The Seven Miracles in John free essay sample

The Gospel of John selects only seven miracles as signs to demonstrate the deity of Christ and to illustrate His ministry. Some of these signs and stories are found only in John. His is the most theological of the four gospels and often gives the reason behind events mentioned in the other gospels. He shares much about the approaching ministry of the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascension. There are certain words or phrases that John frequently uses that show the repeating themes of his Gospel: believe, witness, Comforter, life death, light darkness, I am Jesus repeatedly angers the Jewish leaders by correcting them (2:13-16); healing on the Sabbath, and claiming characteristics belonging to God (5:18; 8:56-59; 9:6,16; 10:33). Jesus prepares His disciples for His coming death and for their ministry after His resurrection and ascension (John 14-17). He then willingly dies on the cross in our place (10:15-18), paying our sin debt in full (19:30) so that whoever trusts in Him as his/her Savior from sin will be saved (John 3:14-16). We will write a custom essay sample on The Seven Miracles in John or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He then rises from the dead, convincing even the most doubting of His disciples that He is God and Master (20:24-29). Connections: John’s portrayal of Jesus as the God of the Old Testament is seen most emphatically in the seven â€Å"I Am† statements of Jesus. He is the â€Å"Bread of life† (John 6:35), provided by God to feed the souls of His people, just as He provided manna from heaven to feed the Israelites in the wilderness (Exodus 16:11-36). Jesus is the â€Å"Light of the world† (John 8:12), the same Light that God promised to His people in the Old Testament (Isaiah 30:26, 60:19-22) and which will find its culmination in the New Jerusalem when Christ the Lamb will be its Light (Revelation 21:23). Two of the â€Å"I Am† statements refer to Jesus as both the â€Å"Good Shepherd† and the â€Å"Door of the sheep. † Here are clear references to Jesus as the God of the Old Testament, the Shepherd of Israel (Psalm 23:1, 80:1; Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 34:23) and, as the only Door into the sheepfold, the only way of salvation. The Jews believed in the resurrection and, in fact, used the doctrine to try to trick Jesus into making statements they could use against Him. But His statement at the tomb of Lazarus â€Å"I am the resurrection and the life† (John 11:25) must have astounded them. He was claiming to be the cause of resurrection and the possessor of the power over life and death. None other than God Himself could claim such a thing. Similarly, His claim to be the â€Å"way, the truth and the life† (John 14:6) linked Him unmistakably to the Old Testament. His is the â€Å"Way of Holiness† prophesied in Isaiah 35:8; He established the City of Truth of Zechariah 8:3 when He, who is truth itself, was in Jerusalem and the truths of the Gospel were preached there by Him and His apostles; and as â€Å"the Life,† He affirms His deity, the Creator of life, God incarnate (John 1:1-3). Finally, as the â€Å"true Vine† (John 15:1, 5) Jesus identifies Himself with the nation of Israel who are called the vineyard of the Lord in many OT passages. As the true Vine of the vineyard of Israel, He portrays Himself as the Lord of the â€Å"true Israel†Ã¢â‚¬â€all those who would come to Him in faith, because â€Å"†¦not all who are descended from Israel are Israel†