Discussion Prompt: The Divine Logos
In John 20:30–31, John tells us the purpose of his gospel, saying,
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001)
The word “sign” here is the word that John uses to refer to the six miracles of Jesus in his gospel. According to John, he has given us these signs so that we would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. In short, that we would see and believe that Jesus is God.
Choose one of the six events from John’s Gospel listed below for this discussion. Then answer the provided question.
- Water Turned to Wine (John 2:1–11)
- Healing the Nobleman’s Son (John 4:46–54)
- Healing the Lame Man (John 5:1–18)
- Feeding the 5,000 (John 6:1–14)
- Healing the Blind Man (John 9:1–41)
- Raising Lazarus (John 11:1–53)
This discussion will require some deep thinking on the chosen passage. Answer the following question:
- Consider what the miracles demonstrate. How does this miracle give evidence that Jesus is God?
- For example, in the miracle of calming the storm in the synoptic gospels (Matthew 8:23–27, Mark 4:35–41, Luke 8:22–25), Jesus is shown to have authority over the winds and the waves. This is authority only God is said to have in the Old Testament (Psalm 89:9).
Discuss with your classmates:
- Have you ever considered Jesus’s deity in your own spiritual journey?
- Describe a personality in the gospel who questioned Jesus, and explain how you relate to his or her questions of Jesus (disciples at the wedding, woman at the well, Nicodemus, Pharisees, etc.)
