The word “believe” is used 99 times in the Book of John but only 11 times in Matthew, 15 in Mark and nine in Luke. John’s book is actually written around a series of miracles specifically designed to demonstrate and confirm Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah.

The eight miracles John presents are:

* The turning of water into wine (2:1-11)

* The healing of the impotent man (5:1-47)

* The feeding of the five thousand (6:1-14)

* The walking on the sea (6:15-21)

* The healing of the man born blind (9:1-41)

* The raising of Lazarus from the dead (11:1-44)

* The miraculous draught of fishes (21:1-14)

In chapter 20, John actually makes an editorial comment about what he’s doing. He writes, “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
[31] But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

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Through John’s account of the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, for one example, Jordan shows how there’s a lot more going on than just the retelling of a miracle. John reveals the unbelieving mindset of the people.

As Jordan outlines it, “They see the miracle of the 5,000 (and, by the way, notice it says 5,000 MEN—the number doesn’t even include all the women and children there!) and they say, ‘This is the Messiah, this is that prophet like unto Moses.’ So, you think they got what was going on, but keep reading.

“We read in John 6:15 that, ‘When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.’

“They’re ready to make Him king! You would think they really got the issue of the miracle which is that He’s the Messiah but why does Jesus go away? And He doesn’t just depart alone into the mountain. . .”

John 16-19 reports that, “When even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,
[17] And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.
[18] And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
[19] So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.”

Jordan explains, “Jesus goes up into the mountains so the people CAN’T make Him king. He goes away and hides and the disciples go across the Sea of Galilee, get out in the middle, and a storm comes and all of a sudden they look out there and there’s Jesus walking on the water. Now that’s quite a miracle.

“And He doesn’t just perform one miracle. Look at verse 19. Not only does Christ defy the elements by walking on the water, He defies space and time by, in the middle of the Sea of Galilee, getting in the boat and IMMEDIATELY(notice it didn’t say it SEEMED like immediately) they’re on the other shore. So there’s these staggering miracles going on here.”

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In the day following, starts verse 22, “when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
[23] (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
[24] When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
[25] And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?”

Jordan explains, “They’re like, ‘How’d you get over there?! Yesterday you were over on the other side, your disciples left and we know you didn’t go with them! There aren’t any boats left! There’s no cars, no Rent-A-Car! How’d you get over here ahead of us when you didn’t go with your disciples?!’

“They’re all perplexed about what’s going on and in verse 26 the Lord’s gonna talk to them. He says, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
[27] Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’

“Do you see how He goes right to the heart motive that they had? He said, ‘You didn’t seek me because you saw a miracle and believed what that miracle told you. You sought to make me king because I fed you. All you were interested in was the physical effect of the miracle. You weren’t concerned with the real underlying purpose of the miracle.’

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Jordan continues, “Now understand God had been dealing with the nation Israel from the very beginning with miracles. If you go to John 4:48 He says to the nobleman, ‘Unless ye see signs and wonders you will not believe.’

“Paul in I Corinthians 1:22 told them the Jews REQUIRE (not seek, not want) a sign. They won’t believe without it. In Psalm 74 they say, ‘We see not our signs.’ They belong to Israel, and if they didn’t have them and they didn’t see them, they were complaining. They wanted proof that God was speaking—that He was communicating with them—and He had worked with them with signs and miracles to confirm His word to them.

“So, in John 6, they weren’t shocked that there was a miracle. It was something they expected to happen. The purpose of the miracle that Christ did should have been very clear to them. It was proof to Israel of the word and the identity of—it was proof to Israel that He was the Messiah.

“But He said, ‘When you looked at the miracle the issue with you wasn’t what the miracle was designed to teach you spiritually. You guys got fed and you figured out, ‘Hey, we make this guy king and we can get fed!’

“So, His exhortation to them in verse 27 is, ‘Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.’

“I’d underline the word ‘give.’ This meat that He’s got, He’s going to GIVE it to you. It isn’t something you’re going to get through your merit and your effort. It’s going to be something God, the Son, will give you. And what you need to do is don’t labor for the physical, perishable. Focus on the meat which endureth to everlasting life.

“Don’t just be satisfied with your physical wants. If you get your physical wants satisfied that’s temporary. We all ate lunch today. Come five o’clock this evening, you know what everybody’s going to want to do again? Eat again.

“Do you ever just get tired of eating? Well, sometimes you get tired of what you’re eating, but you don’t get tired of eating. Because you eat and then it doesn’t last. It temporarily satisfies you.

“Jesus has got some spiritual food that’s going to last forever and that’s what they need to focus on. In verse 35, Jesus says unto them, ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’

“Now, that’s a different kind of thing there! That’s one that never goes away. But in verse 28 they ask Christ, ‘What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?’ You see, they’re not interested in Him giving—they want some merit: ‘What can we do that we might work the works of God?’ When you get here, the question is, ‘What are the works of God?’

“What the miracles are saying is, ‘This miracle over here—God did that! And He did it so that you would believe that I’m the Messiah!’

“That isn’t how things work today in the dispensation of grace, by the way. God doesn’t work miracles today to confirm His Word so we can believe His Word. The Word all by itself is complete and sufficient for us.

“If you need God to perform a miracle today for you to believe His Word where would you find the miracle that He’s performed?

“You don’t find them out there in your circumstances—‘Oh, God put a couple of extra zeroes into my bank account.’ That isn’t it. ‘Oh, God, reach over here and fix my ingrown toenail.’ Or, touch the cancer in my body.

“If you want a sign to believe in what the Bible says the sign is already available to you in the Scripture. In fact, for the people always looking to God to be working out there in signs and wonder and miracles, Matthew 12:39 is a verse you ought to consider.

“The verse reads, ‘But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas.’

“What was the sign of the prophet Jonah? Drop down to the next verse. The sign was Jonah died and was resurrected. The only sign going to be given you is the Son of Man is going to die and be resurrected. Has that happened?! Yes! Where do you read about that?

“Do you need to find that in tomorrow’s Chicago Tribune? No, it’s recorded in the Word of God. So now the Scripture has all the evidences you ever need to believe, and if you need miracles, there’s the miracle that confirms it all. Jesus said, ‘I’m the way, the truth and the life.’ ”