about him, but also about his Father. After all, it was Jehovah who gave him the power to perform miracles. Acts 10:38 says the following about Jesus: “God anointed him with holy spirit and power, and … he went through the earth doing good and healing all those oppressed by the Devil, because God was with him.” Also, as we know, Jesus perfectly imitated the feelings and way of thinking of his Father. That showed in what he said and did, which includes the miracles (John 14:9). Let's look at three lessons we can draw from Jesus' miracles that will strengthen our faith.

5. What motivated Jesus to perform miracles? (Matthew 20:30-34).

5 First, Jesus and his Father love us very much. When he was on Earth, Jesus showed how much he loved people by using his power to perform miracles that eased their suffering. On one occasion, two blind men shouted for help (see Matthew 20:30-34). The account says that Jesus was “deeply moved” and then restored their sight. The Greek verb here translated “deeply moved” refers to an emotion so intense and deep that he physically feels it. That great compassion, which is a reflection of the love Jesus felt, also motivated him to feed the hungry and heal a leper (Matt. 15:32; Mark 1:41).So we are convinced that Jehovah, the God of “tender compassion,” and his Son love us very much, and it pains them to see us suffer (Luke 1:78; 1 Pet. 5:7). They want with all their might to end the problems that plague humanity.

6. What power has God given to Jesus?

6 Second, God has given Jesus the power to end all of humanity's problems. There are problems that we could never solve. But Jesus, with his miracles, showed that he can. For example, he has the power to remove the root of all humanity's ills: inherited sin and all that it causes, such as disease and death (Matt. 9:1-6; Rom. 5:12, 18, 19). His miracles prove that he can heal “all manner of diseases” and even raise the dead (Matt. 4:23; John 11:43, 44). He also has the power to control strong windstorms and defeat evil spirits.(Mark 4:37-39; Luke 8:2). Isn't it right that it reassures us to know that Jehovah has given his Son so much power?

7, 8. a) Of what can we be sure thanks to the miracles of Jesus? b) What miracle do you look forward to most?

7 Third, a). we can be completely sure that the blessings of the Kingdom will come true. The miracles that Jesus did as a human on Earth were a small sample of what he will do on a large scale as heavenly King of the Kingdom of God. Think of what life will be like soon, when Christ rules the Earth. Since he will remove the physical problems and diseases that torment humanity, we will all have perfect health (Is. 33:24; 35:5, 6; Rev. 21:3, 4). We will never go hungry or suffer from natural disasters (Is. 25:6; Mar. 4:41). b). We will have the immense joy of receiving our loved ones who are in the graves (John 5:28, 29).As you think about the new world, what miracle are you most looking forward to?

8 When Jesus performed miracles, he demonstrated two qualities that all of us should have: humility and compassion. Let's look at two stories. Let's start with the wedding at Cana.

A LESSON IN HUMILITY

9. Why did Jesus perform a miracle at the wedding in Cana? (John 2:6-10).

9 (Read John 2:6-10). When the wine ran out at the wedding banquet, was Jesus obligated to do anything? No. No prophecy said that the Messiah had to miraculously produce wine. But think about how you would have felt if something like this had happened at his wedding. Jesus probably thought of the great embarrassment that the family would experience—especially the couple—and out of compassion he wanted to help them. That is why he performed the miracle that was mentioned at the beginning of the article. He turned about 390 liters (103 gallons) of water into the best quality wine. And why such a large amount? Perhaps what he had left over could be used for another occasion or even sold to help the newlyweds. How grateful they must have been!

10. Mention some details of this story from John chapter 2 (see also the drawing).

10 Let's look at some interesting details of this account from John chapter 2. Did you notice who filled the jars with water? It wasn't Jesus. Since he did not want to attract attention, he asked the servants to do so (verses 6 and 7). And, after performing the miracle, who gave the director of the banquet a taste of the wine? Neither was Jesus. He told the servants to bring him some (verse 8). And, of course, Jesus did not raise a glass of wine in front of the guests and say, "Taste this delicious wine I just made!"

11. What do we learn from this miracle of Jesus?

11 What do we learn from this miracle of Jesus? A lesson in humility. Jesus did not boast that he had turned water into wine. In fact, he never bragged about what he did. On the contrary, he was humble and always gave all the honor and merit to his Father (John 5:19, 30; 8:28). If we take Jesus as a model, we will be humble and not brag about our achievements. No matter what we do in serving Jehovah, let us not brag about ourselves, but rather about the wonderful God we are honored to serve.—Jer. 9:23, 24. Let's give him all the glory he deserves. After all, without Jehovah's help we could not accomplish anything (1 Cor. 1:26-31).

ILLUSTRATION

While the newlyweds and guests dance, eat and enjoy good wine, Jesus watches without attracting attention. Let's be like Jesus and don't brag about our achievements. (See paragraphs 10 and 11). 

12. What is another way to imitate the humility of Jesus? Give an example.

12 Let's think of another way to imitate the humility of Jesus. Imagine an old man who spends a lot of time helping a young ministerial servant prepare his first public talk. Thanks to that, the young man gives an excellent speech, and the congregation is delighted. It turns out that after the meeting someone says to the old man: "What a good speech that so-and-so gave, right?" Can you imagine the old man saying: “Yes, I helped him”? Or will he humbly say, “Yes, he did very well”? A humble person does not need to take credit for the good things he does for others. It is enough for him to know that Jehovah sees and appreciates what he does (compare Matthew 6:2-4; Heb. 13:16). Jehovah feels very happy when he sees that we want to be humble like Jesus (1 Pet. 5: 6).

A LESSON IN COMPASSION

13. What does Jesus meet near the city of Nain, and what does he do? (Luke 7:11-15).

13 (Read Luke 7:11-15). Towards the middle of his ministry, Jesus travels to Nain. That Galilean city is not far from Shunem, where some 900 years earlier Elisha raised a woman's son from the dead (2 Kings 4:32-37). Approaching the city gate, Jesus is met by a funeral procession. The scene is heartbreaking. A widow has just lost her only child. But she is not alone; many townspeople accompany her. Jesus stops the procession and does something for this broken mother: she resurrects her son. This is the first of three resurrections performed by Jesus that are specifically mentioned in the Gospels.

14. Mention some details of this account from chapter 7 of Luke (see also the drawing).

14 Let's look at some interesting details of this account from chapter 7 of Luke. Did you notice the order in which things happened? First Jesus “saw the woman” and then he “was deeply moved” (verse 13). Perhaps he saw the mother crying as she walked past the body of her son. What he observed broke his heart. Jesus not only felt compassion for her, but he showed it with actions. I'm sure he said in a soft voice: "Don't cry anymore." But he didn't just talk to her; he raised her son from the dead and “gave him to her” (verses 14 and 15).

15. What do we learn from this miracle of Jesus?

15 What do we learn from this miracle of Jesus? A lesson on how to show compassion to those who are grieving. It is true that we cannot raise the dead, as Jesus did with the widow's son. But we can learn to be compassionate with those who have lost a loved one. First you have to be observant and then take the initiative to say and do something that will help and comfort them (Prov. 17:17; 2 Cor. 1:3, 4; 1 Pet. 3:8). A few words and a kind gesture can do a lot of good.

16. What do we learn from the experience of the paragraph? (See the photo that stages this experience).

16 Let's think about what happened a few years ago at a meeting. While a resurrection song was being sung, one sister saw another crying across the aisle. She was crying because she had recently lost her little daughter. Since the sister knew what this mother was going through, she quickly went to her side, hugged her, and sang the rest of the song with her. The mother remembers that at that moment her heart was filled with love for her brothers. She was very happy that she went to the meeting. She said: “I knew that the help would be there, at the Kingdom Hall.” We can be sure that Jehovah sees and appreciates even the small gestures with which we express our compassion for those who are grieving and “suffering in despondency” (Ps. 34:18).

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. During a funeral procession, Jesus comforts a broken mother. 2. In the Kingdom Hall, while the others sing, one sister comforts another who is crying. Let's be like Jesus and show compassion for those who are grieving. (See paragraphs 14 to 16).

A STUDY PROJECT THAT IS WORTH IT

17. What did we learn in this article?

17 Studying the miracles of Jesus greatly strengthens our faith. These Gospel accounts show us that Jehovah and Jesus love us very much, that Jesus has the power to put an end to all of humanity's problems, and that we can be completely sure that the blessings of the Kingdom will come true very soon. In addition, they give us opportunities to meditate on how we can imitate the qualities of Jesus. Why don't you set out to study other miracles of Jesus in his family worship or personal study of him? Focus on the lessons you can learn and share them with others. That will lead to very good conversations (Rom. 1:11, 12).

18. What will we see in the next article?

18 At the end of his ministry, Jesus performed the third and final resurrection of which there is evidence that he did. But this one was different from the others: he raised a good friend who had been dead for four days. What lessons do we draw from this miracle? And what can we do to strengthen our faith in the resurrection? We will see in the next article.

WHAT WOULD YOU ANSWER?

What lessons of Jehovah and his Son can we draw from the miracles of Jesus?

We learn lessons of humility and compassion, since Jesus did not boast of having turned water into wine, he never boasted of what he did. On the contrary, he was always humble and gave all the honor and merit to his father.

What does the miracle found in John 2:6-10 teach us about humility?

We should not blow trumpet in front of others When we do good deeds, there are those who use social networks, or seek to obtain some merit for what they did, If we take Jesus as a model, we will be humble and not brag about our achievements, No matter what we do Serving Jehovah, we should not boast of ourselves, but of what we have the honor to serve. That's why we give all the glory he deserves to him. After all, without Jehovah's help we could not accomplish anything.

What does the miracle found in Luke 7:11-15 teach us about compassion?

It teaches us that sometimes it is better to talk less and act more, our brothers already know about the hope of the resurrection, we must avoid giving the impression that they do not know enough and start giving deep concepts on this subject, they do not need that, rather they need our emotional and material support and a big hug.