Theme of John Part 3
We have looked at the reason the book of John was written and its theme.
The reason the book of John was written, (its purpose) is clearly stated in John 20:30-31
Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Three reasons are given.
The book is written so that those who read it might believe that Jesus is the Christ. The Saviour that was promised over and over in the Old Testament.
And John was written so that those who read it might believe that Jesus is the Son of God; a declaration of His Deity. God manifested in the flesh. Emanuel – God with us. Because Jesus is God, He has both the right and the power to forgive sins.
And the third reason is that believing ye might have life through his name. Speaking of eternal life.
This is the purpose of the book of John. To highlight Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Why so that those reading it might get saved.
And we looked at 7 of the powerful I am statements of Jesus from the book of John.
He is the bread of life, He is the light, He is the door, He is the good shepherd, He is the resurrection and the life, He is the way and the truth and the life, and He is the vine.
All of these powerful statements are very fitting in the Gospel focusing on Jesus’ deity. Powerful statements from Jesus on who He is should be expected in the book of John.
And shouldn’t we expect in the book of John to also see Jesus do many powerful things that also show who He is.
We are going to look at Seven Miracles of Jesus in the book of John.
1 Water to Wine Chapter 2
Joh 2:6 And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.
Joh 2:7 Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.
Joh 2:8 And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.
Joh 2:9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom,
Joh 2:10 And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.
Joh 2:11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
Verse 11 teaches us that the miracles manifested forth His glory.
Power over Quality. The governor of the feast testified of the quality.
Power over matter. Power over substance. It was ordinary water. Water that they used for washing. Not even drinking quality. And just with a thought Jesus changed it.
Power to transform. Jesus turned that which was not fit to be used for drinking and transformed it into high quality Grape Juice.
Jesus has the power to transform low quality water into something that is high quality and useful. He has the power to also transform people into something useful.
2 Nobleman’s Son healed chapter 4
Joh 4:46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
Joh 4:47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
Joh 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
Joh 4:49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
Joh 4:50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
Joh 4:51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
Joh 4:52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
Joh 4:53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
Joh 4:54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
Power over distance. Jesus did not have to go to the nobleman’s son.
Power over sickness. Jesus did not have to make medicine or touch the boy to heal him.
Power to heal sickness. The nobleman’s son was very sick. He had a fever and was near death. Jesus has the power to heal anything from anywhere.
3 Impotent man healed chapter 5
Joh 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Joh 5:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
Joh 5:3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
Joh 5:4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
Joh 5:5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
Joh 5:6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
Joh 5:7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
Joh 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
Joh 5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.
Joh 5:10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.
Power to heal defects. Not just an illness, but this body was defective. He had this condition for 38 years. The years that the man had the condition was nothing to Jesus. We do not know what exactly was broken. There are many reasons someone cannot walk. It could be a bone problem or muscular or nerves. Jesus corrected whatever it was in just an instant.
4 Walking on water chapter 6
Joh 6:16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
Joh 6:17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.
Joh 6:18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
Joh 6:19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
Joh 6:20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.
Joh 6:21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
This one really is amazing if you stop and think about it. Jesus is just walking on the sea with nothing aiding him except his feet. He is just simply walking.
And the water is not calm. The sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. That means there are waves. So Jesus is just walking up over the wave and then down the other side.
And notice it says they rowed the boat between 25 or 30 furlongs. That is over 3 miles. The Sea of Galilee is 13 miles long and 8 miles wide. They are out in a boat in a wind storm and waves and they are at least 3 miles out from shore.
Some people miss this. Jesus did not walk on the water for a hundred feet or a hundred yards. Jesus walked on the water for at least 3 miles. In a wind storm up and down the waves. And He walked right up to the boat and they received Him into their ship.
And then don’t miss this. Verse 21 and immediately the ship was at the land wither they went.
If they are between 3 and 3 ¾ miles out, they still have over 4 miles to get to where they were going. And immediately after Jesus got into the ship they are at the other shore. Jesus just moved that boat in an instant. Immediately. The boat moved over 4 miles.
Man has no way to do that. And if man somehow could it would kill everyone on board. The G forces both in acceleration and deceleration would be off the charts.
With just a thought the boat was no longer in the middle of the sea but at the shore.
The entire miracle, actually two, walking on water and moving the ship, show that Jesus has power over the laws of physics.
That should not be a surprise. Jesus created the laws of physics so He has power over the laws of physics.
5 Feeding of the 5,000 chapter 6
Joh 6:5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
Joh 6:6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
Joh 6:7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
Joh 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,
Joh 6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
Joh 6:10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Joh 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
Joh 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
Joh 6:13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
Philip answered Jesus with this thought. Even if we had 200 pennyworth of bread, it would not be enough for everyone to take just a little. Andrew says there is a lad here, which hath 4 loaves and two small fishes.
Jesus blesses the food and then Jesus distributes to the disciples. There is debate and no way to know for sure. Did Jesus multiply the bread and the fish and give to the disciples and keep giving to them. Or did Jesus give them each one basket full and they go out and distribute out of it and the basket never went empty.
Jesus could do it either way. He has all power. When everyone ate and ate to the full. Jesus tells them to go collect what was left. And they ended up with 12 baskets full of bread fragments.
They fed 5000 and ended up with way more than they started with.
This miracle shows many things. Jesus has power over quantity. Jesus is not dependent upon our resources to get things done. Jesus has the power to provide even when we do not see any way.
6 Blind man healed chapter 9
This is a longer account. We are not going to read the whole thing.
Some statements or miracles Jesus will upfront give the purpose for it, and some of them He does not. This one the main purpose is given at the end. I think it would be helpful on this one to read the purpose first and then look at the miracle.
In one of the books I have the author says this miracle is about the Power over helplessness. And while it is true the blind man was helpless to fix his blindness, and it is true that Jesus has power over helplessness, that is not the main point of this miracle.
Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
Jesus was showing thru this miracle that He came into this world for judgment and attached to that He says, that they which see not might see.
The blind man who Jesus healed was an object lesson, a visible powerful illustration of this truth. Jesus has the power to make the spiritually blind see.
Joh 9:1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
Joh 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Some people in those days believed that if you were born with a deformity such as blindness that it must be because of sin. Either sin of the person or sin of their parents. Jesus corrects such nonsense.
Joh 9:3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Jesus then makes a leading statement to the miracle that He is about to perform.
Joh 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
Joh 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
Light of the world as in understanding. Illuminating the truth. Shinning into the darkness and making it so that people can see. He is the light of the world. We get this from the context. He said this as a leading statement of giving this man the ability to see. A man who was born in darkness is now going to see and only because of Jesus.
This is an illustration of how all men are born in darkness. Spiritually unable to see. And how Jesus has the power to open the eyes and let men see the truth.
Joh 9:6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
Joh 9:7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Sometimes Jesus would heal a blind man and just immediately. This time is different. Why? This time Jesus is illustrating the process of a man who was born in darkness and bringing him into the light.
And while Jesus does it all, one thing is required from the man. Faith. Jesus had to tell him something and the man had to out of a free will choose to act upon it in faith. The man had to go wash in faith in a specific place. He could have found water to wash off the clay closer. He basically had to believe what Jesus said. So the man acted upon faith and Jesus gave him the eyes to see.
This is the same way with us. We are born in darkness and Jesus tells us how to be saved in His Word and we have to act in faith, believe it, and act by calling upon Him to save us. Then the light of understand starts to come in. We are given the ability to see. And as we walk with Jesus and get closer to Him. Jesus is the light. As we get closer to the light we can see more and more.
You get saved and you do not see everything clearly in the first 5 min. Salvation is instant but Christianity is a growing process.
Joh 9:8 The neighbours therefore, and they which before had seen him that he was blind, said, Is not this he that sat and begged?
Joh 9:9 Some said, This is he: others said, He is like him: but he said, I am he.
Joh 9:10 Therefore said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
Joh 9:11 He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
The man testified here that he did not get his sight until he did what Jesus said and washed.
The Pharisees hear of it and question him, and then his parents. They were looking for some way to deny that this happened or to get the man to agree that Jesus is a sinner. The blind man stands his ground.
Joh 9:30 The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
The Pharisees get angry and cast him out.
Joh 9:35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
Joh 9:36 He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
Joh 9:37 And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
Joh 9:38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
Now at the end of the object lesson Jesus gives the purpose.
Joh 9:39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.
The blind man was born not able to see physical things, a picture of how all men are born spiritually blind. And Jesus has the power to give sight.
But notice this power runs both ways. Jesus also said here, and they which see might be made blind. Jesus said this in the presence of some of the Pharisees.
Joh 9:40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
Joh 9:41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
The Pharisees thought they knew it all, they thought that they had clear sight. Jesus tells them nope. You are sinners.
Depending upon the willingness of the heart, and of course His perfect foreknowledge, Jesus has the power to open eyes or close eyes.
7 Lazarus raised chapter 11
We recently went over this one so we will not read it today.
The point on raising Lazarus was to show that Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Jesus has the power over death.
All throughout the book of John you have both powerful statements from Jesus about who He is and you also see powerful miracles that show His power.
Water into wine.
Power over Quantity, power over substance, power to transform.
Nobleman’s son healed.
Power over distance. Power to heal sickness from anywhere.
Impotent man healed chapter 5
Power to heal defects. He had this condition for 38 years. The years that the man had the condition was nothing to Jesus.
Walking on water chapter 6
Power over the laws of Physics
Feeding of the 5,000 chapter 6
Jesus has power over quantity. Jesus is not dependent upon our resources to get things done. Jesus has the power to provide even when we do not see any way.
Blind man healed chapter 9
Jesus has the power to give sight spiritually, and also close the eyes of the proud.
Lazarus raised chapter 11
Power over death
The book of John clearly shows over and over and in many different ways the Jesus is God. He is the Great I AM. God the Son is one with God the Father and God the Spirit. These 3 are one.
See more lessons from the Gospels