João 2

João 2

Hendriksen says a sign (semeion) "indicates a miracle viewed as a proof of divine authority and majesty. Hence, it leads the attention of the spectator away from the deed itself to the divine Doer....the sign points away from itself to the One who performed it." Why does John use the term signs and not miracle? They are closely related. "Signs served as authentication for Jesus’ nature & mission. A sign is a miracle that points beyond itself to a major truth about God, made known through Jesus Christ." (Bell) Jesus did in Cana of Galilee - It is notable that this event was understood as a miracle only by Jesus' disciples, the servants present, and Jesus' mother. We see the response of the disciples, but there is no record of how the servants responded! Will we see some of them in Heaven??? Believer's Study Bible - John speaks of Christ's "miracles" as signs (semeion, Gk.). The word stresses the spiritual significance of the miracle and points away from itself to Christ who performed it. John chooses seven major signs to relate in his Gospel, each characteristically pointing the way to Christ and, hence, to some aspect of the meaning of salvation (cf. Jn 2:1-11; 4:46-54; 5:1-16; 6:1-14; 6:15-21; 9:1-41; 11:1-46). John's entire Gospel is designed to convince its readers that Jesus is the Son of God through whom one may truly live, in this life and in eternity (Jn 20:30, 31). (The Believer's Study Bible) Charles Ryrie - The miracles of Jesus are called signs by John in order to emphasize the significance of the miracles rather than the miracles themselves. They revealed various aspects of the person or work of Christ (here His glory), and their purpose was to encourage faith in His followers. For the specific signs in this book, see Introduction under "Contents" (John 1:1+) (BORROW Ryrie Study Bible) Henry