Signposts to God; John 1-4

May the mumbling commence! 

Today, we begin our journey through the gospel according to John.  There is so much rich material in the first four chapters of John!  Where do I start?  I will take my cue from a pair of passages toward the end of John.  Read them below:

Jesus did many other miraculous 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 Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (20:30-31)

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (21:25)

The author of John points his readers to signs of Jesus.  Two (and possibly a hidden third) signs are contained in the first four chapters of John.  I will focus on the two signposts to God that the author directly labels.  Read the first one from chapter two:

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." 

"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." 

His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. 

Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. 

Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet."

They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now." 

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. (Verses 1-11)

There are two miraculous things to ponder in this familiar water to wine story, and neither one of them is the physical changing of the water into wine.  First, the stone water jars were for ceremonial washing before meals.  By using these jars, Jesus was showing his disciples that he was better able to cleanse than the old traditions and customs of their elders. 

Secondly, the wine created from the water was the best till now.  Through the work of Jesus, the wine was the best yet.  Jesus surpassed the old traditions and customs because he was the first to fulfill them.  What a sign! 

Now, read the second sign from John chapter four:

Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.  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. 

"Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." 

The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 

Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."

The man took Jesus at his word and departed.  While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.  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." 

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. 

This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.  (Verses 46-54)

While Jesus’ first sign pointed to a greater life in quality and duration – eternal life with the Father – Jesus’ second sign points to God’s ability to heal deadly illnesses.  And the healing will come regardless of if we sense God’s presence through Jesus. 

Will we take Jesus at his word and act in faith?  In both signposts to God, people, through their faith, needed to accept Jesus at his word (the servants and the royal official). 

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out