The Eight Miracles Featured in JohnIn the book of John we find eight great sign miracles that inspire us to look to Christ believe and live.
All of these sign miracles point to the deity of Christ. John 20:30-31 reads, ?Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that at believing you may have life in His name. These eight sign miracles reveal the powers of God and leave no doubt as to the Deity of Jesus. Turning of water into wine (John 2:1-11)The first expression of Jesus power was done at the celebration of a marriage in Cana of Galilee.
Jesus and his disciples were invited to a wedding, where He turned water into wine. The purpose of this miracle was to prove His real nature to his disciples and reveal his glory. The immediate result of this miracle manifested the glory of Jesus, which caused his disciples to believe on him [1]. Healing of a nobleman?s son (John 4:46-54)The second of John?s signs, by which he hopes his readers will come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing might obtain eternal life is the healing of a nobleman?s son. Jesus Christ came again to Cana in Galilee where a nobleman approached him and told him about his sick and dying son in Capernaum. The nobleman asked Jesus to heal him and Jesus spoke the word of healing, and the boy was healed through the faith of the nobleman in Jesus Christ.
When the nobleman arrived at his house he found his child healed; when he enquired to the hour of healing, the time confirmed that it was done at the time that Jesus spoke the words of certain healing. This miracle was done to demonstrate Jesus? power over space and to illustrates the fact that social status is no barrier to entrance into the kingdom [2]. Healing of a lame man (John 5:1-9)The third miracle that Jesus performed was the healing of a lame man at the pool of Bethesda, in Jerusalem. In the porticoes, lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered. They were waiting for the moving of the waters.
They waited, because, at certain seasons, an angel of the Lord went down to the pool and stirred up the water. After the stirring, the first person who stepped into the water was made well from his disease. While Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Feast of the Tabernacles, he observed the infirmed man who had lain near the sheep market pool for years, hoping for relief from his condition. He was unable to join the impotent multitude that waited for the angels to trouble the waters and make them whole, because of his condition making him unable to reach the waters first. Jesus asked him “Wilt thou be made whole?” and instructed him to “Rise, take up thy bed and walk.
” The man immediately took up his bed and walked on the Sabbath Day. This angered the Jews because the Holy Day of Sabbath was violated. Jesus made the point with them that it was His Father’s Will of when and how to use His Power. God chooses the timing of His miracles, and He chooses the deliverance of those He will. Jesus Christ healed the lame man through the expression of the powers of God, to show a greater authority over the law of Sabbath, and exemplify the power over time given to Christ [3]. Feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-14)The fourth sign miracle is the feeding of the five thousand.
Near the Passover, Jesus is on a mountain speaking to His Disciples and when He looks up, he sees a huge crowd coming to Him. He challenges the disciple?s faith by asking where they will buy bread for all these people. The disciples find the test overwhelming. Andrew, even though seeing the raw materials Jesus will use, fails to look to Him as being able to provide. This miracle is done to show Jesus as the Creator, Elohim. It shows Him as sufficiency where a deficiency exists, in this instance, over an inadequate food supply.
It shows Jesus? power over quantity. Jesus never has to turn away those who come to Him, no matter how many; He is sufficient to meet all of our needs [8]. Jesus walking on the water (John 6:15-21)While Jesus Christ went to the mountain, his disciples went down to the sea and entered a ship headed toward Capernaum. In the dark of the night, the sea rose up, and there was a great wind blowing upon them. After rowing fifty-five furlongs, they spotted Jesus walking upon the sea, and approaching close to the ship, which caused them to fear.
Jesus reassured the scared disciples that it was him; they willingly received him, at which point the ship had immediately reached its destination. As the fearful disciples were buffeted by the stormy seas, Jesus met them with the power over nature and kept them unafraid, as the Passover to the other side was immediately completed though he is flesh and blood, yet as the Son of God he is not physically enslaved by the limitations of his flesh. This signifies that disciples of Jesus can overcome all obstacles by faith [5]. Healing of a blind man (John 9:1-12)Jesus passed by a blind man from birth.
His disciples asked if this man were blind because of sin of his parents or himself. Jesus said that neither had sinned, but, rather, the man had been made blind so that the ?the works of God should be made manifest in him? (John 9:4). The man was blind so Jesus could do the works of God, and establish that he was the ?light of the world? while he was in the world. Jesus bent to the ground and mixed clay and his spit, and anointed the blind man?s eyes.
He then instructed the man to wash his eyes in the clean pool of Siloam. When the blind man followed the instructions of Jesus, his eyes were healed and the blind man was able to see. This shows Christ?s Deity in that he shows Himself to be Master over misfortune and also, that Jesus has power over time. This miracle is unique in that it is done solely out of compassion for the man [6].
Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44)Lazarus, brother of Martha and Mary, was dying in Bethany, and Jesus knew that his beloved friend?s death was occurring to bring glory to God, so that the Son of God might me glorified(John 11:4). Jesus did not journey to Lazarus for two days, until death had occurred. Jesus and his disciples reached the burial site of Lazarus after he had been dead for four days. Jesus comforted Mary and promised her that Lazarus shall rise again because ?I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
? These eternal-life-giving words recorded in John 11:26 and spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ were trusted by Mary who pronounced her belief that he was indeed Christ, the Son of God, which was prophesized to come into the world. Jesus went to his Lazarus?s grave and cried for either the pain that death brought, or possibly for the lack of faithfulness of some who doubted the power of the LORD God [5]. Some criticized Jesus for not preventing the death in the first place. Jesus ordered the stone to be removed from Lazarus?s grave. He lifted his eyes toward Heaven and said ?Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.
And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which standby I said it, that they may believe that thou have sent me? (John 11:41, 42). When he finished his prayer, Jesus Christ called with a loud voice, ?Lazarus, come forth? (John 11:43). Lazarus rose from his grave, and came out to Jesus, bound hand and foot with grave clothes and a napkin upon his face. Lazarus lived again!This miracle showed power over death [7]. The glory of God was seen through the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead through the power expressed through Jesus Christ because the witnesses believed in him.
The prayer of Jesus reflects his reliance upon his Father to express the miracle power through him as he walked this earth with the nature of man. Miraculous catch of fish (John 21:1-11)On one of the forty days that Jesus walked upon the earth following his Resurrection, Jesus showed himself to the disciples Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James, John and two other unnamed at the Sea of Tiberias. The fishing trip had been started earlier by Peter, who climbed aboard a ship because he wanted to go fishing. They fished all night and caught nothing. The next morning, Jesus shouted to them from the shore ?Children, have ye any meat? Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find? (John 21:5, 6). They cast their nets as instructed, and their nets were filled with a multitude of fishes so great, that they could not pull them into their boat, requiring them to drag their filled nets to the shore.
This was the third time that Jesus showed himself to his disciples. It is important to note that Jesus Christ was outwardly changed after his Resurrection. The disciples did not recognize his outward appearance, but knew he was the Lord in their spiritual instinct [8]. While Jesus walked this earth, he reflected the signs given by His Father through the power expressed through him by God. Each miracle that is recorded in the book of John showed the power of God over a specific thing. Dr.
Towns was brilliant in organizing these different powers into reflecting the deeper things of God, and concluding that these powers reflect the absolute control of God. Even though disagreement exists concerning the exact origin and process of the unfolding miracles, there is no disagreement that their reflections magnify the power and glory of Christ today, has He wields them perfectly with His Deified Nature of God. Work CitedCalvin, John. Calvin’s Commentaries.
Vol. XVIII. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2005. 22 vols. Fortna, Robert Tomson. ?The gospel of John and the signs gospel.
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, 1988. Kruse, Colin G. The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: John. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2003.
Morris, Leon. Jesus is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989Tenney, Merrill C. The Expositor?s Bible Commentary. Vol. 9.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981. Towns, Elmer. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Ed.
Mel and Ed Hindson Couch. Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 2002. Olbricht, Thomas H. The theology of the signs in the Gospel of John.
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