The more you know about Jesus
and the longer you live with Him the more you know
that no human category can contain Him. He is God
with us.
Jesus said, “The very work that
the Father has given Me to finish and which I am
doing testifies that the Father has sent Me” (John
5:36).
The apostle John called
miracles “signs” because they signified something.
For example, the “sign of Jonah” was a token of the
death and resurrection of Christ. They pointed to
the presence and the work of God in Christ.
Everything Jesus did was done to reveal the person
and character of God. The miracles show us the
nature of Christ. They demonstrate that God is with
us.
The miracles of healing prove
that Jesus is the Lord and the giver of life. The
feeding of the five thousand demonstrates that He is
the sustainer of life. The healing of the man born
blind shows that He gives physical and spiritual
sight. In every one of His miracles Jesus
demonstrates over and over again that He does what
the Father does (John 10:37). He is equal with the
Father, and the only way you can know the character
and nature of the one true God is through His unique
Son (John 14:9).
The apostle John pays special
attention to several “signs” that point clearly to
the nature of Christ. He is God with us (John 1:14,
18).
Jesus changed the water to wine
at the wedding in Cana of Galilee and filled a young
couple with joy that His “glory” might be revealed,
and as a result the disciples first believed on Him
(John 2:1-11). The creative power of Christ was
revealed in that miracle. It was “through Him that
all thing were made” (1:3).
A little later Jesus healed the
nobleman’s son. Jesus brought faith and peace to a
father whose heart was filled with fear, anxiety and
dread that his son would die.
The healing of the disabled man
in 5:1-18 brought out the hardness of men
spiritually blind. Jesus sets us free from the
bondage of sin. God is a great God of great grace.
When Jesus fed the five
thousand men, and many more women and children
(6:1-14), He demonstrated that He can satisfy the
deepest hunger of the human soul. He is “the bread
of life.” Jesus said, “He who comes to Me will never
go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be
thirsty” (6:35). He alone is able to satisfy your
deep spiritual hunger right now.
Jesus walked on water and
demonstrated that He has power over the laws of
nature (6:16-21).
When He healed the man born
blind not only did He demonstrate His power over
physical and spiritual blindness, but He also showed
that He is “the light of the world” (9:1-41).
Through a series of steps the blind man came to the
place where he said, “Lord I believe,” and
worshipped Christ (vv. 35-38).
The last public display of His
power over nature, sickness and sin was the
demonstration of His total victory over death
(11:1-46). At the raising of Lazarus from the dead
Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life”
(11:25). Jesus alone is the source of eternal life.
The raising of Lazarus points to the supreme
manifestation of the glory of Jesus in His own
resurrection from the dead (20:14, 17-21, 26-29;
21:1).
The miracles are the testimony
of God as to the nature and person of Jesus Christ.
He is God with us.
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 believing you may have life in His
name.” John selected certain “signs” from many other
miracles that Christ performed to provoke and
strengthen the faith in Christ of those who read his
gospel.
It is my prayer that as you
read the Gospel of John and reflect on both the
miraculous and non-miraculous works of Christ you
will put your faith in Him as your Lord and Savior.
He really is all that He claimed to be. The miracles
are “signs” that the “Father is in Me, and I in the
Father” (John 10:38). They are God the Father’s
testimony to His Son, Jesus Christ.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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