What Jesus Did! What Jesus Is Doing!

“Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written 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].

“There are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” [JOHN 21:25]. [1]

Sixty years had passed since Jesus had last walked the dusty trails of Galilee. John, the Beloved Disciple, now an old man, had witnessed the incredible advance of the Kingdom of Heaven. Like a lava flow relentlessly pushing aside every barrier and engulfing every natural impediment to its relentless advance, the Kingdom of God had penetrated the darkened world, flooding the continents with the flaming brilliance of the Gospel. The world was bathed in light which the darkness could not extinguish.

Prompted by the Spirit of God to draft a firsthand account, the aged saint put down on paper the events of Christ’s ministry in the days of His flesh. Nearing the end of the Gospel account that would bear his name, the old man wrote the words of our text. Listen again to the words: “Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written 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].

John was saying that the reason he wrote was so that any who read would believe. To encourage belief, he noted all that Jesus had done, and testified He had done so much more. Shortly, the man of God would write again, “There are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” [JOHN 21:25]. Jesus was constantly at work, doing those things the Father had appointed Him to do. On one occasion, Jesus responded to a group of angry Jewish leaders, “My Father is working until now, and I am working” [JOHN 5:17].

If Jesus died and did not rise from the dead, then He cannot be said to be working to this day. However, if Jesus did conquer death, rising from the dead, we would expect that as He worked in that day so long ago, He continues to work even to this day late in the Church Age. John’s words stimulate us to reflect on whether we see Him working in this day, or whether we have believed a myth for which there is no evidence. Perhaps the reason we do not see Jesus working in this day is that we have closed our eyes to what is happening about us. Perhaps we are not looking for the right things, thus ignoring what is obvious. If the congregation of the faithful is the Body of Christ, then we should see Him working through His Body.

WHAT DID JESUS DO? John arranges the Gospel around seven signs that Jesus performed. His purpose was to reveal Jesus as very God in human form. It will be worthwhile for us to review those seven signs, since they are each unique, revealing various facets of Jesus’ divinity. His divinity is revealed through mastery over various aspects of life itself. [2]

The first sign provided John’s Gospel reveals JESUS AS MASTER OVER QUALITY. This first miracle is recorded early in this particular Gospel account. “On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’

“Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.’ So, they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him” [JOHN 2:1-11].