Why Did John Write About Jesus’ Miracles?
“If I saw someone walk on water, I’d probably ask if they could teach me how to skip swimming lessons,” says Landon, 8.
That could have been a request in Galilee too, when the word got around that Jesus had walked across the Sea of Galilee. But for the apostle John, Jesus’ miracles weren’t party tricks or swimming shortcuts. They were signs pointing to something far more important.
In the final verses of John 20, we find the apostle’s own explanation for writing his Gospel: “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.”
Why did John write about Jesus’ miracles? Because he wanted people to believe. Not just believe that Jesus existed, or that he was a good teacher, but that he was the Son of God, the Christ, the Savior.
“I think John picked the most amazing miracles so people would know that Jesus had God’s power,” says Bella, 9.
Yes! And John even tells us that Jesus did many other miracles that didn’t make it into the book. In fact, the very next chapter (John 21:25) says, “If they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
John wasn’t trying to write a complete biography. He wrote with a mission, to help people believe.
Jesus’ miracles were signs. In the Gospel of John, they aren’t just called miracles but “signs.” Signs point to something. In this case, they point to who Jesus really is.
Turning water into wine, walking on water, feeding 5,000 people with one boy’s lunch aren’t just cool tricks. They show his authority over nature. Healing the sick and raising the dead show his power over life and death.
But miracles are about love. When Jesus healed a blind man or raised a widow’s son, he showed deep compassion. His miracles revealed not just who he was, but what God’s heart is like.
“The miracles help us trust Jesus,” says Ella, 10.
Amen. That’s exactly what John wanted. He didn’t write so people would be amazed. He wrote so they would believe.
Dr. Norman Geisler once wrote, “The New Testament was not written in a vacuum. It was written in the context of eyewitnesses who saw the events and could confirm or deny them.”
The Gospel of John was written by someone who walked with Jesus. He saw the signs firsthand.
And John says that believing in Jesus brings something even greater than the miracles: life. Not just breathing and eating kind of life, but real life called eternal life. Eternal life is with purpose, peace, and a forever relationship with God.
Faith in Jesus is about receiving eternal life. Most people think of eternal life in terms of living forever. It’s that for sure, but Jesus said it was so much more: “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
Think About This: Jesus’ miracles weren’t random acts of power. They were signs pointing to who he is, so that we would believe in him and have eternal life.
Memorize This Truth: “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).
Ask This Question: What miracle of Jesus helps you believe that he is the Son of God?
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COPYRIGHT 2026 CAREY KINSOLVING
