Miracles Of Jesus Poem by Day Williams

I.

Introduction

Born of a virgin, Jesus Christ, the Word
Made flesh, grew up, son of a carpenter,
His earthly father, and a maiden favored
By God who magnified the Lord when told

That she would bear the child of God, as heard
From Angel Gabriel, her visitor
Who shared glad tidings that she'd bear the Savior,
For nothing is impossible for God.

II.

The Miracles

Jesus began with water into wine
At the Cana wedding, and he healed the son
Of an official, drove a demon out,
Healed Peter's mother-in-law, and he healed

The demon-possessed and sick at evening time,
Fulfilling prophecy, then said to Simon
To cast his net. Though Simon had his doubts,
He let nets down in water and the yield

Was so great the nets broke and boats began
To sink, and Peter on his knees said, "I'm
A sinful man, " then Jesus said that he
Would fish for men, so Peter dropped his nets

And followed Him, the one who cleansed a man
With leprosy and healed a man in his prime,
Servant of a centurion whose plea
Pleased Jesus with great faith that He not yet

Had seen in Israel, then Jesus healed
A paralytic, one his friends had lowered
Through a roof, and though Pharisees doubted
That Jesus could forgive his sins, "Take up

Your mat and walk, " He said-nothing concealed-
And the man walked, as Jewish leaders glowered.
Then on a Sabbath, He was not devout
Enough to satisfy their strange, corrupt

Minds, for He healed a man with withered hand,
Having told them that if they had a sheep
Fallen into a pit, they'd rescue it
Even on Sabbath Day, the day of rest.

"Is not a man more worthy than a lamb? "
He asked, but none of them did make a peep.
Soon afterwards, he made another hit:
A widow's boy had died, but Jesus blessed

Her, raising him from death to life, so fear
Took hold of them and they gave God the glory
And said that a great prophet had arisen,
That God looked favorably upon his people.

III.

His fame increased. One evening he said, "Steer
The boat from here down to the other shore, "
So they went; the waves rose and the winds whizzed
While Jesus in the stern was fast asleep

Upon a cushion and the boat was sinking,
And they said, "Teacher, don't you care if we
Drown? " and he got up, rebuked the wind
And told the waves to quiet down, as though

He spoke as dad to son who's done a prank.
The wind and waves subsided to a breeze,
Then they were calm. He'd stretched disciples' minds,
As God will do to those who come to know

Him, and they asked, "Who is this who can tell
The wind and waves to quiet down, and they
Were scared, yet to the region of
The Gadarenes they walked with Him, when men,

Two men possessed by demons, men who dwelt
In tombs, came, screamed, "Why do you come our way
And interfere with us, God's Son? You'd love
To torture us before the time comes when

We will be punished. If you cast us out,
Then cast us in that herd of pudgy pigs
That feeds on that hill! " "Go, then, " He commanded,
And demons left the men, went in the herd,

Which plunged down that steep hillside and was drowned
In water; herdsman ran to town, so big
This was, and people did not understand
And begged Him to depart, as they preferred.

IV.

A woman suffered bleeding for twelve years
And many doctors had not stopped the flow.
She spotted Jesus in the crowd and touched
His garment's hem, which made Him turn around

And ask, "What person touched me? Who came near? "
For he had felt the healing power go
From him, but Peter said, "This crowd is much
Too big, so such a person can't be found."

The woman realized she could not hide,
And trembling, fell down at his feet and told
The Master that she'd touched him and been healed
At once. "Your faith, my daughter, made you well, "

He told her. "Go in peace." As he replied
To her, a man, Jairus, came from home
(His daughter there was sick) and he appealed
For Jesus' help, and he began to tell

About her illness when a messenger
Arrived and told him that his girl had died,
So, "Do not trouble Jesus any more."
When Jesus heard of this, "Do not be scared, "

He told Jairus, "keep faith, she'll be cured."
With three disciples at her home, beside
The mourners, "Do not cry. She sleeps some more, "
He said, but mourners laughed because he dared

To say she lived when they knew she was dead.
He took her hand and loudly said, "My child,
Get up! " And life returned to her, and she
Stood up. He said for them to give her food.

V.

Two blind men followed Jesus as he left
And went into the house where he'd stayed a while.
"Have mercy on us, Son of David! " screamed
The blind men, and he asked, "Do you pursue

Me in the faith that I can make you see? "
"Yes, Lord, " they said, "we do." He touched their eyes
And said, "Due to your faith, so will it be."
Their eyes were opened and they could now see.

He told them to tell this to nobody-
Instead, they spread his stardom far and wide.
After they left, men brought a man to Jesus,
A man demon-possessed who could not speak.

VI.

Once Jesus cast a demon out, the man
Began to speak, which thrilled the crowds, who blurted
Out, "Nothing like this has ever occurred
In Israel! " But jealous Pharisees

Denounced the Lord as being no more than
A Satan-follower; then Jesus hurried
Into Jerusalem, where water stirred
A pool that healed the sick of their diseases,

And Jesus met an invalid and asked
Him, "Do you want to become well? " No one
Had put the man into the pool that healed
The sick whenever water was disturbed.

Jesus told him, "Stand up! Pick up your mat
And walk." At once the man was healed, which stunned
The Pharisees, who wanted men to kneel
To legalistic ways, not God's superb

Atoning grace, favor unmerited.
Next, Jesus went off to the other side
Of the Sea of Galilee, a giant crowd
Following him due to His miracles,

And He asked them, "Where can we buy bread
So that this crowd may eat? " Andrew, beside
The Lord, said that a boy had come around
With five loaves and two fish, but, "Who'd be full

When those were split among the crowd? " The Lord
Had people sit down on the grass, then took
The loaves, gave thanks, and handed out the bread,
Then did the same with the two fish, and each

Person had as much as he wanted, for
The food was plentiful. When Jesus looked
And saw that all were satisfied, he said
To his disciples, "Gather broken pieces

Left over, so that nothing's wasted, " so
They gathered up the pieces and they filled
Twelve baskets, and the people saw this sign
And said, "This is the prophet who shall come

Into the world." Then Jesus had to go
Across to Gennesaret, where God willed
He heal the sick, and people brought them by.
They begged to touch his cloak, its edge, and none

Was turned away, and all who touched the edge
Of it were healed. A woman Canaanite
From that vicinity came up and cried,
"Lord, Son of David, mercy! For a demon

Torments my girl, who suffers like a wretch, "
But Jesus said that he was sent as light
To the lost sheep of Israel, their guide:
"It's wrong to take the children's bread and freely

Toss it to dogs, " he said. "Yes it is, Lord, "
She said, "but even dogs eat crumbs that fall
From their master's table, " then the Lord replied,
"Woman, you have great faith, and your request

Is granted, " and her daughter at that moment
Was healed; then Jesus left Tyre's region, walked
To the Sea of Galilee through Sidon,
And as his miracles had so impressed

Them, they brought him a deaf mute and implored
Jesus to lay his hand on him, so he
Took him aside, away from crowds, and placed
His fingers in his ears, and spat, and touched

His tongue, and looking heavenward, the Lord
Sighed and uttered, Ephphatha, " that is, "Be
Opened, " and his ears opened with no trace
Of blockage, and his tongue was freed, so much

So he spoke plainly. Jesus said, "Don't speak
About this, " but the more he said, "Don't talk
About this, " they all the more proclaimed it.
And they were staggered, saying, "He has done

All things well, even making deaf men hear
And the mute speak." Then Jesus left and walked
Along the Sea of Galilee to sit
Upon a mountain that he'd climbed for one-

On-one encounters with the lame, the blind,
The mute, the crippled, and a host of others,
And Jesus healed them all, which stunned the crowds,
Who praised the God of Israel. He asked

For his disciples and told them, "The time
Is right to feed these people, all our brothers,
Who've been with me three days; I can't allow
Them to leave hungry, when they might collapse

Along the way, " and his disciples said,
"Where could we get some bread so far from towns,
Enough to feed this crowd? " "How many loaves
Do you have? " Jesus asked them. "Seven, " they

Replied, "and a few small fish." So he led
By telling everybody to sit on ground.
He took the seven loaves and fish, and broke
Them after he had given thanks, and gave

Disciples pieces, which they gave the people,
Who ate and were all satisfied. Disciples
Collected seven basketfuls of all
The extra broken pieces, and the crowd

Count was four thousand men who'd sat and eaten
There, plus the women and the children by
The men, and after Jesus sent the throng
Away, he took the boat and traveled down

To the vicinity of Magadan,
Then they came to Bethsaida, where some pleaded
With Him to heal a blind man, so he took
The blind man by the hand and led him outside

Town, spit on the man's eyes and put his hands
On them, then asked, "Do you see anything? "
Looking up, he said, "I see men; they look
Like walking trees." Jesus touched the man's eyes

Again: His eyes were opened and his sight
Came back, and he saw things with clarity.
As Jesus went, He saw a man born blind.
"While in the world, I'm the world's light, " he said,

Then he spit upon the ground, and with saliva
He made some mud with his dexterity,
And put it on the man's eyes. He said kindly,
"Go wash in the Siloam Pool" (which means "Sent") ,

So the man washed and came home seeing, though
His neighbors weren't sure he was the same man;
And Pharisees, the jealous Jewish leaders,
Insulted and attacked the man when he

Twice told how the man Jesus had restored
His sight, but they claimed Jesus' helping hand
Was sinful, while the healed man disagreed
And told them, "I was blind and now I see."

VII.

Some Pharisees heard him say this and asked,
"What? Are we blind too? " Jesus said, "If you
Were blind, your sinful guilt would not stay ‘round,
But since you claim to see, your guilt remains."

A father gave the Lord another task:
He said a demon seized his son and threw
Him on the dust so that he foamed at the mouth,
Ground his teeth and turned rigid as a cane.

Disciples failed to throw the demon out,
And Jesus remonstrated everyone
For lack of faith and asked, "How long must I
Put up with you? Bring me the boy." They did,

But the demon saw the Lord and it thrust down
The boy onto the ground in a convulsion.
"The spirit often throws him in the fire
Or into water, trying to kill him, "

The Father said. "Have mercy, help us, if
You can." "What do you mean, if I can? " Jesus
Asked. "Anything is possible if one
Believes." The father cried, "I do believe,

But help me overcome my unbelief! "
"You deaf-mute spirit, " Jesus said, "you'll flee
This boy and never go in him again."
At this, the spirit screamed and it did leave

The boy after it had convulsed him one
More time: The boy seemed dead. The people muttered,
"He's dead, " but Jesus took him by the hand,
Helped him to his feet, and he stood, straight-backed.

"Nothing's impossible beneath the sun
For those with faith, " He said, "no matter what
The world may say." Then the tax men demanded
To know if Jesus paid the temple tax,

And Peter said He did, and Jesus asked,
"Do kings collect a tax from their own children
Or others? " Peter said, "From others." "For
The children are exempt, " said Jesus, "but

So that we may not cause offense, go catch
A fish and in its mouth you'll find, with skill,
A coin to take and pay my tax and yours."
Then they brought him a man who was beset

By a demon which had made him mute and blind,
And Jesus healed him so that he could see
And talk. Astonished, people asked, "Could this
Be David's Son? " One Sabbath Jesus taught

Within a synagogue, as he was kind,
And a woman there, bent like a storm-tossed tree
Because a spirit crippled her-no bliss-
Came when He called her to clear up this blot

The devil had put on God's child. "Woman, you're
Set free from your infirmity, " he said,
And put hands on her: At once she stood erect
And praised the Lord, but because it was the Sabbath,

The leader of the synagogue came forth,
Said, "We've six days for work. Come and be healed
Those days, not Sabbaths." But the Lord rejected
His view and said, "You hypocrites and crabs!

Don't you on Sabbaths take your ox and lead
It out for water? Then should not this woman,
Daughter of Abraham, whom Satan's bound
For eighteen years, be set free on the Sabbath? "


VIII.

Another Sabbath, He once more proceeded
To heal, this time a man whose limbs had swollen
Due to a sickness, and He looked around,
Asked, "If your cow was stuck in a mud bath

On Sabbath Day, would you not pull it out? "
The legal eagles could not say a word.
He traveled toward Jerusalem and passed
Between Samaria and Galilee.

Ten lepers stood a distance from his route
And asked for mercy on them, and he heard
And told them, "Go and show yourselves to priests."
They went and they were cleansed of leprosy,

And one who saw that he was healed, turned back,
Praised God, and threw himself at Jesus' feet,
Giving him thanks. He was Samaritan.
Jesus said, "Weren't ten cleansed? Where are the nine

Others? This stranger from another land-
Is he the only one who took this street
Again to thank the Lord? " He told the man,
"Get up; go on. Your trust in God, so fine,

Has healed you." Now a man named Lazarus
Was sick, a man from Bethany, the town
Where Mary and her sister Martha dwelled.
This was the Mary who anointed Jesus

With perfume, with that sacrifice of kindness,
This was the same Mary who knelt down
And wiped his feet with her hair as that smell
Suffused the outer room with fragrant sweetness.

This Mary's brother was the man sick, so
The sisters sent a word to Jesus' side,
"The one you love is sick." When Jesus heard
This word, he said, "This sickness will not end

In death; but will instead be for God's glory
And praise, so God's Son may be glorified."
They waited for two days, as He preferred,
Though He loved Martha, Mary, and his friend

Lazarus, then he told his followers,
"Let's go back to Judea." But they protested.
"Rabbi, " they told him, "only a few days
Ago Judeans tried to stone you. Why

Will you go there again? " "Now I will go, "
He said, "to wake up Lazarus, who rests."
"Lord, he sleeps, but he'll improve without delay, "
They said. He told them, "Lazarus has died,

And for your sakes, I'm glad I wasn't there,
For now you really will believe. Come, let's
Go see him, " and in Bethany he learned
Lazarus had been in his grave four days.

IX.

Martha went out but Mary stayed, preparing
For His arrival, and when Martha greeted
Jesus, she said to him, "It would have turned
Out better; he would not be in his grave

If you had been here, but because you care,
Even now I know God will give you, Jesus,
Whatever you ask." Jesus was concerned
And told her, "Lazarus will rise once more."

"Yes, " Martha said, "he'll rise, as we're aware,
On the last day when everybody sees
You when they rise from graves-yet I still mourn."
Jesus told her what she knew from talks before:

X.

"I am the resurrection and the life.
Anybody who believes in me will live,
Even after dying. Everyone who
Lives in me and believes in me will never

Perish, and will be free from grief and strife."
He asked, "Do you believe this? " "You're God's gift, "
Martha said, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you
Are the Messiah, Son of God forever,

Who has come in the world from God." Then Mary
Came, fell at his feet, and told him, "Lord, if you
Had been here, Lazarus would not have died."
"Where have you put him? " he asked. "Come, be shown,

Lord, " they replied. Then Jesus wept. "He cared
For him so much, " said some, but some withdrew
And said, "Couldn't he have kept him alive? "
He reached the tomb, a cave which had a stone

Rolled across its entrance and he said, "Roll
The stone aside." But Martha said, "Lord, he's
Been dead four days and it will stink." "Did I
Not say you'd see God's glory if you would

Only believe? " And so they rolled the stone
Aside. "I know that you will hear my plea,
Father, " said Jesus, gazing toward the sky,
"I speak out loud so people by here could

Believe you sent me. Lazarus, come out! "
He shouted. The dead man came out, his hands
And feet bound in the graveclothes, with his face
Wrapped in a headcloth. "Unwrap him and let

Him go, " He said, and when they reached the town
Of Jericho, a beggar, blind, demanded
"Jesus, mercy! " Some said, "You're in his space,
So hush! " But Bartimaeus would not quit

And shouted even louder, "David's Son,
Have mercy on me! " Jesus heard him, stopped
And said, "Tell him to come here, " so they called
The blind man. "Cheer up! " they said. "Come on, he's

Calling you! " The blind man put his coat down,
Jumped up and ran to Jesus through the mob,
And Jesus asked him, "Tell me, what are all
The things I'll do for you? " "I want to see,

My Rabbi, " said the blind man. Jesus said
"Go, for your faith has healed you." Instantly
The man could see; he followed Jesus down
The road. One morning Jesus was returning

Into Jerusalem, and had no bread
And he was hungry and saw a fig tree
Beside the roadway, but it had no brown
Ripe figs, but only leaves-and Jesus sternly

Said, "May you never more bear fruit! " At once
The fig tree withered up. Disciples, stunned
When they saw this, asked, "How did the fig tree
Wither so quickly? " Jesus told them, "I

Tell you the truth, if you have faith and thus
Don't doubt, you can do things like this and much
More, and ‘May you be tossed into the sea, '
You can say to this mountain with a cry,

And it will happen; in short, you can pray
For anything, and if you have the faith,
You will receive it." Now the Lord knew He
Had come into the world to die for it,

Redeeming men from sin that made them stray,
That His blood would appease the Father's wrath,
So Jesus prayed hard in Gethsemane
That to the Father's will he would submit

Himself and suffer, for his sacrifice
Was the Father's only way; He was betrayed;
Soldiers came to arrest Him, Peter fought:
His sword slashed and severed a servant's ear,

But Jesus said to him, "No more of this! "
And he touched the man's ear and healed him, then they
Took him off like he was a bandit caught
For crimes, and Pilate sentenced him for fear

Of Caesar's wrath, and soldiers nailed the Lord
Onto a cross to die, where He restrained
His power: He loved us so much he did
No miracle to save himself; his heart

Broken, he died, and blood and water flowed
From his side; his body suffered no more pain.
They placed his body in a tomb, not hidden,
Boulder-blocked, as decreed by Pilate's court.

Christ's ministry on earth concluded thus,
Or so the cowering disciples thought
As they concealed themselves from Roman guards,
The ministry of Jesus at an end.

XI.

"I'm going fishing, " Peter said, and others
Said to him, "We'll go with you, but they caught
Nothing, then Jesus stood on shore, not far
From them, and asked, "Have you caught some fish, friends? "

They did not know who he was. "Throw your net
On the boat's right side for a catch galore."
When they did, they could not haul in the net,
The number of fish was so large. "It is

The Lord, " said a disciple. Peter dressed
Himself, jumped in the water, swam to shore,
Then helped drag in the net (he broke a sweat) ,
With its one hundred fifty-three large fish,

And they had breakfast with the Lord, who showed
Himself to them for forty days and taught
About God's kingdom, telling them to wait
For the Holy Spirit to baptize them

With power, then he led them on a road
Near Bethany, blessed those whom he had brought
By lifting hands, and he ascended straight
To heaven, hidden by a cloud, God's gem.




XII.

Conclusion

Of virgin born, raised from the dead-
With multiple miracles in between-
Christ Jesus, Son of God, the Way, Truth, Life-
Is Mankind's Savior, the sacrifice,

Unblemished Lamb, the man and God who bled
For sinners, whose transgressions were wiped clean,
Salvation gained through faith by man, child, wife,
For God's one Son has paid the perfect price.

S.D.G.