John Part Two: Dive

THE BOOK OF SIGNS

The Book of John is an incredible composition with a purpose. It is completely different to the other gospels, the miracles and things that Jesus did are not in chronological order but John has placed them in the order of his purpose. Don’t panic, this is not manipulation of the text but a common way of writing in the 1st Century.

So let me explain to you why John was writing such a different account from the other gospels. When you read the gospels, you can see that each author had their own purpose for writing them. Matthew writes a book of Jesus’ teaching to show everyone what Jesus said and did in fulfilment of the Old Testament as the Messiah. Luke-Acts was written as a close chronological account of everything that Jesus did and then what the disciples did. Mark, the first gospel written, is a book of activity, you are going to hear terms like ‘immediately’, showing Jesus to be a man of action, a powerful Minister and a suffering Servant. So what is John’s purpose?

J 20:30-31 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

get with the program

There are two things I want to highlight to you in the above ‘program’ of the Book of John, firstly the word ‘signs’. Some translate this as ‘miracles’ but ‘signs’ is the better translation for the purpose that John intended for the book. John highlights all the ‘signs’ that point to Jesus being the Messiah the Son of God. Like walking along a road, John directs the reader to STOP at every point and reflect on how what Jesus did showed that He was the Messiah. The word ‘sign’ is our reflection point. Now we are going to look at this a little further below but let me first finish with the program of the text.

The second thing is the fact that John is writing so you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and so that, by believing, you may have life in His name. John is purposeful about people believing and he uses this term over and over again to highlight the miracles that you can rest on and believe, and how the people of Jesus’ day came to believe. Just to get you started here are a few verses for you to highlight which contain the term ‘believe’: Chapters 1:7, 1:12 (this is a key verse) 2:11, 2:22, 2:23, 3:12, 3:15, 3:16, 3:18, 3:36, 4:41, 4:48, 4:53 and so on… Can you see how understanding the key terms shows you the purpose of the book? Yet, even with all this, we find the saddest verse in Chapter 12.

J 12:37 Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.

So as you can see, John’s purpose is to present a book of signs that show that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, so that you might believe, and in believing have eternal life. So with this purpose in mind, this book is not going to be chronological, the miracles are not going to be in the same order as the other gospels. John has selected key points in Jesus life, out of the things he saw Jesus do, that point to Him being the Messiah, and presented them in a narrative.

J 21:25 Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

In other words, “Out of all the stuff that Jesus did I am going to give you a selection of the ones that show my purpose.” By the way, don’t you wish someone did write it all down, whether it took up a million books or not? Perhaps we will find out in Heaven all the things that Jesus did that were not recorded.

So let’s jump back to the first thing in our prologue, the word ‘signs’. When you look at the structure of the Book of John as mentioned in the Snapshot, the three sections of this book are Prologue, The Book of Signs and The Book of Glory.

Trashing Tip: As you read the book, I want you to highlight where it says ‘sign’. Here are a few to get you started: Chapter 2:11, 2:18, 2:23, 3:2, 4:48, 4:54, 6:2, 6:14, 6:26, 6:30, 7:31, 9:16, 10:41, 11:47, 12:18, 12:37, and 20:30.

signs

Let’s have a look at the signs. The first sign seems confusing but when you understand it in light of the Jewish culture, it is really quite amazing. The first sign we find in John 2:1-11. Have a read and a highlight.

J 2:11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciple believed in him.

If you were like me when I first read this in the light of the signs, I was totally confused… How does Jesus turning water into wine become a sign that He was the coming Messiah? The key is found in the vessel He used for the miracle.

J 2:6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Let me give you a quick background to this text. The Jews were waiting for a Messiah, a King like David, Commander of the Armies of the Lord. The Messiah will usher in the age to come, bringing the Kingdom of God. The Jews believed that the present evil age, or the Age of Water, will be reversed to an Age of Wine, where wine will flow from the abundance of the land and they will be celebrating at a wedding feast with abundance when the King returns to His throne and brings the Kingdom of God. Now read John 2:1-11–this is Jesus at a wedding, where He turns water into wine. Can you see how big this prophetic declaration was to say that the Kingdom of God had come?

Jesus brings the best wine flowing into the old traditional ceremonial jars, used for washing. He was giving a significant symbol of the declaration of the Kingdom. The Kingdom they were longing for had come, the Age of Water had become the Age of Wine. How cool is that! See how a little bit of study can make the whole text come alive?

fulfilment of festivals

Another incredible study that you can do is to look at John’s purpose as he goes through the Festivals and shows how Jesus fulfils them all (Chapters 6:25-10:42). At the Festival of Light, Jesus stands up and says ‘I am the Light of the World’, and at the Festival of Water, Jesus stands up and says ‘I am the living water’, and again, at the celebration of Manna from Heaven, Jesus says ‘I am the bread of life.’ Study what these were in the Old Testament and Jewish History and you can see how John is saying we no longer need to go to these festivals to wait for the Messiah to come–Jesus declares ‘I AM’ over every Festival. And don’t forget John, with his detailed writing style, adds these incredible little insights, so don’t miss them! For example, look at Chapter 7:1-13, Jesus sends His disciples on to the festival to go and ‘show yourself to the world’ and then, in Chapter 7:10, Jesus goes to the festival in secret. Imagine Jesus undercover, walking around just listening to the conversations about Him, hearing their whispering. So cool!

When you study the Bible, there is so much just beneath the surface. So today, take a journey through your Bible and study all of the signs, study how Jesus fulfils the festivals. There is so much treasure that you can find if you just go digging a little deeper. Enjoy your time in John! Don’t forget send us any questions you have as you journey. This week we have two Deep Dives–everyone loves a two for one! 

recommended

jesus through middle eastern eyes

john part two

next book: jonah

Following the TYB Schedule? Next up is the book of Jonah!