Biblical Signs and Miracles from the Book of John
In the Bible; the gospel of John;
eight sign miracles are referenced that Christ Jesus performed. According to
John 20:30; Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples,
which are not recorded in this book. Verse 31 explains why only eight are
recorded, verse 31 states “But these are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life
in his name.” This paper will describe each miracle and how it reveals the
deity of Jesus Christ and that He is truly both Man and God.
·
The turning of water to wine
The first
miracle recorded was Jesus turning water into wine. (John 2:1-11) Jesus arrived at a
wedding celebration in the city of Cana with his disciples when His mother,
Mary, came to Jesus telling Him that they have ran out of wine. His mother,
according to Towns knew He was from God, she probably remembered the
supernatural events accompanied His birth. She may have thought He would begin
to reveal His messianic power.[1] Jesus
then instructs His servants to fill six pots with water in which He turned the
water into wine.
Jesus was showing his disciples that he was able to perform miraculous
signs, because only God can change one substance to be another one, as in the
creation. He displayed power that only God can display; the power over
creation.
·
Healing of the Nobleman’s Son
The second
miracle recorded was the healing of the Nobleman’s son in Cana. (John 4:46-54) Jesus while in Cana was
visited by a high official to see if Jesus would come and see his son who was
about to die. The high official’s faith in Jesus and that He could heal his son
was enough that Jesus performed this miracle. After the healing of his son; the
Nobleman and his family were believers in what Jesus could do.
Dr. Towns explains how the first belief (verse 50) was in the Word of
God, while the second belief (verse 53) was faith in the incarnate Word of God.
“This is the first example of salvation to all who believe.[2] Jesus was
showing the power He was able to perform without even being in the presence of
the son. Jesus was in a sense, saying that He can be believed and trusted and
is able to heal those that are ill; which is another deity of God the Father.
·
The healing of the lame man
The third miracle recorded was when Jesus
healed the lame man (John 5:1-9). Jesus saw a paralyzed man
at the pool of Bethesda and
knew that the man was losing hope. The man didn’t have anyone to let him down
into the pool in which during that time, people believed that the water had
certain powers to heal. Jesus healed the man and told him to take up his bed
and walk. The Jews were upset because it was the Sabbath. Leon Morris states,
“It is through this miracle that God set His seal on the work of His Son.[3]
Jesus knew that the lame man was
losing hope, and he showed him that he could have hope and believe in God. By
believing in God, we are made whole. Matthew Henry states, Our Lord Jesus cures him, though he neither asked nor thought of
it.[4] Nobody else
had ever been able to help or heal this lame man. Jesus was showing His deity
by healing a man that no one else had ever been able to help.
·
The feeding of the 5000
The fourth sign recorded in the
book of John was the feeding of the 5000. (John 6:1-15) There were many who
were following Jesus because they knew He had healed the sick. When the crowd
gathered toward Jesus and His disciples they wanted to see what He would do
next, many in the crowd had traveled far away and they were all hungry; Jesus
knowing this, took five small loaves of bread and two fish that were given to
him by Andrew who took it from a small boy, and blessed the food. The food was
multiplied and the crowd ate as much as they had wanted with enough left over
to fill 12 baskets.
This sign reveals that Jesus is showing the people that He is their
sustainer; He is the Bread of Life. This sign is one that only God could do. He
shows them that He is their provider.
·
Jesus walks on the water
The fifth sign recorded was
Jesus walking on water. (John 6:15-21)The sign begins when the disciples were
in a boat traveling across the Sea of Galilee, when a storm became violent.
When the disciples had rowed some distance out, they noticed Jesus coming
towards them walking on the water. The disciples first thought it was a spirit,
but as Jesus came closer they realized who it was yet they were terrified.
Jesus calmed the storm as well as their fear and they continued on to Capernaum.
Jesus was revealing his deity by
walking on water and that even in the storms of life and in our fears; He calms
as well as comforts us beyond understanding. He reminds us of Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of
them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake
you.” His deity is
shown by His power over the storm. He is God almighty!
·
The healing of the blind man
The sixth sign recorded was the
healing of the blind man. (John 9:1-12) Jesus, while walking met a man who was
born blind. Jewish understanding was that the man was born blind from the sins
of his parents or is blind because of his own
sins. Jesus told his
disciples that neither the man nor his parents had sinned, and then proceeded
to heal the blind man by taking mud and using it along with saliva. Matthew Henry states that, “…he
showed his power to help in the most desperate cases, and the work of his grace
upon the souls of sinners, which gives sight to those blind by nature.”[5]This shows the
deity of Christ by having power over natural law. This sign too took place on
the Sabbath.
·
The raising of Lazarus from the dead
The seventh sign recorded was
Lazarus, a friend of Jesus, being raised from the dead. (John 11:1-44) Out of
all the signs recorded; this one sign is enough to prove the deity of Christ
our Lord. Lazarus was a friend of Jesus who had died. Once word traveled back
to Jesus about his death, Jesus left and went to where he was buried. Jesus,
told Martha, the sister of Lazarus to remove the stone and that she would see
God’s glory. After Jesus prayed, He called forth from the grave Lazarus, who
then came out as Jesus called him.
The miracle
reveals Jesus as the life-giver sent from the Father, and one receives life
from him as one has faith in him.[6]
The deity of Christ is evident; He is the life-giver. He called from beyond the
grave and gave life. Just as He gives us life!
·
The miraculous catches of fish
The eighth and final sign
recorded in the book of John is the miraculous catch of the fish. The disciples
were fishing near the Tiberius Sea and caught nothing at all. The next morning
Jesus was standing on the shore without the disciples recognizing who He was.
Jesus called out and told them to throw their nets on the other side of the
boat in which they did. They were unable to haul in all the fish because there was so much. In all
probability we are to understand that it was spiritual insight into the miracle
itself which enabled the Beloved Disciple to recognize the stranger on the
shore as Jesus, rather than eyesight superior to Peter’s.[7] Jesus’ deity again
is shown pointing Him as God and as the great provider.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Elmer Towns, The
Gospel of John: Believe and Live (21st Century Biblical Commentary Series)
(Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2002)
Harris III, W.
Hall. "Exegetical Commentary on John 21." Web. 14 Feb 2012. http://bible.org/seriespage/exegetical-commentary-john-21
Holy Bible
(NKJV, NIV)
IVP New
Testament Commentary http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/John/Jesus-Raises-Lazarus
Leon Morris, Jesus in
the Christ: studies in the theology of John (Grand Rapids, Mich.:
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1989)
Matthew
Henry’s Concise Bible Commentary http://mhc.biblecommenter.com/john/9.htm
[1]
Elmer Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live (21st
Century Biblical Commentary Series) (Chattanooga, TN: AMG
Publishers, 2002), 19.
[2]
Ibid 44.
[3]Leon
Morris, Jesus in the Christ: studies in the theology of
John (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1989),
28.
[4]
Matthew Henry’s Concise Bible Commentary http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?b=43&c=5&com=mhc
[5]
Matthew Henry’s Concise Bible Commentary http://mhc.biblecommenter.com/john/9.htm
[6]
IVP New Testament Commentary http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/John/Jesus-Raises-Lazarus
[7]
Harris III, W. Hall. "Exegetical Commentary on John 21." http://bible.org/seriespage/exegetical-commentary-john-21
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