Signs that Point the Way

Lesson 1

Signs that Point the Way

(John 2, 4 & 5)

Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Introduction: We are starting a new series of studies on the Gospel of John! GoBible.org has a study on the Gospel of John that I wrote twenty years ago. Our study this quarter is different. Instead of going chapter by chapter, we are going to study the themes we find in John’s gospel. Why would we do that? In John 20:30-31 John explains why he included in his book only some material. His purpose is to encourage the reader to believe that Jesus is “the Son of God,” the Messiah, so that by this belief the reader could “have life in His name.” In this first lesson we turn our attention to the “signs,” the miracles that point us to the conclusion that Jesus is God. Let’s plunge into our study!

1. A Wedding Miracle
   
   1. Read John 2:1-3. Is Jesus’ mother gossiping to Jesus? Is she telling him the parents of the children getting married are ill-prepared? Or too poor?
   2. Read John 2:4. What does this exchange between Jesus and His mother suggest is the reason she told Jesus about the wine problem? (She believes that Jesus can fix the problem. Jesus knows exactly what she is asking. His response it that His career has not reached the point where He should be performing miracles.)
   3. Read John 2:5-7. Who is in charge here? (Apparently Jesus’ mother overrides Jesus’ concern over timing.)
      1. Is there a lesson in this for us? (Your godly parents should be honored. This also shows that Jesus listens to the needs of humans.)
      2. Why would Jesus’ mother care? She is not the parent of the bridal couple.
   4. Read John 2:7-9. Jesus has converted between 120 and 180 gallons of water into wine. What is the theme here? What sign do we learn about Jesus as God? (This miracle is completely unnecessary unless love for your parents, love for others, and helping others to avoid embarrassment are important necessities in life.)
   5. This is Jesus’ first miracle. Read about another first in Exodus 7:14-17. This is the first plague on Egypt. What point is being made to Pharaoh by turning water into blood? (Verse 17 reveals that by this Pharaoh will know who is God.)
      1. Is Jesus proving to us that He is God by the wedding miracle?
   6. Read John 2:10. Why does John include this assessment of the wine? (God does everything with excellence, and so should we.)
      1. How many times have you seen a Sabbath presentation that looks like it has been thrown together at the last moment?
   7. Read John 2:11-12. What does John tell us is the actual impact of Jesus’ first miracle? (Jesus’ disciples “believed in Him.” Jesus manifested “His glory.”)
2. A Healing Miracle
   
   1. Read John 4:46-47. News spread of the wedding miracle. Is this more complicated than changing water to wine?
   2. Read John 4:48. Why would Jesus say something like this? Hasn’t the father come to Jesus for healing? (Jesus is speaking about one of the themes of the book of John. The belief in question is whether Jesus is the Messiah. This father comes to Jesus for healing, not as a follower of Jesus.)
      1. Has anyone asked you to do something not because you are their friend, but because you have something they want? (Decades ago, long distance calls were expensive. “Friends” who never called just to talk, would leave a voice message asking me to call them long-distance to give them free legal advice. I think this is the motivation issue Jesus raises.)
   3. Read John 4:49-50. Has Jesus done more than the father requested? (Jesus shows that He does not need to see the son to heal him. Jesus merely speaks the healing word.)
   4. Read John 4:51-53. What does John want us to conclude?
      1. What motivated Jesus to do this miracle? (Once again, Jesus is showing compassion on someone who is not yet a believer. The miracle converted the father’s entire household.)
   5. Read John 4:54. When John refers to this “second sign,” this is a sign of what? (This statement is logically connected to our discussion of the healing of the son. The “sign” is not that Jesus is a healer, but rather that He is the Son of God.)
3. A Pool Miracle
   
   1. Read John 5:1-3. Try to imagine being there. According to the Life Application Commentary excavation reveals that there were two pools and five covered porches. This sounds like a beautiful place, but I picture this like a modern park with homeless people all over. How do you see it? (John 5:4 is not in the original text. Someone copying John wanted the reader to know why all these invalids were gathered here - it was the belief that they could be healed when the water moved.)
   2. Read John 5:5-6. Why did Jesus ask this question? Isn’t the answer obvious? (Jesus does not force Himself on us.)
   3. Read John 5:7. Is this an answer to Jesus’ question? (No. Jesus did not ask him what prevented him from getting in the water first. The invalid gave Jesus a practical answer. It assumed he wanted to be healed, but told of the obstacles to healing.)
   4. Read John 5:8-9. Did this man have any faith in Jesus before Jesus told him to “Get up?” (He did not know anything about Jesus or he would not have spoken about the practical problems.)
      1. Did the man exercise faith? (Yes. He had to try to get up - and he did.)
      2. Could Jesus have healed everyone at these pools? (The answer is, “yes.”)
         
         1. Why didn’t Jesus heal them all?
   5. Read Isaiah 35:4-6. Why has Jesus healed this man? (To show that He fulfills at least one Messianic prophecy. He is the Son of God.)
      1. Now the tough question. Is this why Jesus did not heal everyone? (Jesus is healing for His glory. See John 9:1-3.)
      2. Is this the only reason Jesus healed? (Turning water into wine does not fit that picture. Jesus has compassion on the people.)
   6. Read John 5:10-11. Is the former invalid an ungrateful person? He now blames Jesus? (Unlikely. If a man could heal him after 38 years of illness, then that man had authority.)
      1. Jesus knew that telling the man to carry his bed on Sabbath would create a problem. Why did He do it? (The man’s days as an invalid were over. Jesus’ order wiped away his past.)
   7. Read John 5:12-15. Is the former invalid now trying to get Jesus in trouble? (The former invalid thought they should know about Jesus. Plus, this shows the former invalid to be completely honest. When he could tell the leaders who it was who healed him, he did.)
   8. Look again at John 5:14. Wait a minute! Didn’t Jesus just have him sin by carrying his bed on Sabbath? (Jesus obviously did not consider it a sin.)
      1. Is Jesus teaching us that sin causes sickness? (Let’s revisit John 9:1-3. In the case of the blind man Jesus disconnects sickness from sin. After all, he was blind from birth. But we need to be honest that many people are sick because of their sins.)
   1. Read John 5:16-18. Put yourself in the place of the Jewish leaders. Would you want to kill someone for Sabbath breaking who had the power to heal?

4. The Miracles and Signs of Divinity
   
   1. Read John 5:19-21. What claim is Jesus making? (He says that He is the Son of God and that He has power to raise the dead to life.)
      1. Again, put yourself in the place of the Jewish leaders. Would this statement cause you to reconsider wanting to kill Jesus? (Certainly, something very special is going on. A reasonable person would take Jesus’ statements seriously.)
   2. Read John 5:22-23. Is this a warning to the Jewish leaders? (They are judging Jesus. They judge Him worthy of death. Jesus warns that He is the one who will execute judgment.)
   3. Read John 5:24. What promise does Jesus give us in the context of healing a guy who was an invalid for 38 years? (He has the power of life. If we believe that God sent Jesus we will not suffer judgment. Rather, we will pass from death to life.)
   4. Friend, would you like, right now, to pass from eternal death to eternal life? You can do that by believing Jesus is the Son of God who was sent by God to save us from eternal death.
5. Next week: Signs of Divinity.