Signs and wonders in John’s theology play significant role because they may lead to true and lasting faith. Jesus said to the royal official: “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe” (J 4,48). In John’s Gospel signs and miracles performed by Jesus allowed to believe in him as a prophet, a man who is from God, the Messiah, the Son of God. Descending of the Holy Spirit on Jesus was for John the Baptist a sign that Jesus is The Son of God. The miracle of changing water into wine revealed glory of Jesus and caused that his disciples believed in him. Knowledge of Jesus about sinful life a Samaritan woman became for her a sign which led to acknowledge Jesus as a prophet. Jesus made her aware that he was Christ, the Messiah. The presence of Jesus among Samaritans and preaching his word made other believe in Jesus and recognize him as the Savior of the world. A sign of healing a royal official’s son showed the necessity of believing in his words. A miracle of feeding Five Thousand caused the crowd to look for him. People acknowledged Jesus as a prophet. A miracle of healing a man blind from birth made him believe in Jesus as the Son of Man. A resurrection of Lazarus became a sign which raised faith among the Jews who had seen what Jesus did. The chief priests and the Pharisees saw signs made by Jesus but they did not believe in him. People who faced signs and miracles and take dialogue with Jesus, come to believe in him. Jesus made miracles which were the answers for human poverty, misery and faith. Each of us has to take one’s own decision through believing in Jesus as the Messiah, God’s Son and you may have life in his name.
The story about a man born blind in the Gospel according to John is an example of Jesus’ care of a man. Jesus noticed a difficult situation of the blind man and gave him sight. He “spat on the ground and made mud with the salive and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (Jn 9:6-7). The blind man performed his orders and when he came back he was able to see. He gains first his sight and then increasing insight as he progresses from referring to “the man called Jesus” whose he does not know (cf. Jn 9:11-12), to declaring him to be a prophet (cf. Jn 9:17), then one sent from God (cf. Jn 9:33), and finally confessing him as Son of Man and Lord (cf. Jn 9:37-38). The Pharisees by contrast assert that Jesus is not from God (cf. Jn 9:16) and that he is a sinner, and deny the miracle (cf. Jn 9:24). The cured man become a witness and he was talking about the miracle to those who knew him, neighbours and Pharisees. The Pharisees drove him out because he was saying that Jesus came from God. Jesus asked the cured man if he believed in the Son of Man? He answered that he did and he worshipped him. Jesus led him up to believe in the Son of Man. Jesus wants people to come to him for help and he leads them out to faith. Jesus wants us to believe in him as God who can help us.
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