This list shows that there are 153 individuals which were directly blessed by Jesus Christ and in which the story of their direct blessing is recorded in scripture! Keep in mind that duplicates have been removed (ie.. Nathanael is the same person as Bartholomew so they count as 1 individual, etc...). Stephen, the first martyr, probably did receive a blessing from Jesus Christ himself, but because the blessing is NOT RECORDED in Scripture then it is not included in this list. Likewise, Zacharias, Elisabeth, John the Baptist, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna were not blessed during Jesus actual earthly ministry so they are not included. The list is then of individuals who were directly blessed by Jesus Christ after 30 years of age. They are arranged according to what book of the Bible the blessing is in, the circumstance, chapter and verse, and number of individuals that were actually blessed in the story.

1. The leper- 8:2 - 1 individual blessed by Jesus

2. Centurion and servant - 8:5 - 2

3. Peter's mother in law - 8:14 - 1

4. Two possessed with devils - 8:18 - 2

5. Palsied man and bearers - 9:2 - 5

6. Jairus and his daughter - 9:18 - 2

7. Woman with issue of blood - 9:21 - 1

8. Blind men - 9:27 - 2

9. Dumb man - 9:32 - 1

10. Eleven Apostles - 10:2 - 11

11. Man with withered hand - 12:10 - 1

12. Blind and dumb devil - 12:22 - 1

13. Brethren of the Lord - 13:55 - 4

14. Syrophoenician woman and daughter - 15:22 - 2

15. Lunatic child and father - 17:14 - 2

16. Blind men leaving Jericho - 20:30 - 2

17. Simon the Leper - 26:6 - 1

18. Mary, sister of Lazarus - 26:7 - 1

19. Centurion - 27:54 - 1

20. Salome (mother of Zebedee's children) - 27:56 - 1

21. Mary (mother of James and wife of Cleopas) - 27:56 - 1

22. Mary Magdalene - 27:56 - 1

23. Joseph of Arimathaea - 27:57 - 1

(47 total individuals blessed in Matthew)

24. Man with unclean spirit - 1:23 - 1

25. Man, deaf and dumb - 7:32 - 1

26. Blind man - 8:22 - 1

(3 unique blessings of individuals in the book of Mark)

27. Son of the Widow of Nain - 7:12 - 1

28. A woman, a sinner - 7:37 - 1

29. Joanna and Susanna - 8:3 - 2

30. A disciple "follow me" - 9:59 - 1

31. The seventy disciples - 10:1 - 70

32. Martha - 10:38 - 1

33. Woman with infirmity - 13:11 - 1

34. Man with dropsy - 14:2 - 1

35. The ten lepers - 17:12 - 10

36. The blind man approaching Jericho - 18:35 - 1

37. Zaccheus - 19:2 - 1

38. Malchus - 22:51 - 1

39. Penitent thief - 23:43 - 1

40. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus - 24:13 - 2

(94 unique individual blessings recorded in Luke)

41. Nicodemus - 3:1 - 1

42. Woman of Samaria - 4:4 - 1

43. Nobleman and sick son - 4:46 - 2

44. Impotent man (Bethesda) - 5:1 - 1

45. Woman taken in adultery - 8:11 - 1

46. Man born blind - 9:1 - 1

47. Lazarus - 11:1- 1

48. Mary, mother of Jesus - 19:25 - 1

(9 unique individuals blessed by Jesus in the Gospel of John)

47 + 3 + 94 + 9 = 153

This number is only found in one passage of scripture:

Peter had gone back to his old ways of fishing and the number of fish that he caught represented the 153 individuals whose lives had been blessed by Jesus that would be recorded for the world to read. Jesus then invited His disciples and come and dine of the other fish that Jesus already had prepared. These fish represented the individuals that would be touched by Jesus through the disciples and Peter. When we read the rest of the chapter we see that this interpretation of the significance of 153 fits the context of the rest of the story, for after feeding Peter, Jesus commands him to "feed my sheep." Jesus was letting Peter know that He was not finished with him yet!