Just as John’s Gospel contains seven signs of Jesus, so does it contain seven “I Am” statements. These statements reveal nuances about Christ’s identity, who he is, and what he came to accomplish.When the crowds come to Jesus, they immediately ask, “What must we do to be doing the works of God (John 6:28)?” This question strikes at the heart of the impulse of the natural man, the man who has never...  Read More

The fifth sign of Jesus in the Gospel of John is layered with theological depth. While all 12 disciples set out across the sea on a small boat, Jesus stayed behind and “withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” It was not uncommon for Jesus to withdraw from the chaos of daily life and ministry in order to commune with his heavenly Father. But while Jesus was in the solitude of prayer, the discip...  Read More

This fourth sign of Christ has become a familiar story to many who are familiar with the Bible. Jesus feeds a crowd of at least 5,000 people with only five loaves and two fish.On the one hand, this is an amazing story of Christ, the God-man’s authority over nature, who physically multiplied the food to feed the crowd. While that miracle is worth reflecting upon, there is more to this story than me...  Read More

In John 5:1, we are told there was a “feast of the Jews.” We don’t know exactly what feast was being celebrated, but we do know it was the Sabbath, and it is that fact that made Jesus’ actions so controversial on this particular day.The Bible teaches in the fourth commandment that we are to keep the Sabbath Day holy. While we are given some direct instruction biblically on how to do this, the deta...  Read More

Jesus’ second sign begins with a distraught father. This father was a prominent official from Capernaum, who served under the rule of Herod Antipas.In the eyes of the world, he was successful, holding both authority and prestige. Yet this man had a problem that all the money and all the prestige in the world could not solve; his son lay sick and dying.It does not require one to be a parent to unde...  Read More

Held within this precious passage are hidden keys to unlock many of the troubles of our own day.In the time of Jesus, the Jews and Samaritans were essentially bitter enemies. Over 700 years prior, the Assyrians had conquered the Northern half of Israel (which included Samaria), so the Jews of Israel considered the Samaritans, their northern neighbors, to be half-breeds as a result of centuries of ...  Read More