GRACE AND TRUTH (2023)

In the Bible, there are miracles, and there are signs. A sign might be a miracle, but it might not. There’s a story in the book of Isaiah where the prophet walks around naked for three straight years as a sign pointing to impending captivity and exile, and warning the people about their pride (Isa. 20). Not a miracle, but definitely something to pay attention to. Also, gross.

So when the Bible speaks of signs, what we need to see is a prophetic act that shakes people out of their complacency, stirs up discomfort with the way things are, and points to a reality that was otherwise shielded from view. This is why the Bible often speaks of signs and wonders. It is awe and wonder that wakes you up to the truth of something bigger, greater, more real than you could know inside the constructs you build for yourself.

The wondrous signs that Jesus performs in John are not mere miracles. They point somewhere. They are guideposts, directing you to see something, leading you to a destination.

So what is the destination here? John speaks to it in chapter 1:

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Indeed, we have all received grace upon grace from his fullness, for the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.

John 1:14, 16-18

In the seven signs of Jesus, each miraculous moment shakes up our plans and shatters our dreams for the good life in the very best way. Jesus points us to grace and truth, but more than that, he points us to the Father, to the source of grace and truth. In Jesus, we see God for who he is. Not just his power and might, but his compassion, his forgiveness, his peace.

Jesus not only points us to this truth, he invites us to receive it, to let go of our perpetual pursuits for joy and contentment, and find our satisfaction in him.