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The Eight Signs of John

“These are written, that you may believe”

Act 5 · Age of Israel · LawChartMapJohn 1–21
“but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.”John 20:31 — WEB
The Purpose

Written So That You May Believe

The Big Idea

The Gospel of John presents eight signs Jesus performed so that anyone may believe His promise of eternal life and thus have everlasting life in His name. In essence John’s message is faith alone in Christ alone for everlasting life.

Philippe R. Sterling

The Shape of the Book

1:1–14Preamble: the Word
1:15–51Eyewitnesses
2:1–20:29The eight signs
20:30–31The purpose
21Postscript
Chart

The Eight Signs

John organizes his Gospel around eight signs that bear witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. The eighth, His own death and resurrection, is the sign that all the others point to.

#SignPassageWhat it shows
1Water into wineCana of Galilee2:1–11The beginning of His signs. His disciples believed in Him.
2Healing the royal official’s sonCana, from a distance4:46–54Healed by His spoken word alone. The man and his household believed.
3Healing the crippled manPool of Bethesda, Jerusalem5:1–9Crippled for 38 years, healed by His word on the Sabbath. The Judean authorities respond with hostility.
4Feeding the five thousandSea of Galilee6:1–14Five barley loaves and two fish. The people recognize Him as the Prophet like Moses.
5Walking on the waterSea of Galilee6:16–21He calms the disciples’ fear and brings the boat at once to land.
6Sight for the man born blindJerusalem9:1–7The Light of the world gives physical sight, while some remain in spiritual darkness.
7Raising LazarusBethany, near Jerusalem11:1–44“Whoever believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Many believe; others plot to kill Him.
8His death and resurrectionJerusalem18:1–20:29The culminating sign. Jesus calls blessed all who believe without seeing.
Map

Following Jesus Through John

A route diagram, not a scale map. John follows Jesus back and forth between Galilee and Jerusalem, and many scenes are set at a feast. The three Passovers (John 2:13; John 6:4; John 11:55) are the main reason His public ministry is dated at about three years.

Jesus' travels in the Gospel of JohnRoute diagram following Jesus through John's Gospel between Galilee, Samaria, Judea and beyond the Jordan, with the eight signs and the feasts marked. Jesus goes up to Jerusalem for three Passovers, a feast in chapter 5, Tabernacles and Dedication. Galilee Samaria Judea Beyond the Jordan Bethany 1:28 1 Cana 2:1–12 Jerusalem 2:13 Sychar 4:4–42 2 Cana 4:46–54 3 Jerusalem 5:1 4 5 Sea of Galilee 6:1–21 6 Jerusalem 7:10–10:39 Across the Jordan 10:40 7 Bethany 11:1–44 Ephraim 11:54 8 Jerusalem 12:12–20:29 Sea of Tiberias 21:1 Feasts Passover A feast Passover Tabernacles Dedication Passover

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Numbered: one of the eight signsFeast

Notes & Sources

  1. The count of eight signs, with the death and resurrection as the eighth, follows Philippe R. Sterling. Many outlines count seven signs before the cross.
  2. The feast in John 5:1 is not named. It may have been a Passover, which would add a year to the ministry.
  3. The Greek verb pisteuō (“believe”) appears 98 times in John, more than in any other New Testament book.
  4. John never uses the noun “faith.” He always uses the verb: believing in Jesus for everlasting life (John 3:16; John 5:24; John 6:47).

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Adapted from Philippe R. Sterling’s Bible survey notes, used with permission.