The many
miracles in the Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St. John
Have you
ever heard or read that the Gospel of St. John does not contain many miracles,
or that it only contains seven signs? I’ve
put together a small list, and we can conclude that the Gospel of John has at
least 12 – 17 miracles, or supernatural happenings, which go to show that Jesus
Christ is LORD.
#1) John 1:47-50 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of
him, “Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him.” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the
fig tree.” 49 Nathanael answered
him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” 50 Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you believe
because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater
things than this.”
Prescience.
That is not natural, that is supernatural, hence miracle #1 in the
Gospel of John. This is one of several
Johannine miracles which establish the Omniscience of Jesus. John goes to great lengths to show that Jesus
is Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omnibenevolent.
#2) John 2:9 And when the headwaiter tasted
the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from
Water into wine. This one is well known, so enough said there.
#3) John 2:23-25 While he was in Jerusalem
for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the
signs he was doing. 24 But Jesus
would not trust himself to them because he knew them all, 25 and did not need anyone to testify about human
nature. He himself understood it well.
This is not a miraculous act in and of
itself, but it is another testimony of a miraculous fact. It is a statement of Jesus omniscience –
Jesus needs nobody to tell Him anything, because He is God who knows everything
since all exists in Him.
#4) John 4:29 “Come see a man who told me
everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
When Jesus speaks to the woman at the well,
he “tells her all she has ever done”. I
do not know about you, but when I meet a stranger walking down the street, I do
not normally tell them everything they have done and have them proclaim that I
am the Messiah. I would say this is
miraculous, wouldn’t you?
#5) John 4:50-51 “You may go; your son will
live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. 51 While he was on his way back, his slaves met
him and told him that his boy would live.
Healing the Royal Officials son, Jesus
shows his Omnipotence and power over life and death, sickness and health.
#6) John 5:8-9 Jesus said to him, “Rise,
take up your mat, and walk.” 9 Immediately
the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.
Jesus heals and a paralytic. Again showing His Omnipotence.
#7) John 6:14 When the
people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one
who is to come into the world.” 1
Jesus multiplies the bread and fish, in an act prefiguring
the multiplication of His Own Body and Blood.
#8) John 6:19-20 When they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to
be afraid. 20 But he said to
them, “I AM. Do not be afraid.”
How’s that for a testimony of Jesus to His
Divinity? He comes walking on the water
to his disciples – they are, understandably, petrified. His reply?
“Do not fear, I am the LORD God.”
Oh, but he didn’t say that you say?
In Greek, Ergo Imee is the Name of God in Exodus. St. John was connecting Jesus words here with
Exodus, identifying Jesus with the LORD.
#9) John 6:21 They wanted to take him into
the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were
heading.
This one is often overlooked, but it is one
of my favorite miracles of Christ. After
the disciples have witnessed him feeding thousands of people with a few loaves
of bread, and then walking on water and saying He is God, Jesus tops it all off
by teleporting them to shore from the middle of the sea. It’s like Jesus was saying “do you get it
now? I told you, I AM GOD”.
#10) John 7:29-30 I know
him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they tried to arrest him, but no one laid a
hand upon him, because his hour had not yet come.
Jesus again infuriates his audience by
making blatant claims to Godhood. He
gets them so upset at his insistent claims of Divinity that they decide to
arrest him so they can bring him up on charges of blasphemy and stone him. Jesus had other plans in mind. Jesus, since He is God, has complete
Sovereignty over the hearts and minds of men.
So he did not worry, his hour had not yet come, he simply strolled out
of there and there was nothing they could do.
How are you going to lay hands on God unless God wants you to lay hands
on Him?
#11) John chapter 9. The entire 9th chapter of St.
Johns Gospel is about Jesus healing a man born blind. Quite an impressive miracle.
#12) John 10:39 [Then]
they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power.
This ties in with #10. Again, Jesus infuriates his audience by
making blatant claims to Divinity. And
again, they want to kill him, but it is not time. So He uses his Sovereign Omnipotence to allow
himself a safe retreat from his infuriated audience. Some manuscripts also say “He hid himself and
so passed by”. I like to imagine Jesus
making himself go invisible, like He did in some of his post-resurrection
appearances, and His angry mob then sitting in bewilderment and thinking “wow,
maybe his claims of divinity are true?”
#13) John chapter 11. The entire 11th chapter of John is
a prefiguring of what is to happen at the end of this Gospel story. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, just as
the Father will raise the Son from the dead.
#14 – 16) numbers 14 through 16 happen
throughout the final chapters of the Gospel of John. They include knowledge of His own death, and
knowledge over who was to betray him (Omniscience) and power over the guards
who arrest him (when they go to arrest him, he says the Divine Name, I AM! And they
fall back because of the Mighty Power of God) and finally His own Glorious
Resurrection and post-Resurrection appearances.
So in summary, I believe I have
demonstrated how the common opinion that there are only seven miracles in Johns
gospel is false, and there are actually about twice as many, at least 14, and
as many as 18, depending on how you count and what you count as a miracle.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy
on me a sinner.
Pray for me, brothers and sisters!
