The Gospel of John is unique in the New Testament. Where the Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus’ launch into ministry, Luke opens with the foretelling of John the Baptist’s birth, and Matthew commences with a summary of Jesus’ genealogy, John transports us much further back: to the beginning! Right from the opening words of John, he not only shows us the supremacy and glory of Jesus, but he calls us to recognise and respond to Jesus. That we would believe that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God. 

The main device that John employs to achieve his purpose (to move us to belief in Jesus) is a focus on a series of signs by Jesus. We’re confident about this, not because we’ve cleverly deduced John’s driving purpose for writing, but because he plainly tells us in some of his closing words:

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:31)

John’s gospel is full of examples of people encountering Jesus. Some fail to recognise who he is. Others reject him and seek his demise. But many grasp the gravity of who he is and believe in him. The same invitation is open to us today.

As we start a new series in John in the lead up to Easter (be sure to collect or download a copy of the series overview), make the most of the opportunity to examine the claims and signs of Jesus. Not for the sake of knowledge, but to strengthen our belief and to delight in the life he brings. You can download the series overview and access all of the series resources, here.