3. Week Three: The Messiah

Now Jesus performed many other miraculous signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 20:30-31

These verses reveal John’s purpose in writing his gospel—that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and thus have life in his name. The word Christ is the Greek word for Messiah, the Promised One of the Old Testament. But what are “these” that John recorded to bring people to belief? Miraculous signs. And he calls on the disciples as witnesses to them. He is not asking us to believe fiction, but true events that he and others saw and verified.

Think for a minute about what signs do. They signify something deeper. They point the way. A store sign identifies what is inside. The thesaurus gives these synonyms for the noun “sign”: signal, evidence, manifestation, emblem, logo.

Signs are to be noticed, not hidden. John uses the word sign so that we get his point. The first sign that John recorded was turning water to wine (John 2:11). By the end of the book, he testifies of seven signs that prove who Jesus is.

Part One

Sometimes Bible stories are so familiar that we forget how amazing the events were to those present. Put yourself in their shoes and be awed at what Jesus does.

Miracles were not an everyday occurrence for the Jews. They were extraordinary and rare. Earlier miracles occurred primarily in two eras: the days of Moses and those of the great prophets Elijah and Elisha. Between them centuries passed. Reading through the Bible makes them seem common, but we forget about the decades and centuries without them.

Read John 4:46-5:47

*** Read what God told Moses about the miracles in Egypt in Exodus 7:1-5 and journal your insights.

Respond to the story by journaling:

• What do miracles of healing teach about Jesus that is different from turning water to wine? What about these miracles most amazes you and why?
• Consider journaling about one of the following: 1. Jesus’s relationship with the Father; 2. the witnesses Jesus points out in John 5:18-46 and witnesses who impacted your faith; or 3. your insights into those who didn’t believe.
• How is God speaking to you today through his Word?

Part Two

In much of the world bread is the primary sustenance of the people.

Although in America we have an abundance of food available from all over the world at almost every corner, bread is still my main food group. I so love muffins, French toast with syrup, and delicious bread pudding—not exactly staples. Jesus’s audience is made up of a group that depends on bread as an essential part of their diet.

Although I’ve not traveled all over the world, I have been to enough of it to know that people everywhere regularly eat bread. The metaphor of bread is universally understood.

Read John 6:1-21.

*** John 6:14 records the crowd’s reaction to Jesus’s miracle: “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world.” The Prophet is described in Deuteronomy 18:15-18. Read this passage, and journal your thoughts about how Jesus fulfills the prophecy. The people of Jesus’s day expected two men to come: the Prophet and the Messiah.⁴ Jesus is both.

Respond to the story by journaling:

• How do these signs compare to those previously recorded by John? What further insights do they provide about Jesus?
• Journal your insights into Jesus’s interactions with his disciples.
• What is God saying to you today from his Word?

Part Three

The sign of feeding 5,000 with five loaves and two fish leads to a lengthy discourse the following day in which Jesus calls himself the Bread of Life, connecting the sign metaphorically to spiritual truth, so digest it slowly and carefully.

Read John 6:22-71.

*** Read the account of the manna with which God fed Israel in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt in Exodus 16:1-7, 14-16, 31-35, and journal your thoughts in light of what Jesus said about manna.

Respond to the story by journaling:

• Journal about what stands out to you in Jesus’s conversation with the crowd.
• How is the term “bread of life” a great description of Jesus?
• What is God saying to you through what vv. 66-71 reveal about Jesus and his disciples?

PRAYER: Write your prayer to the Bread of Life.

Watch Who Is This Jesus? Week 3 That Accompanies This Lesson At https://Vimeo.Com/Album/4507580