Joh 20:30-31 | KingComments | STEP | The unbelief of a believer (Thomas) is the reason for the Spirit to have the last two verses of this chapter written. From the many signs of the Lord, John, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote down a selection in his Gospel. The purpose of all these signs is to present the majesty of the Lord Jesus, to focus all attention on Him alone as the Christ, the Son of God, and to have fellowship with Him. The latter is possible through the life that all who believe possess. In his first letter, John deals extensively with that fellowship. There are signs done by the Lord which the disciples saw, but which have not been preserved for us. We have no record of them in the Bible because they were not helpful to us in coming to faith in the Son of God. In this Gospel, the signs that have been written down are always the starting point for further teaching about the consequences of the coming of God’s Son to earth and the work He had to accomplish. Today signs are highly regarded as if they would bring people to faith or serve to strengthen faith. The signs of which John speaks here and which the disciples saw, but which are not written down, the Lord really did perform. Today, however, much is touted as signs which in reality are signs of the devil. In a sense, these last two verses conclude the Gospel. But yet another chapter follows, as a kind of appendix. In John 20 we see in the Lord’s first appearance to His disciples what His resurrection means for the church. In His second appearance, we see what His resurrection means for the remnant of Israel. The third appearance, in John 21, completes the result of the work of the Lord Jesus. There, in the picture of the catching of the fish from the sea, it is about the blessing of His resurrection for the nations in the realm of peace.

‏ John 20:30-31

The Written Signs

The unbelief of a believer (Thomas) is the reason for the Spirit to have the last two verses of this chapter written. From the many signs of the Lord, John, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote down a selection in his Gospel. The purpose of all these signs is to present the majesty of the Lord Jesus, to focus all attention on Him alone as the Christ, the Son of God, and to have fellowship with Him. The latter is possible through the life that all who believe possess. In his first letter, John deals extensively with that fellowship.

There are signs done by the Lord which the disciples saw, but which have not been preserved for us. We have no record of them in the Bible because they were not helpful to us in coming to faith in the Son of God. In this Gospel, the signs that have been written down are always the starting point for further teaching about the consequences of the coming of God’s Son to earth and the work He had to accomplish.

Today signs are highly regarded as if they would bring people to faith or serve to strengthen faith. The signs of which John speaks here and which the disciples saw, but which are not written down, the Lord really did perform. Today, however, much is touted as signs which in reality are signs of the devil.

In a sense, these last two verses conclude the Gospel. But yet another chapter follows, as a kind of appendix. In John 20 we see in the Lord’s first appearance to His disciples what His resurrection means for the church. In His second appearance, we see what His resurrection means for the remnant of Israel.

The third appearance, in John 21, completes the result of the work of the Lord Jesus. There, in the picture of the catching of the fish from the sea, it is about the blessing of His resurrection for the nations in the realm of peace.