1648. The Eight Signs in John

The Eight Signs in John

The Sign of the Water Turned to Wine (Joh_2:1-11).

The Sign of the Healing of the Nobleman's Son (Joh_4:46-54).

The Sign of Bethesda's Pool (Joh_5:1-13).

The Sign of the Loaves and the Fishes (Joh_6:1-15).

The Sign of the Walking on the Sea (Joh_6:16-24).

The Sign of the Man Born Blind (Joh_9:1-17).

The Sign of the Resurrection of Lazarus (Joh_11:33-47).

The Sign of the Draught of Fishes (Joh_21:1-14).

In the Book of Hebrews, we read the following:

"God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His own will" (Heb_2:4).

Three things stand before us–miracles, wonders, and signs.

These, in the Greek, are designated by three different words: "dunamis," power, significant of mighty works; "teras," wonder, significant of causing the people to marvel; "semeion," a sign, significant of a foreshadowing of Christ.

These words are used in the Gospel as follows:

Dunamis occurs 38 times–13 times in Matthew , 10 times in Mark , , 15 times in Luke.

"Teras" occurs 3 times–once in Matthew, once in Mark, once in John.

"Semeion" occurs 48 times in the Gospels–13 in Matthew , 7 in Mark , 11 in Luke , 17 in John.

"Semeion" is translated in John 13 times by the word "miracle," and four times by the word "signs."

The above notations show that there are three purposes in a miracle: first, it portrays the power of a Living Christ; second, it causes the people to wonder, and thirdly, it produces a sign, concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of John was distinctively written that "ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name" (Joh_20:31).

With one single exception, the Holy Spirit, in the Gospel of John, refers to the miracles of Christ under the word "semeion," a "sign." The purpose of the Holy Spirit was to set forth distinctive marks of the Deity of Christ, that men might believe in Him and have life.

We have sought in this study of the signs in John to set forth that particular phase of the sign, which manifests Christ, as the Son of God, the life of His people, Israel.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR