"And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but 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 20:30-31 NKJV)

but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ

John’s captivating record of our Lord’s miracles (signs) have cul-minated in the greatest one of all—His resurrection from the dead. But this short discourse of twenty-one chapters could not begin to record all of Jesus’ celebrated signs.

We first learn of someone working miraculous signs in Exodus 4. Moses makes excuses to avoid going to Egypt. “Then Moses answered and said, But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’” The LORD instructed him to cast his rod on the ground. When he did, it became a serpent. When the LORD told him to take it by the tail, it turned back into a rod. Why? “That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you” (John 20:5).

Moses would employ similar signs with his hand and with water that would become blood (Exodus 3:6-9). The signs convinced the Jews that God sent Moses.

The Jews of Jesus’ day saw similar signs. Unfortunately, they were not as honest as the Jews in ancient Egypt.

John chronicles the Lord’s signs, starting with turning the water into the juice of the grape (John 2:1-11). This first sign produced faith in His disciples (John 20:11).

The Jews asked Jesus, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” After seeing His signs at the Passover, “many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did” (John 2:23).

Nicodemus speaks for many Jews when he says to Jesus, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (John 3:2). This means that Jesus was as convincing to these Jews as Moses was to the ancient Jews.

Soon after this, “a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased” (John 6:2). After miraculously feed the multitude, eyewitnesses concluded, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (John 6:14).

“And many of the people believed in Him, and said, ‘When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done’” (John 7:31).

The evidence goes on and on. What conclusions should these facts produce?

1. Jesus did signs (divine pointers or proofs of His claims). These signs were so convincing that many honest people had to abandon their life-long beliefs and confess that Jesus is the Christ.
2. John focuses on seven signs that even His enemies had to admit. Even in our day, many have embraced faith in Christ because of John’s evidence.
3. But, someone says, if faith in Christ is so important, why don’t we see these miraculous signs today? Just as Moses performed his signs to his present generations, and then preserved them for all time in the written record of the Old Testament, even so Jesus’ miracles are preserved eternally in the New Testament record. John makes this clear: “...but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ…” (John 20:21).
4. The conclusion, “that believing you may have life in His name” gives His people a hope that is out of this world.
5. Pentecostals claim miraculous signs. If they could work one just one, we would believe them. Sadly, all they can do is say we should have seen one at another place or time. If Jesus had made empty claims, we would not believe Him either.

– Rick Duggin