Jesus Signed On

What Did Jesus Do?

This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee,
and manifested his glory.
John 2.11

John would begin to sum up his gospel in Chapter 20 by admitting that Jesus did “many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book” (20.30), but that his account of the signs the Lord performed was written so that his readers would believe that Jesus is the Christ, “and by believing have life in his name.” In Chapter 21 John declares that the world is not big enough to hold all the volumes that would need to be written to record all that Jesus did. (see John 21.25) What is amply evident in John is that Jesus signed on...and on, and on, and on.

“Signing on” today usually involves entering one's username and password. When I turn on my computer I have to go through these steps. When I go to open my yahoo mail I have to do the same thing. Like many people today I have a book where I have all my many usernames and passwords for signing on to all kinds of websites and programs. Millions of people today can not do any work if they don't sign on. If one does not sign on in today's world they are, to a great extent, locked out of much of what is going on in the world, or so it seems to those of us who are in technological bondage. Signing on is important. At a wedding in Cana Jesus, with some apparent reluctance, signed on. A good thing too, because John tells us that after Jesus signed on his disciples “believed in him,” and, again, we know from the summary of John's gospel that believing is the key to life itself.

There has been much debate over what went on between Jesus and his mother Mary at the wedding in Cana. Was Mary trying to shove her son into the spotlight? Did Mary think that Jesus needed some prodding to step out and begin his ministry? Or was Mary simply motivated by a desire to help some friends save face by keeping the wine flowing? What did the Lord mean when he said, “My hour has not yet come”? Was this an example of Christ's desire to preserve the so-called Messianic Secret? Was Jesus, for some reason, not quite ready to have a lot of new disciples? Or was he concerned about people being so distracted by the miracle that they would fail to truly see him and listen carefully to what he had to say? Regardless of what was really going on, Jesus “signed on” that day at the wedding when he changed the water into wine, there was no turning back short of the Cross.

But, even if the Lord would have preferred to shy away from preforming miracles, there was an undeniable mark of authenticity that attached itself to the signs Jesus did. The signs did contribute to the belief of the disciples, though faith, then as now, is a much better foundation for miracles than miracles are for faith. And signs, like turning water to wine, or healing a cripple beside the pool of Bethesda (John 5.1-9), or feeding five thousand (John 61-5), or walking on water (John 5.16-21), or raising the dead (John 11) were a significant part of the testimony of the eyewitnesses whom John employs as the framework for his gospel narrative. While those who saw and believed were privileged to be the first disciples, Jesus specially blessed all who would come to believe without benefit of ever seeing a sign (John 20.29). For when Jesus signed on at Cana, it was as the Christ, the Lord who was, who is, and who ever shall be at work giving everlasting life to the ones who, in all ages, believe in his name. Jesus signed on, and he will never sign off.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4