Christology: The Miracles of Jesus

John brings Jesus close, not less than Lord, but personally present in what he did. Jesus is still the anointed one, the preexistent one, the one through whom all things were created, the one who holds all things together. But John takes all of that truth and puts it into seven signs so that people may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and by believing have life in his name.

John does not write every miracle Jesus did. John writes enough. The Gospel says these signs are not random stories, not extra church trivia, not just “Jesus did some cool stuff.” These seven are written with a purpose. No one needs a sign in the sky when God has already given signs in the Word.

The first sign, water into wine, shows Jesus taking the old ceremonial jars and filling them with something better. The old cleansing with water gives way to the superior wine of the new covenant. Jesus does not bring a lesser way. Jesus brings celebration, fulfillment, and the best that has been kept until now.

The second sign shows the royal official crossing barriers to beg Jesus for his son. Jesus does not travel to the boy. Jesus simply says, “Go. Your son will live.” His word is not restricted by location. Jesus knows the address. Jesus can answer the prayer before the father ever gets home.

The third sign, the man by the pool for thirty eight years, connects to Israel wandering thirty eight years before receiving the promise. Jesus gives healing, but Jesus also gives a call to obedience. Grace is not a permission slip to wander back into sin. The promise is received, and the healed life must now listen to the One who healed it.

The feeding of the five thousand shows one greater than Moses feeding people in the wilderness. The storm on the lake shows Jesus saying, “It is I. Don’t be afraid,” and bringing the struggling disciples to the shore. The man born blind shows Jesus acting like Creator, taking dirt, opening eyes, and proving that blindness is not always about blame, but about God’s glory. Lazarus shows Jesus as “the resurrection and the life,” calling dead people out and telling others to remove stones and grave clothes.

John’s punch line lands hard: the seven signs are enough. Jesus calls for belief, and belief must become worship, love for enemies, help for the helpless, hope for the hopeless, and disciples who help others walk closer to Jesus.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Written signs are enough John’s purpose statement does not leave faith hanging on the next miracle, the next feeling, or the next dramatic answer. The seven signs are written so that belief can rest on the Word already given. Faith matures when it stops demanding God perform again before trusting what God has already revealed. [49:12]
• 2. Jesus’ word crosses every barrier The royal official crossed social, cultural, financial, and religious barriers because his son was dying and Jesus was his only hope. Jesus answered with a word, not a trip, showing that his authority is not boxed in by distance. Prayer becomes deeper when the heart trusts that Jesus knows the address before anyone gives directions. [58:32]
• 3. Grace calls healed people onward The man at the pool received a promise after thirty eight years, but Jesus did not leave healing disconnected from obedience. Grace brought him up, and obedience marked the road ahead. A saved life is not called to drift back into the old sickness, but to walk under the voice that said, “Get up.” [64:37]
• 4. Stones come before grave clothes Jesus told the people to remove the stone before Lazarus came out, and only after life came did the grave clothes need removing. The church often gets the order backward, expecting dead people to look cleaned up before they can hear the voice of Christ. Discipleship begins by clearing barriers to the gospel, then patiently helping new life shed the old ways. [76:19]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [41:15] - Jesus the Anointed One
• [45:57] - John’s Purpose Statement
• [50:28] - Sign 1: Water Into Wine
• [55:57] - Sign 2: The Official’s Son
• [61:50] - Sign 3: The Pool Healing
• [65:08] - Sign 4: Feeding the Five Thousand
• [67:12] - Sign 5: Walking on Water
• [70:52] - Sign 6: The Man Born Blind
• [74:50] - Sign 7: Lazarus Raised
• [78:30] - Seven Signs Are Enough
• [80:43] - Belief Becomes Obedience
• [83:42] - Make Disciples
• [84:35] - Closing Prayer

Bible Reading

John 20:30-31
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” [49:12]

John 2:1-11
“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.’ So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” [53:45]

John 4:46-54
“So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.’ The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” [58:32]

Observation questions

1. In John 20:30-31, what reason does John give for writing down these signs, and what does he say belief leads to?
2. In the Cana story, what were the six stone jars originally used for, and what did Jesus turn their contents into? [54:02]
3. In John 4:46-54, what barriers did the official cross in coming to Jesus, and what exactly did Jesus say to him before he went home? [56:53]
4. In the story of the official’s son, what details confirmed that the healing happened at the very hour Jesus spoke? [01:00:17]

Interpretation questions

1. John says the signs were written so that people may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. What does that suggest about how faith is meant to be built and strengthened? [49:19]
2. The first sign happens with jars used for purification, and the best wine appears at the end. What does that reveal about what Jesus brings in comparison with the old order? [55:07]
3. The official believed Jesus’ word before he saw any result. What does this show about the kind of faith Jesus calls for? [58:43]
4. Jesus healed the man at the pool and then warned him not to return to sin. What does that show about the relationship between grace and obedience? [01:04:37]

Application questions

1. Many people keep waiting for one more dramatic sign before they will trust God fully. Where is the group tempted to do that right now, and what would it look like to rest in what Christ has already made known? [01:19:23]
2. Jesus’ word is not restricted by distance, status, or circumstance. Who is one person each member needs to bring to Jesus in prayer right now, especially someone they may have nearly given up on? [59:31]
3. Jesus turns old purification water into better wine. Where might someone in the group still be clinging to an old, joyless, works-shaped way of relating to God instead of receiving the better gift Christ gives? [54:57]
4. Grace lifts people up, but it does not leave them where they were. After being helped, healed, or forgiven by God, what area of obedience still needs to be faced honestly? [01:20:43]
5. Jesus told the people to remove the stone before Lazarus came out. What “stones” might be blocking people around the group from hearing the gospel clearly? [01:16:42]
6. Grave clothes come off after life begins. How can the group become more patient with people who are new to faith and still carrying old habits, fears, or messes? [01:17:31]
7. Belief in Jesus should become worship, love for enemies, help for the helpless, hope for the hopeless, and disciple-making. Which of those needs the most attention in each person’s life this week, and what is one concrete step to take? [01:23:42]