Themes in the Gospel of John

Signs That Point the Way

Lesson #1 for October 5, 2024

Scriptures:John 2:1-11; 4:46-54; 5:1-47; 20:30-31; Mark 3:22-23; Matthew 12:9-14.

1. Why did John write his Gospel? What were the circumstances? John focused on a few miracles in his Gospel. They were almost all performed on the Sabbath. He then chose to connect those miracles with the kind of power Jesus exercised and what His relationship to God was. Would that be enough to convince you that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God?

John 20:30-31: ³⁰In his disciples’ presence Jesus performed many other miracles which are not written down in this book. ³¹But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life.—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed.,John 20:30-31). New York: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible].^†‡

2. We have just finished studying the Gospel of Mark, and we discovered that much of Mark’s Gospel was for the purpose of convincing us that Jesus was the Messiah. Which Gospel do you enjoy studying the most? Why? Why is John so different from the other three Gospels? It was written much later and with a different emphasis. Why are the other three Gospels so similar to each other?
3. What is/are the most important thing(s) that convince(s) you that Jesus is/was the Messiah/Christ, the “Anointed One,” the Son of God?
4. John’s Gospel was written about 30 years after the other Gospels. It was written at a time when John was the only disciple still alive. Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans, and the Jews were scattered all over the Mediterranean world. Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament, had become essentially a dead language! Did John feel more free to talk about major issues because of those things? John was living in Ephesus among a small community of Christian believers. They were in contact with other communities of believers in nearby cities of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). John wrote Revelation before he wrote his Gospel.
5. John made some very, very important statements about truths that are foundational to our understanding of the gospel message. Is that because he had many years of interaction with believers to think about what was really important?
6. Was it more difficult for the Jews in Jesus’s day to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God? Or, is it more difficult for us, 2000 years later?
7. John’s Gospel is the most chronologically detailed of any of the Gospels. While he focused on events that happened mostly in Jerusalem, he gave us enough chronological information to put together most of the details of the 3.5 years of the ministry of Jesus. None of the other Gospels give us those details.
8. We will look at three of Jesus’s earliest miracles and then look at several miracles performed on the Sabbath, done at least partially to confront the Jewish leaders’ views of the Sabbath.

[From the Bible study guide=BSG:] John calls these miracles “signs.” He does not mean something like a street sign, but rather a miraculous event that points toward a deeper reality: Jesus as the Messiah. In all these accounts, we see examples of people who responded by faith. And their examples invite us to do the same.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sabbath Afternoon, October 28.^†‡

9. Before reading the Gospel of John, the only earlier parts of the ministry of Jesus that we have known about are: (1) His baptism, (2) His 40 days of fasting, prayer, and temptations from the Devil, and (3) Jesus’s return to the place where John was baptizing. After John had pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, some of John’s disciples began to follow Jesus.
10. James and John may have been the cousins of Jesus. And John may have been the first disciple to decide to follow Jesus, even before John the Baptist encouraged them to do so.
11. Consider these very interesting details from the writings of Ellen White.

[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] He [Jesus] had been separated from his mother for quite a length of time. During this period he had been baptized by John and had endured the temptations in the wilderness. Rumors had reached Mary concerning her son and his sufferings. John, one of the new disciples, had searched for Christ and had found him in his humiliation, emaciated, and bearing the marks of great physical and mental distress. Jesus, unwilling that John should witness his humiliation, had gently yet firmly dismissed him from his presence. He wished to be alone; no human eye must behold his agony, no human heart be called out in sympathy with his distress. [Compare Gethsemane.]

The disciple had sought Mary in her home and related to her the incidents of this meeting with Jesus, as well as the event of his baptism, when the voice of God was heard in acknowledgment of his Son, and the prophet John had pointed to Christ, saying “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” For thirty years this woman had been treasuring up evidences that Jesus was the Son of God, the promised Saviour [sic-Br] of the world. Joseph was dead, and she had no one in whom to confide the cherished thoughts of her heart. She had fluctuated between hope and perplexing doubts, but always feeling more or less of an assurance that her son was indeed the Promised One.—Ellen G. White, The Spirit of Prophecy,* vol. 2, 99.2-3; Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary,*^¶ vol. 5, 1132.2-3.^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p143.405&index=0]^‡

12. Turning to Jesus’s attendance at the wedding in Cana and His first miracle:

John 2:1-11: ¹Two days later [after Jesus’s initial call of the first 5 disciples to be with Him part time] there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ²and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³When the wine had given out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine left.” [Why did Mary speak to Jesus about that problem?]

⁴ “You must not tell me what to do,” Jesus replied. “My time has not yet come.”

⁵ Jesus’ mother then told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

⁶ The Jews have rules about ritual washing, and for this purpose six stone water jars were there, each one large enough to hold about a hundred litres [sic-Br]. ⁷Jesus said to the servants, “Fill these jars with water.” They filled them to the brim, ⁸and then he told them, “Now draw some water out and take it to the man in charge of the feast.” They took him the water, ⁹which now had turned into wine, and he tasted it. He did not know where this wine had come from (but, of course, the servants who had drawn out the water knew); so he called the bridegroom ¹⁰and said to him, “Everyone else serves the best wine first, and after the guests have had plenty to drink, he serves the ordinary wine. But you have kept the best wine until now!”

¹¹ Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana in Galilee; there he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.—Good News Bible.*^†‡

13. No doubt, that was the best grape juice that they had ever tasted. They were beginning to see that Jesus could not only influence the lives of people, but also, He could control nature!
14. The Greek term oinos in that passage is used both for both fresh and fermented grape juice.

[EGW:] The wine which Christ provided for the feast, and that which He gave to the disciples as a symbol of His own blood, was the pure juice of the grape. To this the prophet Isaiah refers when he speaks of the new wine “in the cluster,” and says, “Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it.”Isaiah 65:8.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 149.3.^†‡

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15. Why do you think Jesus chose the setting of a wedding as the place for His first miracle?

[BSG:] For His first miracle, Jesus could have chosen to perform a spectacular resurrection from the dead before a big crowd of Jewish leaders and dignitaries. But, instead, He chose a simple gathering in a small town and met its humble people where they were, in their everyday activities.―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 15.^‡

[BSG:] Seeing Jesus perform the miracle of changing the water into wine provided evidence in favor of the disciples’ decision to follow Jesus. How could it not have been a powerful sign pointing to Him as being someone from God? (They probably were not yet ready to understand that He was God.)―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sunday, September 29.^†‡

16. The Devil has been doing everything he can to destroy human marriages almost from the days of the Garden of Eden. He understands how crucial marriages are to God’s plan. When we enter the kingdom of heaven, we will be expected to live in harmony with all kinds of people from all cultures and all epochs of time. One of the most important things that we need to learn from marriage is how to get along with at least one other person who does not see things the same way we do! Marriage is a warmup for heaven!

[EGW:] Jesus saw in every soul one to whom must be given the call to His kingdom. He reached the hearts of the people by going among them as one who desired their good. He sought them in the public streets, in private houses, on the boats, in the synagogue, by the shores of the lake, and at the marriage feast. He met them at their daily vocations, and manifested an interest in their secular affairs. He carried His instruction into the household, bringing families in their own homes under the influence of His divine presence. His strong personal sympathy helped to win hearts. He often repaired to the mountains for solitary prayer, but this was a preparation for His labor among men in active life. From these seasons He came forth to relieve the sick, to instruct the ignorant, and to break the chains from the captives of Satan.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 151.2.^†‡

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[BSG:] God prophesied through Moses that a prophet would come who was like Moses. God asked Israel to hear Him (Deut. 18:15,Matt. 17:5,Acts 7:37). That “prophet” was Jesus and, in John 2, Jesus performed His first sign, which itself pointed back to the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sunday, September 29.^‡§

Deuteronomy 18:15: [Moses said:] “Instead, he will send you a prophet like me from among your own people, and you are to obey him.”—Good News Bible.*^‡

17. When the Jews talked about a “prophet to come” who would be like Moses, what do you think they were hoping that the Messiah would do? They desperately wanted Him to free them from the Romans!

[EGW:] The example of Christ in linking Himself with the interests of humanity should be followed by all who preach His word, and by all who have received the gospel of His grace. We are not to renounce social communion. We should not seclude ourselves from others. In order to reach all classes, we must meet them where they are. They will seldom seek us of their own accord. Not alone from the pulpit are the hearts of men touched by divine truth. There is another field of labor, humbler, it may be, but fully as promising. It is found in the home of the lowly, and in the mansion of the great; at the hospitable board, and in gatherings for innocent social enjoyment.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 152.2.^†‡

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18. Remember that there were many miracles that took place at the time of the Exodus.

[BSG:] The river Nile was a key resource and a deity for the Egyptians. One of the plagues was directed at the river—the changing of its waters to blood. At Cana, Jesus performed a similar miracle but, instead of turning water into blood, He turned it into wine.

The water came from six water pots used for purification purposes in Jewish rituals, linking the miracle even more closely to biblical themes of salvation. By recounting the incident of changing the water to wine, and thus referring back to the Exodus, John was pointing to Jesus as our Deliverer.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sunday, September 29.^†‡

19. The next miracle that Jesus performed took place in the same city where Jesus had turned water into wine; but, it was a healing. Cana was halfway between Capernaum and Nazareth.

John 4:46-54: ⁴⁶ Then Jesus went back to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. A government official was there whose son was ill in Capernaum. ⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to go to Capernaum and heal his son, who was about to die. ⁴⁸Jesus said to him, “None of you will ever believe unless you see miracles and wonders.”

⁴⁹ “Sir,” replied the official, “come with me before my child dies.”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, “Go, your son will live!”

The man believed Jesus’ words and went. ⁵¹On his way home his servants met him with the news, “Your boy is going to live!”

⁵² He asked them what time it was when his son got better, and they answered, “It was one o’clock yesterday afternoon when the fever left him.” ⁵³Then the father remembered it was at that very hour that Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his family believed.

⁵⁴ This was the second miracle that Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.—Good News Bible.*^†

20. It is likely that the mother of this boy who was healed in Capernaum was Joanna, “the wife of Chuza.” (SeeLuke 8:3.)
21. This was another miracle that Jesus performed which was proof that His power was above and beyond any other person or prophet. He could speak a word in Cana, and the nobleman’s son was healed miles away in Capernaum. This was certainly way beyond the ability of the disciples or any other humans at that time to understand!

[EGW:] On reaching Cana he found a throng surrounding Jesus. With an anxious heart he pressed through to the Saviour’s [sic-Br] presence. His faith faltered when he saw only a plainly dressed man, dusty and worn with travel. He doubted that this Person could do what he had come to ask of Him; yet he secured an interview with Jesus, told his errand, and besought the Saviour [sic-Br] to accompany him to his home. But already his sorrow was known to Jesus. Before the officer had left his home, the Saviour [sic-Br] had beheld his affliction.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 197.1.^†‡

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[BSG:] At first, Jesus’ response to the nobleman’s plea may seem harsh. Yet, this official had made the healing of his son the criterion for believing in Jesus. Jesus read his heart and pinpointed the spiritual sickness that was more profound than his son’s life-threatening illness. Like a lightning bolt from a blue sky, the man suddenly recognized that his spiritual poverty could cost the life of his son.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Monday, September 30.^†‡

22. Before we jump to conclusions, we need to remember that the Devil can also perform miracles. Even if we were to see a miracle, what other criteria must we consider before believing it is from God?Deuteronomy 13:1-5 tells us that before we accept a miracle as evidence of proof that God is acting, we must make sure that what is said in connection with that miracle is consistent with everything else we know about God.

Deuteronomy 13:1-5: ¹ “Prophets or interpreters of dreams may promise a miracle or a wonder, ²in order to lead you to worship and serve gods that you have not worshipped before. Even if what they promise comes true, ³do not pay any attention to them. The LORD your God is using them to test you, to see if you love the LORD with all your heart. ⁴Follow the LORD and honour [sic-Br] him; obey him and keep his commands; worship him and be faithful to him. ⁵But put to death any interpreters of dreams or prophets who tell you to rebel against the LORD, who rescued you from Egypt, where you were slaves. Such people are evil and are trying to lead you away from the life that the LORD has commanded you to live. They must be put to death, in order to rid yourselves of this evil.”—Good News Bible.*^‡ [Are miracles still being performed today? Are some performed by the Devil?]^‡

23. For evidence that signs, wonders, and miracles by themselves do not prove that something is from God, review Revelation 13 & 14. See for example:

Revelation 13:13: This second beast performed great miracles; it made fire come down out of heaven to earth in the sight of everyone.—Good News Bible.*^†

24. Next, we turn toJohn 5:1-10, the record of the miracle at the pool of Bethesda/Bethzatha.

John 5:1-10: ¹After this, Jesus went to Jerusalem for a religious festival. ²Near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem there is a pool with five porches; in Hebrew it is called Bethzatha. ³A large crowd of sick people were lying in the porches — the blind, the lame, and the paralysed [sic-Br]. [Some manuscripts add verses 3b-4: They were waiting for the water to move, ⁴ because every now and then {they believed} an angel of the Lord went down into the pool and stirred up the water. The first sick person to go into the pool after the water was stirred up was healed from whatever disease he had.] ⁵A man was there who had been ill for 38 years. ⁶Jesus saw him lying there, and he knew that the man had been ill for such a long time [How did Jesus know about this man’s history?]; so he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ The sick man answered, “Sir, I have no one here to put me in the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am trying to get in, somebody else gets there first.”

⁸ Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat, and walk.” ⁹Immediately the man got well; he picked up his mat and started walking.

The day this happened was a Sabbath, ¹⁰so the Jewish authorities told the man who had been healed, “This is a Sabbath, and it is against our Law [Was it against God’s law?] for you to carry your mat.”—Good News Bible.*^†‡

25. Try to imagine yourself in the place of that paralyzed man. He had been lying there for many years. Suddenly, a stranger came up and asked if he would like to be well!

[EGW:] Jesus does not ask this sufferer to exercise faith in Him. He simply says, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.” But the man’s faith takes hold upon that word. Every nerve and muscle thrills with new life, and healthful action comes to his crippled limbs. Without question he sets his will to obey the command of Christ, and all his muscles respond to his will. Springing to his feet, he finds himself an active man.

Jesus had given him [the disabled man] no assurance of divine help. The man might have stopped to doubt, and lost his one chance of healing. But he believed Christ’s word, and in acting upon it he received strength.

Through the same faith we may receive spiritual healing. By sin we have been severed from the life of God. Our souls are palsied. Of ourselves we are no more capable of living a holy life than was the impotent man capable of walking. There are many who realize their helplessness, and who long for that spiritual life which will bring them into harmony with God; they are vainly striving to obtain it. In despair they cry, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?”Romans 7:24, margin. Let these desponding, struggling ones look up. The Saviour [sic-Br] is bending over the purchase of His blood, saying with inexpressible tenderness and pity, “Wilt thou be made whole?” He bids you arise in health and peace. Do not wait to feel that you are made whole. Believe His word, and it will be fulfilled. Put your will on the side of Christ. Will to serve Him, and in acting upon His word you will receive strength. Whatever may be the evil practice, the master passion which through long indulgence binds both soul and body, Christ is able and longs to deliver. He will impart life to the soul that is “dead in trespasses.”Ephesians 2:1. He will set free the captive that is held by weakness and misfortune and the chains of sin.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 202.3-203.2.^†‡

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26. What is the relationship between sickness and sin? While it is true that sin is ultimately the cause of all sickness, disease, and death, in most cases there is no direct link to any specific sin. However, many of the Jews believed the opposite and thought there was a direct link between disease and specific sin(s).
27. It is interesting to note that John, writing many years after the event took 9 or 10 verses to describe this miracle. However, John took 40 verses to describe the One who performed the miracle. Clearly, this is consistent with John’s overall goal to teach us the truth about Jesus.
28. What does the word faith mean in this lesson? How can we know for sure that we have faith?
29. Incredibly, the Jewish leaders wanted to kill Jesus because He healed that man on the Sabbath, and because Jesus had told him to carry his mat on the Sabbath!
30. Didn’t Jesus know about the rules for carrying things on the Sabbath? Of course He did. This was an opportunity for Him to challenge those nonsensical rules. And Jesus was demonstrating that He was following biblical principles more than they were!
31. Was it wrong for Jesus to perform miracles and do some other kinds of “work” on the Sabbath? And to directly challenge their man-made rules?
32. Jesus also performed other miracles on the Sabbath. Was that some kind of a pattern? Why do you think John particularly emphasized miracles done on the Sabbath?

John 9:1-16: ¹ As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been born blind. ²His disciples asked him, “Teacher, whose sin caused him to be born blind? Was it his own or his parents’ sin?”

³ Jesus answered, “His blindness has nothing to do with his sins or his parents’ sins. He is blind so that God’s power might be seen at work in him. ⁴As long as it is day, we must keep on doing the work of him who sent me; night is coming when no one can work. ⁵While I am in the world, I am the light for the world.”

⁶ After he said this, Jesus spat on the ground and made some mud with the spittle; he rubbed the mud on the man’s eyes ⁷and said, “Go and wash your face in the Pool of Siloam.” (This name means “Sent”. [sic]) So the man went, washed his face, and came back seeing.

⁸ His neighbours [sic-Br], then, and the people who had seen him begging before this, asked, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?”

⁹Some said, “He is the one,” but others said, “No he isn’t; he just looks like him.”

So the man himself said, “I am the man.”

¹⁰ “How is it that you can now see?” they asked him.

¹¹ He answered, “The man called Jesus made some mud, rubbed it on my eyes, and told me to go to Siloam and wash my face. So I went, and as soon as I washed, I could see.”

¹² “Where is he?” they asked.

“I don’t know,” he answered.

¹³ Then they took to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴The day that Jesus made the mud and cured him of his blindness was a Sabbath. ¹⁵The Pharisees, then, asked the man again how he had received his sight. He told them, “He put some mud on my eyes; I washed my face, and now I can see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “The man who did this cannot be from God, for he does not obey the [Pharisees’] Sabbath law.”

Others, however, said, “How could a man who is a sinner perform such miracles as these?” And there was a division among them.—Good News Bible.*^†‡

33. The healing of this man born blind was a real problem for the Pharisees and the scribes. Some of them recognized that Jesus must be from God because no one without God’s power could heal such a person. Others said that He could not be from God because He was breaking their Sabbath rules! How would you resolve an argument like that?
34. Another miracle that Jesus performed on the Sabbath is recorded inMatthew 12:9-14.

Matthew 12:9-14: ⁹ Jesus left that place and went to a synagogue, ¹⁰where there was a man who had a paralysed [sic-Br] hand. Some people were there who wanted to accuse Jesus of doing wrong, so they asked him, “Is it against our Law to heal on the Sabbath?”

¹¹ Jesus answered, “What if one of you has a sheep and it falls into a deep hole on the Sabbath? Will you not take hold of it and lift it out? ¹²And a human being is worth much more than a sheep! So then, our Law does allow us to help someone on the Sabbath.” ¹³Then he said to the man with the paralysed [sic-Br] hand, “Stretch out your hand.”

He stretched it out, and it became well again, just like the other one. ¹⁴Then the Pharisees left and made plans to kill Jesus.—Good News Bible.*^†‡

[BSG:] How could these religious leaders be so blind? The likely answer is that it was because of their own corrupt hearts, their false belief that the Messiah would deliver them from Rome now, and their love of power and lack of surrender to God. All these helped cause them to reject the truth that stood right before them.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Wednesday.^‡

John 5:24-29: ²⁴ “I am telling you the truth: those who hear my words and believe in him who sent me have eternal life. They will not be judged, but have already passed from death to life. ²⁵I am telling you the truth: the time is coming — the time has already come — when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear it will come to life. ²⁶Just as the Father is himself the source of life, in the same way he has made his Son to be the source of life. ²⁷And he has given the Son the right to judge, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸Do not be surprised at this; the time is coming when all the dead will hear his voice ²⁹and come out of their graves: those who have done good will rise and live, and those who have done evil will rise and be condemned.”—Good News Bible.*^†

35. As we have already seen in the Gospel of John, Jesus was almost constantly at war with the religious leaders who were continually trying to defend their man-made rules.

[BSG:] Jesus defends His actions in three steps. First, He explains His intimate relationship with the Father (John 5:19–30). Jesus indicates that He and His Father act in harmony, to the point that Jesus has the power both to judge and to raise the dead (John 5:25–30).

Second, Jesus calls four “witnesses” in rapid succession to His defense—John the Baptist (John 5:31–35), the miracles Jesus does (John 5:36), the Father (John 5:37, 38), and the Scriptures (John 5:39). Each of these “witnesses” gives testimony in favor of Jesus.

Finally, inJohn 5:40–47, Jesus sets before His accusers their own condemnation, revealing the contrast between His ministry and their self-seeking. Their condemnation, He says, will come from Moses (John 5:45–47), the one in whom they have set their hopes.―Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Thursday, October 3.^†‡§

John 5:46-47: ⁴⁶ “If you had really believed Moses, you would have believed me, because he wrote about me. ⁴⁷But since you do not believe what he wrote, how can you believe what I say?”—Good News Bible.*

36. What about us today? Is it still true that if one does not believe the writings of Moses, s/he is denying the words of Jesus?

[EGW:] Jesus repelled the charge of blasphemy. My authority, He said, for doing the work of which you accuse Me, is that I am the Son of God, one with Him in nature, in will, and in purpose. In all His works of creation and providence, I co-operate with God. “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do.” The priests and rabbis were taking the Son of God to task for the very work He had been sent into the world to do. By their sins they had separated themselves from God, and in their pride were moving independently of Him. They felt sufficient in themselves for all things, and realized no need of a higher wisdom to direct their acts. But the Son of God was surrendered to the Father’s will, and dependent upon His power. So utterly was Christ emptied of self that He made no plans for Himself. He accepted God’s plans for Him, and day by day the Father unfolded His plans. [Was it in prayer each night that Jesus discovered His Father’s will?] So should we depend upon God, that our lives may be the simple outworking of His will.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 208.2.^‡

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37. What was the purpose of Jesus doing those miracles on Sabbath?

[BSG:] First of all, they were done to fulfill certain human needs, which always included a spiritual dimension of forgiveness and restoration. Second, unlike a great deal of so-called miracles today, Jesus never performed miracles to satisfy human curiosity but to help those in need.―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 14.^†‡

[EGW:] …. Neither here [when tempted by Satan] nor at any subsequent time in His earthly life did He work a miracle in His own behalf. His wonderful works were all for the good of others. Though Jesus recognized Satan from the beginning, He was not provoked to enter into controversy with him. Strengthened with the memory of the voice from heaven, He rested in His Father’s love. He would not parley with temptation.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 119.3.^†‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.487&index=0]^‡

38. More reasons for Jesus performing miracles include:

[BSG:] Third, Christ’s miracles served to give clear evidence of the veracity of His divine message and mission to lost humanity. When Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead, the people proclaimed that “God has visited His people” (Luke 7:16, NKJV). That was explicit evidence of His true Messiahship.―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 14.^†‡§

Luke 7:16: They all were filled with fear and praised God. “A great prophet has appeared among us!” they said; “God has come to save his people!”—Good News Bible.*

39. Still another reason for Jesus performing miracles includes:

[BSG:] Fourth, His miracles served as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, corresponding to what God’s patriarchs and prophets had foretold about Him.―Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 14.^†‡

40. Later, John told us that there were many other things that Jesus did that did not get written down. Why did he focus on miracles done on the Sabbath? This was a direct irritation to the Pharisees! Of course, by the time John was writing, Jerusalem had been destroyed, and the Sadducees and the Pharisees were no longer a force among the Jewish people.
41. What would it take for us today, to believe that God had performed a miracle among us? Will God soon be performing miracles in the time of trouble? Will the Devil?
42. The Jewish leaders had rules that they had made up which they considered to be actually more important than the biblical principles themselves. And every time Jesus performed a miracle contrary to their rules such as healing someone on the Sabbath, their hearts became harder and harder. But, not all Pharisees ended up with hard hearts. Think of Saul/Paul, Barnabas, Simon the leper, Nicodemus, and Joseph of Arimathea.

Acts 6:7: And so the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew larger and larger, and a great number of priests accepted the faith.—Good News Bible.*^†

8 2021-2024, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. ^HBold type is added. ^IText in brackets is added. ^{Text in curly brackets is added. ^ΩBrackets and the content in brackets within the paragraph are in the Bible study guide or source. ^'Italic type is in the source. ^¶Compared with the first source, this source has punctuation and/or capitalization differences only. [sic-Br]=This is correct as quoted; it is the British spelling.                  

Last Modified: September 8, 2024                                                                                     Email: Info@theox.org