Bible Question: I have recently watched a movie about Jesus as a child. I did not like it because they showed Jesus at the age of six doing miracles such as raising birds from the dead. They showed a woman and Jesus falling in love. I did not like watching it because they invented things that were not true. Did Jesus do miracles before His baptism? His baptism seemed to be the beginning of His ministry.   Bible Answer: The movie may have illustrated some stories from I and II Infancy, dealing with infancy stories. These books are rejected by both Protestants and Roman Catholics. They contain Gnostic legends about Jesus as a youth. Jesus' youth was of great interest to them. One legend claims that Jesus and His mother met the two thieves who would eventually hang on the crosses next to Jesus. Another legend says that a woman's son was healed by being sprinkled with water that Jesus' bathed in. Others claim that Jesus changed people into animals, killed people who wanted to abuse Him, killed a boy who jumped on His shoulder, and "withered" a boy because he disturbed Jesus' play. In the legends Mary gives blessings and offers the forgiveness of sins. The legends were written long after the apostles died and went to heaven (A.D. 300).      Jesus' Ministry. Jesus started His ministry when He was about thirty years old, according to Luke.     And when He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being supposedly the son of Joseph, the son of Eli . . . (NASB) Luke 3:23   This occurred just after the following passage in Luke.     Now it came about when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “Thou art My beloved Son, in Thee I am well-pleased.” (NASB) Luke 3:21-22   So Jesus' ministry began with His baptism. There are no miracles of Jesus recorded in the gospels before that.        Jesus' First Recorded Miracle. The first miracle of Jesus that is recorded in the New Testament occurred at the wedding at Cana of Galilee. The guests had run out of wine. He helped by turning water into wine. By the way, this was not grape juice.     Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the headwaiter.” And they took it to him. And when the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when men have drunk freely, then that which is poorer; you have kept the good wine until now.” (NASB) John 2:6-10   That is the first miracle of Jesus recorded in the New Testament. But Jesus may have done miracles before this since His mother appears to ask Him to make wine. Did she know He could do miracles because He claimed He could or because He had done some already? Jesus' reply to his mother suggests He did not want to be very obvious. The miracle was going to be a small one.     And when the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what do I have to do with you? My hour has not yet come.” (NASB) John 2:3-4   Conclusion:We can reject Jesus by claiming that He is not God but only a man. We can reject Jesus by creating legends about Him. We can reject Jesus by making Him look like a sinner. Or, we can accept the accounts about Him in the Bible and come face-to-face with a Man who is our God.         < Back
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