Sign Miracles and Jesus Deity

Sabrina Mawyer

Liberty University

BIBL 323-DO1

November 24, 2014

The Gospel of John presents eight different miracles or signs that demonstrate
different attributes of Christ and His power. The eight sign miracles described by John
include when Jesus turned water into wine, the healing of a rulers son, the healing of a
disabled man, feeding a large crowd, walking on water, healing the man who was born
blind, raising Lazarus from the dead, and lastly the large catch of fish. Each of these
events tells the reader something about Jesus Christ and his divine nature. For seven of
the sign miracles there is also a matching discourse in the book of John.1 A thorough
understanding of each of the miracles as described by John allows the reader to have a
more complete understanding of Jesus Christ and His divine nature.
The first sign that is encountered in the Gospel of John is when Jesus turns the water into
wine at the marriage feast in Cana. The description of this miracle is found in John 2:111. The events surrounding this miracle begin as John tells the reader that Jesus and His
disciples arrive at a wedding feast in the town of Cana. Mary, the mother of Jesus was
present at the wedding as well. At one point of the wedding festivities, the wine ran out
and there was no more to give to the guests. Mary informs Jesus of this problem, and the
answer that He gives is somewhat surprising to modern readers. Jesus says, Woman,
what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come (John 2:4, ESV). At first
reading, this reply from Jesus sounds disrespectful to His mother. Towns points out that
this is not the case by saying, Actually, woman was a term of respect and affection
frequently used when any adult addressed a women.2 There were six water jars, and
Jesus had the servants fill these jars with water. When the servants served the liquid to the
guests, it had become wine.
1 Leon Morris. Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. (1989): 20.
2 Elmer L. Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. (2002): 19.

Towns says Also, this miracle symbolizes the Churchs (the brides) relationship to
Christ (the bridegroom).3 One reason for Jesus performing this miracle can be seen in the
verse at the end of the narrative. John 2:11 says, This the first of his signs, Jesus did at
Cana in Galilee, and manifested His glory. And the disciples believed in him. (John 2:11
ESV). Thus by performing this miracle, Jesus brought glory to God and it convinced the
disciples to believe in Him. This miracle shows the deity of Christ in His power over
creation.
The second sign described by John is found in John 4:46-54. Here, when Jesus had
returned to Cana, a nobleman approached Jesus and asked for healing for his very ill son.
Jesus tells the nobleman to go home, that his son would live. The man did so, believing in
Jesus and was met by servants on his way home who told the nobleman that his son had
been healed. When asked, the servants said that the son started getting better at the same
hour when the nobleman asked Jesus for healing. The nobleman believed as did the rest
of his household and servants.4 The deity of Jesus is represented in this narrative. Jesus
has the power to give life, which He gave to the officials son who was close to death.
The power of Jesus also transcends distance in this case. Jesus was not close to the son,
but he was healed regardless when Jesus ordered it to be so.
The third sign of Jesus can be found in John 5:1-18. Jesus is in Jerusalem, and He
encounters a man who was lame for the past 38 years. Jesus asks the man if he wants to
be healed, to which the man says, Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the
water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me. (John 5:7 ESV).
The reason Jesus asked him if he wants to get well is probably because after waiting such
3 Elmer L. Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. (2002): 18.
4 Ibid. 44.

a long time for a miracle, he may have given up hope.5 Jesus tells the man to get up, take
his mat and walk. This is exactly what the man did. Verse 9 indicates that this miracle
took place on the Sabbath, and it was forbidden for the man to pick up his mat on the
Sabbath. This fact had no bearing on Jesus as He was bringing the new law. While the
man was thrilled that he had been healed, he was probably filled with fear that the Jews
were going to seize him and stone him to death for committing what they considered a
capital crime.6 Another aspect seen here regarding the deity of Jesus is time. The man had
been lame for almost 40 years, and was not even able to get down to the pool on his own
strength. Jesus was able to heal this man the moment the man asked. Jesus is not bound
by the limits of time when it comes to healing or anything else we might ask of Him.
The next miracle in John occurs in John 6:1-14. A large crowd of 5000 people
approached Jesus and His disciples. There was not enough bread and fish available to
feed this many people. Jesus took a survey of what food they did have and came up with
five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus blessed this food which then became more than
enough bread and fish to feed the crowd. By Jesus praying over the meal, He showed His
need for the Father to help him.7 This miracle indicates that Jesus is completely capable
of taking care of mans spiritual as well as physical needs. This miracle shows the deity
of Christ in his ability to know our needs before we can ask Him and also in His
supplying us with everything we need. Morris says The bread symbolism is complex,
but clearly Jesus is the supplier of our deepest needs.8 The previous miracles combined
5 Elmer L. Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. (2002): 49.
6 Ibid., 50.
7 F. F. Bruce, New International Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 1999), 1243.
8 Leon Morris. Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of
John. (1989): 32.

with this miracle began to make an impression on people who started to believe that Jesus
was a prophet.9
The fifth miracle occurs shortly after the feeding of the five thousand and can be found in
John 6:16-24. The disciples are in a boat heading across the Sea of Galilee when a major
storm blows in. The disciples saw a figure walking on the water towards them and they
were afraid. Jesus said It is I; dont be afraid (John 6:20-21 ESV). The disciples
welcomed Jesus into the boat as the storm disappeared. The deity of Christ is clearly
seen in this narrative as He demonstrates His authority and power over nature. Christ is
able to defy the natural laws by doing what seems to be impossible, like walking on
water.
John 9:1-12 tells the story of how Jesus heals a man who has been blind since
birth. This sixth sign was shown by Jesus to not be the cause of sin as was commonly
thought by the Jews. Instead, the man was born blind so the power of God could be
shown in him. Jesus covered the mans eyes with spittle and told him to walk down to the
pool of Siloam, which was quite a walk for a blind man. This miracle displays the deity
of Christ in His ability to supersede natural laws. God is the One who created the laws
and only God is the One who has the ability to change them.
The seventh sign described in John occurs in Chapter 11. This miracle involves
Jesus learning about the sickness of Lazarus, brother to Mary and Martha. The sisters
expected Jesus to drop everything in order to come back and save Lazarus life. John 11:4
says But when Jesus heard it he said, This illness does not lead to death. It is for the
glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.(John 11:4 ESV) By
9 Elmer L. Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. (2002): 60.

Jesus saying that, one would think that He would rush back to save Lazarus but instead
he waited several days until Lazarus had died and was buried before returning. Jesus
could have saved Mary and Martha their grief if He healed Lazarus without returning like
he did previously with the noblemans son but that wasnt His plan.10 Jesus goes to
Lazarus tomb to have the stone rolled away. While there, he thanks God for hearing his
prayer and tells Lazarus to come forth. Lazarus comes out alive, still wrapped in his
bedclothes. MacArthur says Jesus had been claiming to be God and now He gives life.
And that vindicates His deity.11 This shows Christs deity in His power over death. He
has the ability to give life back.
The final sign occurs in John 21:1-14. This sign is different than the preceding signs as
Jesus performs this sign after His death and subsequent resurrection. The disciples were
fishing on the Sea of Galilee and had yet to catch anything. Jesus stood on the shore and
called out to His disciples, who did not recognize Jesus, asking them if they had caught
anything. When they replied that they hadnt, Jesus instructed them to cast their net on
the right side of the boat. The catch of 153 fish was so large that the disciples had
difficulty bringing it into the boat. The disciples recognized Jesus for who He was and
went to have breakfast with Him on the shore. This miracle shows that Jesus is indeed the
Risen Son of God. Towns says This appearance was for them to see and understand the
resurrection.12 It also shows His deity in His power to control all things, including filling

10 Elmer L. Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. (2002): 106.
11 "Grace To You." Sickness for the Glory of God. Accessed November
24, 2014. http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/1531/sickness-for-theglory-of-god.
12 Elmer L. Towns, The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. (2002): 216.

a net to overflowing with fish. It teaches us that God not only gives to us but He gives
abundantly.
The Gospel of John has a lot of information on the deity of Christ and the miracles that
correspond to the many aspects of His deity. Inside of the gospel, there are eight different
signs that demonstrate a different aspect of the deity of Jesus. Changing water to wine
indicates the new life that Christ presents to a believer. Healing the noblemans son
demonstrates that Jesus can heal physical ailments. It also shows that distance is not a
limiting factor for Jesus. Healing the lame man again demonstrates the healing power of
Jesus as well as Jesus bringing the new law to replace the traditional law. Feeding the
5000 demonstrates that Jesus is aware of mans physical as well as spiritual needs.
Walking on water demonstrates Jesus power over nature. Man alone could never hope to
accomplish any of the things Jesus did, and all of the signs are examples of the authority
and power of Jesus Christ. The miracles were never done on the timeframe that the
people wanted but rather in His time.13

Bibliography
Bruce, F. F. New International Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. 1999.
"Grace To You." Sickness for the Glory of God. Accessed November 24,
2014. http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/1531/sickness-for-theglory-of-god
13 Ibid., 57.

Morris, Leon. Jesus Is the Christ: Studies in the Theology of John. Grand Rapids, Mich.:
W.B. Eerdmans Pub. 1989.
Towns, Elmer L. The Gospel of John: Believe and Live. Chattanooga, TN.: AMG
Publishers, 2002.