The seven signs in John are a useful way of engaging people's attention on who Jesus is. He is more than an historical figure, more than a wise teacher, more than many people realise. These particular seven events were written down to help us see his true nature and significance.
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)
What 'signs' is John referring to here? - There are seven of them, and over the next week or two I plan to write short notes on each one. John wrote about these particular signs '[so] that you might believe'. He regarded them as especially useful in drawing people to believe that Jesus was the Son of the Most High. We should surely take note of them and use them in reaching others.
Click the links in the list to read the articles.
- Water becomes wine (John 2:1-11)
- Healing at a distance (John 4:46-54)
- An invalid is healed (John 5:1-17)
- The crowds are fed (John 6:1-15)
- Walking on water (John 6:16-24)
- The blind man sees (John 9:1-41)
- Raising the dead (John 11:1-54)
Neil Cole - Neil has written about the seven signs and suggests a useful way of approaching them in simple conversations. I'll examine them in a little more detail here, though still aim to leave readers to reach their own conclusions. Being told something is not as powerful as drawing meaning out for yourself. Sometimes an open question is more valuable than a closed answer.
Neil suggests asking four questions about each sign.
- What does it tell us about people?
- What does it tell us about Jesus?
- What does it tell me about myself?
- Who else needs to hear this?
You might enjoy listening to Neil Cole speaking about the usefulness of these signs.
See also: RESPONSE - Seven signs in John
See also: RESPONSE - Seven signs in John
No comments:
Post a Comment