Luke who presents Christ in His humanity as the Son of Man; the Gospel of John portrays Christ in His deity as the Son of Man. John’s purpose for his message to set Christ in His deity, calling attention to all readers and to “arouse” faith as they read John’s message.
Jesus` journey of signs and miracles has been educating and interesting for me to read as a Christian. It has opened up an understanding about Jesus and who He actually is. He was born of flesh and He lived upon this earth the same as humans have. Jesus suffered just as humans do on this earth and He sacrificed His life for the sins of humans.
It’s my opinion people need to read and study John’s message to find out the “true” facts about Jesus and who He truly is and what He has done to bequeath faith to all people. Jesus told the people He was more than a prophet, teacher, and a miracle worker and His acts of miracles and signs provided evidence people needed to believe and have faith.
John’s message gives us seven statements and seven signs while studying for answers to questions of, “Who is Jesus and the reason for a certainty that His claims are truthfully factual?” John explains the beginning with an affirmation about the “I am” statements.
When we read and study these seven statement people will understand what the actual power and authority Jesus has in people’s lives throughout the world. Jesus is our King of Kings and Lord of Lords and He is the master of diseases, nature, sickness, and death; and He has the power to create, destroy, restore, and to renew belongings and people that have been broken, lost or destroyed. All of these possessions relate to a power and a kingdom which is much bigger than the entirety of all worldly powers and kingdoms ever. They can be destroyed in a flash if Jesus wanted them to be; but Jesus will remain to have power and authority over all thereafter.
Here are the seven statement of Jesus:
1. “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35, 48 – 51)
2. “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12, 9:5)
3. “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7, 9)
4. “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep” (John 10:11)
5. “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)
6. “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)
7. “I am the true vine” (John 15:1, 5)
these statements of Jesus permits us to know that “no-one” but Jesus will speak in statements starting with “I am,” and this also included Moses or the prophets who spoke in the name of God.
Moses said to God, “When I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say to them. The God of your fathers has sent me to you; and they shall say to me, what is His name? What shall I say to them? (Exodus 3:13, 14, 15)
God answered Moses by saying, “Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”
God said to Moses, “I am that I am:” and saying, “Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, I am has sent me to you.”
People saw that Jesus spoke and acted with exceptional power and with a special authority as He spoke. A ruler of the Jews, Nicodemus, after meeting with Jesus said, “No man can do the miracles you do, no one except God is with him.” (John 3:2)
Jesus answered Nicodemus by saying, “Verily, verily, I say to you, except a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nathaniel also heard about Jesus and he did not believe that Jesus was from Nazareth; Jesus spoke to Nathaniel and speaking words of life and revelation to him and Nathaniel then recognized Jesus` true identity, and saying, “Rabbi, you’re the Son of God; you’re the King of Israel.” (John 1:49)
Jesus replied, “Verily, verily, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. (John 1:51)
Jesus was a prophet, a teacher, and a miracle worker. All of Jesus` demonstrations of power came directly from God; and when Jesus spoke God spoke; and as Jesus acted God acted. All of Jesus` signs and wonders where as the Lord brought people out of Egypt through the Red Sea and through the wilderness and into a promised land; and He did this with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs and wonders. Jesus had brought the people to a land that flowed with milk and honey. (Deuteronomy 26:8 – 9)
People were hungry and they didn’t have any food to eat in a barren wilderness, Moses provided them manna as their daily provision; whereas Jesus offered Himself as the “bread of life” and the “bread from heaven” which would sustain them on their journey through the wilderness toward heaven.
People got thirsty for water and Moses offered them water to drink; whereas Jesus offered Himself as a river of living water that would never run dry and it would produce an everlasting life to all of those who drank from its fountain.
The people of Israel got lost in the wilderness and God gave them direction by the means of a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of clouds by day.
Jesus is and always will be the “one true source of light” that dispels the darkness of sin and unbelief and provides and directs us to the path of an everlasting life with God.
Many time as I struggled in darkness Jesus` light came to draw me out of it and into a ray of warm comforting light; and providing me confidence and comfort to know that He was there to walk with me. I don’t know what would have happened in my life had Jesus not interceded.
We now get into the seven signs revealing Jesus` nature and power. These seven signs were written so that people might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and by believing we might also have life through his name. Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which were not written in the book of John.
1. Jesus` first sign was as He changed the water into wine at a wedding feast. (John 2:1 – 12)
2. A word of command and Jesus healed the son of a royal official. (John 4:43 – 54)
3. Jesus healed a man who was paralyzed for 38 years (5:1 – 15)
4. Jesus multiplied seven loaves and fishes and fed five thousand people who had gathered to hear him. (John 6:1 – 15)
5. Jesus walked on water and He calmed the waves so He could rescue His disciples caught up by a life-threatening storm at sea.
(John 6:16 -24)
6. Jesus healed a blind man who was born blind, giving him sight. (John 9:1 – 12)
7. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead – He had been dead for three days. (John 11:1 – 44)
The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus performed and had many other miracles and signs that were never mentioned in the Bible. Jesus received His powers, miracles and signs directly from God to use in God’s likeness. It’s my sincere belief that all of Jesus` strengths and powers came directly from God because He was the seed of God as He walked upon the earth.
All of Jesus` acts point directly to God who is the all-powerful, all-wise and loving, all-knowing and compassionate and the merciful one. These seven signs demonstrate God’s presence in all things. He knew that our humanity was broken, sinful, and needed to be raised to everlasting life with God and He sent His son, Jesus, to accomplish this mission.
John’s purpose for providing us his gospel account to assist people in growing through faith and knowledge of the “real” Jesus, the Son of God, who came to earth and died for the sins of man-kind and who rose winning over death so people might have abundant life and be united with Him and the Father forever.
The conclusion of Jesus` life and mission is what John’s Gospel calls Jesus` hour of glory. This occurred before the feast of Passover, after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, as Jesus declared:
“The hour has come for the son of man to be glorified…His soul is troubled. And what shall I say?” ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ “No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; and I, when I’m lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” He said this to show by what death He was to die.” (John 12:23, 27, 31 – 32)
This “hour” marked a definite point in time when Jesus fulfilled the mission He had been given by the Father. The hour of glory is when Jesus` crucifixion is death on the cross. John described it as Jesus` death, “His being lifted up on high.” Jesus` atoning death cancels the debt of sin, defeating the power of Satan, the present ruler of the world, and brings pardon, freedom, and new life to all who believe in Him and accepts Him as their Lord and Savior.
On the night prior to Jesus` death, He prayed and explained to His disciples how His Father’s “will” results in glory for His Father and the reward of everlasting life for all who believe in Him. Jesus lifts up His eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given Him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given Him. And this is eternal life; that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do.” (John 17:1 – 4)
I prayed for a message to describe Jesus` mission while He was here on the earth and the Gospel of John came up as the chosen Book of the Bible for me to write about. I hope readers will enjoy and get a better understanding of who Jesus is and what He did to bequeath faith to all people.
Barbara Kasey Smith is the writer of this article and it is based on the Gospel of John taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version.