Seven Signs in the Gospel of John

A Blogged Bible Study entry

John makes a great contribution by the use of “signs” which attest to our Lord’s deity and claims to be Israel’s Messiah. These signs are …*

1. Turning water into wine in Cana (2:1-11)

Jesus did this as the first of His miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. In this way He revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him. ~John 2:11

2. Healing an official’s son in Capernaum (4:46-54)

he went to Him and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die.  So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe!”  Sir,” the official said to Him, “come down before my child dies.”  Jesus told him, “Go home; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home. Then the father realized that it was the very time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he himself believed along with his entire household. Jesus did this as His second miraculous sign when He returned from Judea to Galilee. ~John 4:47-54

3. Healing an invalid at the Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem (5:1-18)

Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began persecuting Him. So He told them, “My Father is working until now, and I too am working.” For this reason the Jewish leaders were trying even harder to kill Him, because not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was also calling God His own Father, thus making Himself equal with God. ~John 5:16-18

4. Feeding the 5,000 near the Sea of Galilee (6:5-14)

Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ~John 6:14

5. Walking on the water of the Sea of Galilee (6:16-21)

…they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, approaching the boat, and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take Him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading. The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake realized that only one small boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with His disciples, but that His disciples had gone away alone….So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.  ~John 6:19-24

6. Healing a blind man in Jerusalem (9:1-7)

Jesus heard that they had thrown him (the man born blind and now healed) out (of the synagogue), so He found the man and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man replied, “And who is He, sir, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus told him, “You have seen Him; He is the one speaking with you.” He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Him.   Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind.”…“I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me – just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father – and I lay down My life for the sheep.”…Another sharp division took place among the Jewish people because of these words.  Many of them were saying, “He is possessed by a demon and has lost his mind!  Why do you listen to him?”  Others said, “These are not the words of someone possessed by a demon. A demon cannot cause the blind to see, can it?”  ~John 9:35-39; 10:14-15, 19-21

7. Raising dead Lazarus in Bethany (11:1-45)

Jesus replied, “Your brother will come back to life again.”  Martha said, “I know that he will come back to life again in the resurrection at the last day.”  Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live even if He dies, and the one who lives and believes in Me will never die.  Do you believe this?”  She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God who comes into the world.”…Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, replied, “Lord, by this time the body will have a bad smell, because he has been buried four days.”  Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you would see the glory of God?”  So they took away the stone. Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank You that You have listened to Me.  I knew that you always listen to Me, but I said this for the sake of the crowd standing around here, that they may believe that You sent Me.”  When He had said this, He shouted in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”

Why were these seven signs given in the book of John?   Signs are “attesting miracles” to show, to prove. Has it been proven to you?

Do you believe He has revealed His glory?

Do you believe He can heal the sick from afar? 

Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He is equal to God?

Do you believe He is the Bread of Life and the Prophet who was to come to the world?

Do you believe He has complete control over His creation and can work beyond the laws of nature?

Do you believe He is the Son of Man, the Light of the world who opens blind eyes, and the Good Shepherd who will gather all His sheep?

Do you believe He is the Resurrection and the Life, the Messiah sent from God to bring us life eternal?

These were the things He came to attest — the things He came to prove – ALL of these things.

Do you believe? 

Then many of the people, who had come with Mary and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.  But some of them went to the Pharisees and reported to them what Jesus had done. 

* John: The Man and His Gospel by Bob Diffenbaugh

Explore posts in the same categories: Bible, Blogged Bible Study, Christianity, Faith, God, Jesus, Justification, Religion