Alive To God

In this sign, the raising of Lazarus from the dead is presented simply in two verses, John 11:43-44. But all the preceding verses in the chapter reveal great spiritual depths contained in this brief passage. Jesus raises the dead. In what ways does it affect how we see life and death differently? How does the hope of resurrection affect our viewpoint of living today? If we believe that Jesus as the Son of God will raise us from the dead, how will we see our present life and eternity in a new way? How will our relationship with Jesus change? Will we find new life in His name?

The Lord healed a blind man on the Sabbath to reveal the spiritual blindness of others that we might believe in Him. The sign began with the philosophical question posed by the disciples when they saw a man born blind. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:1-2).

John chose to highlight particular signs or miracles to help us believe that Jesus is who He says He is, and find life in His name and no other. One of the miracles is the event of the multiplication of loaves and fish in John 6.

John’s gospel has a stated purpose: “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). In this fourth sign, Jesus reaches out to a man who had an infirmity in the legs for 38 years. What can we gather from this sign to lead us to a fuller understanding of the Son and find reasons to plant our faith in Him?

This is Jesus’ second sign He did in Galilee (John 4:54), though He had performed other miracles (John 2:23) after the first sign performed in Cana of Galilee. This second sign was that of a boy who was close to death (John 4:47) healed merely by a spoken word from afar (John 4:50). The event was brief; the lessons plentiful.

Jesus disrupted the Jews’ lucrative commerce system in the outer court of the temple, which had been disturbing the worship of the godly non-Jews there (John 2:15-16). For this action, the Jews asked for a sign, for verification from God for His authority to do what He did (John 2:18). Jesus’ response was, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). John helpfully clarifies: “But He was speaking of the temple of His body” (John 2:21). Jesus and His union with the Father through the Spirit was the sign.

This is the first article of a series focusing on the seven signs in the Gospel of John. It’s not often that a book states a purpose, but John’s gospel does: “these [accounts of miracles] are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30). John highlighted seven miracles to help us see that knowing Jesus Christ as the Son of God will bring about a spiritual life known only to those who have put their trust in Him. We can certainly affirm with doctrinal correctness that Jesus is the Son of God, but it isn’t the same as Jesus revealing Himself to us in such as way that we place our faith in Him as the Son.

The Gospel of John is unique among the gospels in that the Father plays a major role. In John’s gospel, we get a better sense of who Jesus is to the Father, of the relationship and communion of the Father and the Son. When we grasp this relationship and believe in Him with this understanding, then we will be oriented toward Christ in a deeper way, a life-affirming way. An abiding communion with the Father and the Son should heavily define the Christian life, which John’s first epistle covers in more detail.