1. Seeing, Hearing and Believing: the Role of Signs in John’s Gospel

2. Sir Alec Guinness

3. Miraculous Healing
Faith in Christ

4. John 4:43-54
After the two days he left for Galilee….

5. … {44} (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) …

6. John 4:39-42
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” {40} So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. {41} And because of his words many more became believers….

7. … {42} They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

8. … {45} When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him….
… They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there….

9. John 2:13-24
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. {14} In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money….

10. … {15} .So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. {16} To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”
{17} His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” …

11. … {18} The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
{19} Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” {20} They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” {21} But the temple he had spoken of was his body….

12. … {22} After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken….

13. … {23} Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.
…{24} But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. {25} He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.

14. It’s possible to see or witness a sign and still miss its significance.

15. Because their “believing” was based entirely on seeing the miraculous wonders Jesus was performing, and not really hearing the words he had been using to explain their significance, the folks in Jerusalem were misinterpreting these “signs”—viewing them as indications that Jesus was merely an anointed prophet and worker of wonders, rather than the stairway to heaven and savior of the world.

16. John 3:1-2
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. {2} He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

17. John 6:14
After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

18. So, we see that it was possible for people to see the signs Jesus performed without fully understanding their significance.
John tells us plainly that the purpose of Jesus’ signs was not to cause people to believe that he was a prophet, or an especially anointed teacher, but that he is the very stairway to heaven—the savior of the world!

19. John 20:30-31
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. {31} 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.

20. We’re still looking at the early chapters of the Gospel—chapters in which John is introducing his readers to the main themes of his version of the Jesus story.
What we’re about to discover is that one of the main themes of John’s Gospel is the role of signs in Jesus’ ministry: the importance of both seeing and hearing to authentic believing in Jesus.

21. Seeing Jesus' Wonders
True Believing
Passages which indicate the value of seeing Jesus’ wonders: John 2:11; 7:31; 10:41-42; 11:47-48; 20:30-31.

22. Hearing Jesus' Words
True Believing
Passages which indicate the importance of hearing Jesus’ words: John 4:41; 5:24; 6:63; 6:68; 7:40; 14:10; 17:8.

23. Seeing Jesus' Wonders
Hearing Jesus’ Words
True Believing
Passages which indicate how that it’s both seeing Jesus’ wonders and hearing Jesus words that produces true believing: John 2:11; 7:31; 10:41-42; 11:47-48; 20:30-31.

24. But what we’re going to discover in the next few chapters is that this warm welcome wasn’t because the Jews wanted to hear what Jesus had to say; it was because they wanted to see Jesus do some exciting, helpful things.

25. Or, to put it differently, unlike the Samaritans who believed as a result of hearing Jesus’ words, the “Jews”—Jesus’ countrymen—virtually demanded that he perform miraculous wonders.
And most of these folks wouldn’t believe, even then!

26. …{46} Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine….
John 2:11  
This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.

27. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum
And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. {47} When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.…

29. …{48} "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." …

30. Even though Jesus performed miraculous wonders fully expecting people to come to faith because of them (John 10:24-25, 37-38; 14:1), it really, really irritated Jesus whenever anyone required that he perform a miraculous sign before they would believe.

31. Matthew 16:1-4
The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
{2} He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ {3} and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times….

32. … {4} A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus then left them and went away.

33. Mark 8:11-13
The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. {12} He sighed deeply and said, “Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it.” {13} Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

34. Luke 11:29-32
As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. {30} For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation…

35. … {31} The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here. {32} The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.

36. So, do you get the idea that Jesus could be more than a little frustrated when his Jewish countrymen would require—virtually demand—a sign before they’d even listen to what he had to say?

37. There’s a sense in which Jesus’ rebuff was his way giving this guy the opportunity to indicate that he wasn’t playing the same game so many of his fellow Jews were playing—that his motive for seeking a miraculous wonder was sincere rather than snide, surreptitious and steeped in skepticism.

38. …{49} The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies
… {50} Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." …

39. Now the man had a decision to make:
Would he continue to try to coerce Jesus into making the trip with him back to Capernaum—so he could see Jesus perform the miracle—or would he trust that Jesus could heal his son from 20 miles away?

40. What happened then????
… The man took Jesus at his word and departed….

41. What would he find when he arrived at his house: celebration or mourning?
… {51} While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living….

42. … {52} When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour." {53} Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed….

43. … {54} This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

45. Some Lessons that Linger:
This text presents Jesus performing a powerful miracle: healing a dying boy long-distance! Do we really believe that the risen Christ can still perform such powerful wonders in our lives? Does our praying reflect this sincere belief?

46. According to this text, our motive and approach matter to Jesus
According to this text, our motive and approach matter to Jesus. We shouldn’t expect him to perform miracles just to satisfy our desire to experience something paranormal! Nor should our approach to Jesus involve a quid pro quo: “I’ll believe only if you do this or that.” Could it be that one of the reasons why we don’t see more miracles in our lives is because our motive and approach are not what they should be?

47. According to this text, when seeking a miracle from the hand of Christ, it’s not always enough to simply ask once. We need to keep asking until we receive from Jesus a certain word of promise. Could it be that another reason why we don’t see more miracles in our lives is because we have developed the habit of giving up too soon in our asking?

48. According to this text, the word of promise we receive from Jesus is often accompanied by a word of instruction. In order to experience the miracle we seek we have to do something first: e.g., “go home” (4:50), “get up” (5:8), “sit down” (6:10), “go and wash” (9:7), “take away the stone” (11:38), etc. Could it be that yet another reason why we don’t see more miracles in our lives is because we haven’t yet heard or obeyed a word of instruction given us by Jesus? Shouldn’t we, like the Herodian, “take Jesus at his word”?

49. This text shows Jesus performing a miracle for a guy who didn’t even fully believe in him yet. Sometimes people really do come to faith in Christ because they witness a miracle performed by him! Are we as careful as we should be to encourage sincere seekers to bring their desperate needs to the risen Jesus, hoping for a miracle?

50. The larger context of this passage seems to be saying to us that the best witness involves both hearing and seeing—both words and wonders. Is it possible that God wants our weekly gathering to function as a “thin place” where hurting people might experience both the words and wonders of Jesus? How badly do we want to become such a sacramental community? What do you think might be standing in the way? What do you need to do in order to help this happen? Will you?

51. Finally, I believe that the primary lesson John intended his readers to take away from this text is that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Have you truly embraced him as such yet? Isn’t it time you did so … really?

52. “The Weeping Professor”
Dr. James Loder

53. Will you require that Jesus perform a miracle for you before you believe?
John 20:28-29
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” {29} Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

54. Seeing, Hearing and Believing: the Role of Signs in John’s Gospel