John 20:30 Commentary and Bible Study

John loves to call them signs, miracles he means of course, but signs, the Greek is ‘marks’, a little bit stretching the meaning – pointers, indications. These signs were done by Jesus in the presence of his disciples because they were going to be inspired to record them and to speak of them. ‘Which are not written in this book’ – probably not meaning the Bible but the Gospel of the John because there are more miracles in the other Gospels than in the Gospel of John. ‘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.’ Who is he? What has he done to secure salvation? The miracles tell you all these things. In the Gospel of John the very first miracle of Christ is the turning of the water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana in Galilee. By this he teaches that he is the great provider of that which is most desperately needed. Only he can provide. We must follow his every word. We have to repent of our sin, turn from the world, put our trust in him, call upon his name, submit to his authority. The healing of the nobleman’s son at Capernaum accomplished by the word of Christ from afar - these are pictures of salvation. Yes the miracles attest him, authenticate him but they also provide us pictures of the method of salvation and the way in which he works. The cleansing of the Temple, the first cleansing of the Temple – a tremendous miracle. He is coming in due time to be the Judge and he will cleanse and nobody will be able to resist his authority and power because he is the Son of the most high God. The impotent man healed at Pool of Bethesda, in Bethesda’s porch; one after another - they are descriptions of hopelessness and the spiritual impotence of men and women without Christ and his work. The feeding of the five thousand – obedience. It has got to be carried out exactly the way I prescribe to receive the food, to receive the blessing. The walking on the water of Christ – a great lesson in faith for Peter, of course. The raising of Lazarus. The entry into Jerusalem was also a tremendous miracle. It teaches the humility of Christ. He entered Jerusalem on a colt; the humble Saviour not the great political deliverer. It all teaches the way of salvation. He came; he was humiliated; he suffered and died in our place to pay the price of sin for us. The ascension, of course, these are all signs in the Gospel of John. Signs of his deity, his divinity plus pictures, signs, pointers of aspects of salvation.