Daily Devotions
John
John 20:19-31 "THE SELECTION OF SEVEN SIGN-MIRACLES IN JOHN'S GOSPEL"
Day 353 – John 20
THE SELECTION OF SEVEN SIGN-MIRACLES IN JOHN’S GOSPEL
John selected just seven sign-miracles to put into his Gospel. These are:-
1. The Turning of Water into Wine. John 2:1-12
2. The Healing of the Nobleman’s Son. John 4:46-54
3. The Healing of a Man who had suffered paralysis for 38 years. John 5:1-15
4. The Feeding of the Five Thousand. John 6:1-14
5. The Healing of a Man Born Blind. John 9:1-12
6. The Raising of Lazarus from the dead. John 11:1-44
7. The Resurrection of Jesus. John 20:1-29
THE IMPACT OF THE SIGN-MIRACLES
John did not select these miracles at random! He selected each one carefully, and then made sure that each sign miracle was accompanied by an adequate explanation! Great truths were also meant to be conveyed through the performance of these sign-miracles!
They were meant to help people to come to faith in Jesus!
John noted that some did come to have genuine faith in Jesus because of the signs Jesus performed. (Having a genuine faith is not the same as having a deep faith).
Jesus knew the depth of unbelief in the hearts of the people. They just could not come to faith in Him unless they were given every bit of help. We know that this thought was in Jesus’ mind because of a spontaneous prayer that He lifted up to His Father, just before He raised Lazarus from the dead.
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And
I know that You always hear Me, but because of the
people who are standing by I said this, that they may
believe that You sent Me.”
John 11:41b-42
“That they may believe …” This was uppermost in Jesus’ mind. How sad it was that the people could not come to faith in Him without external help like sign-miracles! Out of compassion and love, Jesus performed many wondrous signs!
1. The Disciples believed Jesus partly because of His sign miracles
We have a clear statement in this text.
“This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of
Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His
Disciples believed in Him.”
John 2:11
2. Others also came to faith in Jesus
The nobleman who begged Jesus to heal his son came to faith when his request was answered.
“So the father knew that it was at the same hour
in which Jesus said to him, ‘Your son lives.’ And
he himself believed, and his whole household.”
John 4:53
“And many of the people believed in Him, and said,
‘When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than
these which this Man has done?'”
John 7:31
“Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary,
and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.”
John 11:45
THE LIMITATION OF SIGN-MIRACLES
It must be noted that John understood that sign-miracles had “limitations”. This is not the same as saying that Jesus was limited! While sign-miracles helped some to come to initial faith in Jesus, the cultivation of that seed of faith would not depend on the performance of more signs. The most telling statement concerning the limitation of sign-miracles may be found in this text.
“But although He had done so many signs before
them, they did not believe in Him.”
John 12:37
John cited the prophet Isaiah to explain why sign-miracles did not impact all in the same way.
“Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah
said again:
‘He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts,
lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should
understand with their hearts and turn, so that I
should heal them.”
John 12:39-40
John knew why so many had failed to appreciate the significance of the sign miracles! Years of unbelief had resulted in God’s judgment! The sign miracles would make no impact on those who had rejected Jesus!