1.The Witness of the Spirit (15:26-27)
JOHN 15
C. THE TRUE VINE (15:1-16)
1"I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 51 am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing, 6lf anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love, 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one that this, that one lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15/ no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
The allegory of the vine1 brings before us the importance of fruitfulness in the Christian life and the truth that this is the result, not of human achievement, but of abiding in Christ, There is a stem side to this. Branches that are not fruitful are purged out. Jesus is not simply issuing some comforting advice. He is outlining the difficult but important way of service. There seems little doubt that he has in mind passages in the Old Testament that regard Israel as a vine (Ps. 80:8-16; Isa. 5:1-7; Jer. 2:21; Ezek. 15; 19:10; Hos. 10:1). Indeed, in time the vine became a symbol of Israel, and it is found, for example, on coins of the Maccabees.2 Interestingly, all the Old Testament passages that use this symbol appear to regard Israel as faithless or as the object of severe punishment. Jesus' description of himself as the "true" vine is to be seen against this background. The passage is the Johannine counterpart of the Pauline view of the church as the body of Christ and of believers as "in" Christ. Both are ways of bringing out the vital connection that exists between Christ and his own.
1 Jesus begins by laying it down that he himself is "the true vine."3 For the "I am" sayings see on 6:35; this is the only one followed by a predicate ("my Father is the gardener"). Jesus does not say that the church is the vine but that he is. The church is no more than the branches that are "in" the vine. And not only is Jesus the vine, but he is the "true"4 vine. As we have seen, the vine is often the symbol of Israel, and this adjective may point to Israel as the degenerate vine (Jer. 2:21) now replaced by the true one.5 In a way characteristic of the Fourth Gospel there is an immediate reference to the Father. Father and Son are never regarded as separate entities each going his way regardless of the other. John sees them as at work together. So when he reports that Jesus spoke of himself as the true vine he immediately goes on to the thought that the Father is the "gardener."6
2 The part of the Father here is decisive. He watches over the vine and takes action like that of a vinedresser to secure fruitfulness. Every fruitless branch7 he takes away (cf. Matt. 3:10).8 We should not regard this as a proof that true believers may fall away. It is part of the viticultural picture, and the point could not be made without it. The emphasis is on the bearing of fruit.9 That is the only reason for growing a vine; as Ezekiel pointed out long before, a vine does not yield timber (Ezek. 15). In a vineyard fruitfulness is not simply desirable; it is imperative; that is the whole point of the vineyard; it is what the vineyard is for. Pruning is resorted to to ensure that this takes place. Left to itself a vine will produce a good deal of unproductive growth. For maximum fruitful-ness extensive pruning is essential. This is a suggestive figure for the Christian life. The fruit of Christian service is never the result of allowing the natural energies and inclinations to run riot. "Trims clean," more literally "cleans"10 where we might have expected "prunes," shows that we have now moved into the spiritual sphere. The interest is in what happens with people rather than with vines. The action of the Father is such as to cleanse his people so that they will live fruitful lives. The "fruit" is not defined here, but we need not doubt that qualities of Christian character are in mind as elsewhere in the New Testament (Matt. 3:8; 7:20; Rom. 6:22; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 5:9; Phil. 1:11, etc.). Bultmann speaks of it as "every demonstration of vitality of faith, to which, according to vv. 9-17, reciprocal love above all belongs" (pp. 532-33).
3 The disciples are not to think that they are being singled out for criticism. They are already clean11 on account of Jesus' word (i.e., his whole message) spoken12 to them. He is not reproaching them, but encouraging them. He is pointing out the way in which they may continue to progress spiritually.
4 But they must not presume. Let them take care that they abide (NIV, "remain") in Christ.13 "And I in you" (NIV, "and I will remain in you") could conceivably be an imperative that Jesus directs to himself with the meaning, "You must abide in me and I must abide in you." It could be a promise, "Abide in me, and I will abide in you." But it is perhaps more probable that it is a continuation of the command to the disciples, "Abide in me, and see that I abide in you." Jesus means that the disciples should live such lives that he will continue to abide in them. The two "abidings" cannot be separated, and "abiding" is the necessary prerequisite of fruitfulness. No branch bears fruit in isolation. Every fruitful branch has vital connection with the vine. So to abide in Christ is the necessary prerequisite of fruitfulness for the Christian.14 Fruitfulness doubtless includes both the production of Chris-tian character and the winning of others to follow Christ; it includes everything that results from vital union with Christ (see on v. 2).
5 For "I am the vine" see on verse 1. "I" and "you" are set over against each other by the use of the emphatic pronouns. The roles of Christ and of his followers are not to be confused. But there is a mutual indwelling, and this is the condition of fruitfulness. Those who so abide in Christ and have Christ abiding in them keep on bearing fruit in quantity. The verse concludes with an emphatic declaration of human helplessness apart from Christ.15 In isolation from him no spiritual achievement is possible. For the complementary truth compare "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Phil. 4:13).
6 Should anyone not remain in Christ, that person is thrown out16 like a branch.17 The fate of such branches is known. They wither away, "they gather them and throw them into the fire" (it is not said who does the gathering and the throwing, and both may simply be equivalent to the passive).18 These are strong words that emphasize the necessity of remaining in vital contact with Christ if fruitfulness is to continue.19
7 From fruit-bearing in general Jesus moves on to prayer. The passage has to do with abiding; the condition of prevailing prayer is abiding in Christ. But whereas before he has spoken of his own abiding in believers, now he speaks of his words abiding in them (cf. 14:21, 23). This is not a different attitude to prayer from that in the previous chapter. There prayer must be offered "in the name" of Christ (14:14) and obedience is strongly insisted on. The same spiritual attitude is in mind here, but from a different standpoint. The prayers of those who are truly abiding in Christ will certainly be "in the name of Christ," that is in accordance with all that Christ stands for. And if they are really abiding in Christ they will live in obedience to the words of Christ. We should not overlook the importance of "my words." The teaching of Jesus is important20 and not lightly to be passed over in the interests of promoting religious feeling. When believers abide in Christ and Christ's words abide in them, they live as close to Christ as well may be. Then their prayers will be prayers that are in accord with God's will and they will be fully answered.
8 "In this" (NIV omits "in") is forward-looking. The Father is glorified21 in that the disciples bear much fruit. God is glorified in the work of the Son (13:31-32). Now we have the other truth that God is also glorified in the work of believers who abide in the Son. There is an air of completeness and of certainty about it. The disciples will surely glorify the Father by their continual fruit-bearing; since they cannot bear fruit of themselves (v. 4) their fruitfulness is evidence of the Father at work in them and thus it glorifies him. The last part of the verse is difficult. One would have thought that those Jesus was addressing were already disciples. It is possible, with ARV, to supply "so" (this word is not in the Greek). The meaning then would be that the bearing of fruit shows that they are disciples. It is also possible that we should not supply "so." The meaning then is that the Father is glorified both in the bearing of fruit and in their continuing to be disciples.22 In either case there is also the thought that discipleship is not static, but a growing and developing way of life. Always the true disciple is becoming more fully a disciple.
9 From the obligations resting on his disciples Jesus turns to his love for them. He first tells them that his love for them is like the Father's love for him. Then he commands them to continue in his love.23 It is possible for people to live without being mindful of Christ's love24 for them and so break the closeness of the fellowship. Jesus commands them not to do this.
10 The obligations resting on the disciples intertwine with the thought of the blessings there are in Christ. So now Jesus returns to the thought of keeping the commandments. This is done as an explanation of the way they abide in his love.25 This is not some mystical experience. It is simple obe-dience. It is when we keep Christ's commandments that we abide in his love. Once again appeal is made to Christ's own example. He kept26 the Father's commandments and thus abides continually in the Father's love.
11 For "I have told you this" see on 14:25. The purpose27 of Jesus' words is now defined in terms of joy. He has spoken these things in order that his joy might be in them. This may mean that he looks for their conduct to be such that he can rejoice in them (NIV, "so that my joy may be in you"). More probably Jesus means that he had the joy of living the completely fruitful life and he wants the joy that he already has to be in them too as they live fruitfully (Cassirer, "so that the joy which is mine may be found in you"). He looks for their joy to be filled, that is complete. It is no cheerless, barren existence that Jesus plans for his people. But the joy of which he speaks comes only as they are wholehearted in their obedience to his commands. To be half hearted is to get the worst of both worlds. The note of joy is a new one, for the word "joy" has been used in this Gospel hitherto only in 3:29.28 But in the upper room we find it seven times (in this verse twice; 16:20, 21, 22, 24; 17:13). In his comment on 17:13 Strachan reminds us that "joy" and "plea-sure" must not be confused. "The joy of Jesus is the joy that arises from the sense of a finished work. It is creative joy, like the joy of the artist. It produces a sense of unexhausted power for fresh creation. This joy in the heart of Jesus is both the joy of victory (xv.11), and the sense of having brought His Church into being." It is an inspiring thought that Jesus calls his followers into joy. The Christian life is not some shallow, insipid following of a traditional pattern. It is a life characterized by "unexhausted (and inexhaustible) power for fresh creation."
12 The "commands" of verse 10 are reduced to one, the command to love one another as Christ has loved them.29 This is the "new command-ment" of 13:34 (where see note). Augustine's saying, "Love, and do what thou wilt"30 is a clear expression of what Jesus is teaching here. If we love, in the sense in which Jesus uses the term, we need no other rule.
13 Now comes the reference to the greatest love of all. There is no love greater than that of one who lays down his life for31 others. Anything else must be less. This is the supreme test of love. In the context this must refer primarily to the love of Jesus shown on the cross. There he laid down his life on behalf of his friends. Some have raised the question whether the love that dies for enemies is not greater than that which is concerned for friends, but that is not before us here. In this passage Jesus is not comparing the love that sacrifices for enemies with that which sacrifices for friends. He is in the midst of friends and is speaking only of friends. With respect to them he is saying that one cannot have greater love than to die for them. When it is a question of enemies Jesus did in fact die for them (Rom. 5:10). And as Loyd says, "in truth love has sunk below its proper level if it begins to ask who is my friend and who my enemy. Love gives, and gives everything, for all men." That is the thought of this verse. Jesus gives everything, even life itself, for others. There is no greater proof of love.32
14 Jesus makes it clear that the members of the apostolic band are his friends (cf. Luke 12:4). But friendship depends on common aims and outlook and thus Jesus qualifies "You are my friends" by "if you do what I command."33 Once again obedience is the test of discipleship. The friends of Jesus are those who habitually obey him.34
15 Jesus will no longer call them "servants," that is "slaves." He has not actually used this term of them previously, though 13:16 comes very near it, and 13:13 certainly implies it. The characteristic of the slave that Jesus picks out is that he "does not know his master's business." The slave is no more than an instrument. It is not for him to enter intelligently into the purposes of his owner. His task is simply to do what he is told. But this is not the pattern of relationship between Jesus and his disciples. He has called them "friends." He has kept nothing back from them. He has revealed to them all that the Father has made known35 to him. This is not a contradiction of 16:12. Here Jesus denies that he has treated them like slaves — he has taken them fully into his confidence. There the thought is rather that their knowledge is not as yet exhaustive. They still have much to learn, and Jesus will disclose it in due time through the Spirit.
16 We always tend to feel that the initiative is with us. Jesus now assures his followers that this is not the case. It was not they who chose him, as was normally the case when disciples attached themselves to a particular rabbi.36Students the world over delight to seek out the teacher of their choice and attach themselves to him or her. But Jesus' disciples did not hold the initiative. On the contrary, it was he who chose them.37 And not only did he choose them, but he appointed38 them to their task. This is, first, to go; the idea of mission is frequent in this Gospel. The first function then of the disciples is that they are to be emissaries of Christ. The second thing is that they should "bear fruit" (see on v. 2). The fruit they bear is not transient but abiding. It is possible that here the bearing of fruit includes the thought of service leading to the conversion of others (why else should they "go"?), as in 4:36. It is perhaps unexpected that this is subordinate to the aim of prevailing prayer. The disciples are to bear fruit, so that their fruit may abide, so that whatever they ask God he may give it (the latter thought is repeated with slight variations in 16:23). "Whatever" is very thoroughgoing. Nothing is held back. For "in my name" see on 14:13. Here it is the Father who answers prayer, not Christ as in 14:14. Jesus foresaw that when he left the disciples they would not find life easy. The gospel they preached would bring them into collision with the worldly-minded, and indeed with the religious people of the day. So now he gives them counsel, warning them of persecution to come. For the true Christian opposition is inevitable.
D. PERSECUTION (15:17-25)
1. Suffering for Christ's Sake (15:17-21)
17"This is my command: Love each other. 18lf the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20Remem-ber the words I spoke, to you: 'No servant is greater than his master. "a If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.
a. 20 John 13:16
It is not certain whether we should take verse 17 as the conclusion of the previous section (in which case Jesus rounds it off with the command to love), or whether it begins this new section on persecution. Somewhat hesitantly I adopt the latter course. This views the words as a renewal of the command to love as characteristic of the Christian life. And it is precisely because this life is what it is that it attracts the persecution of the world. Jesus points out first that the world will hate his followers as it has hated him (vv. 18-20), then that it will hate them because it hated him (vv. 21-25). He reminds them that there is a sharp distinction between themselves and the world. And because they are identified with him, his followers will be treated by the world in much the same way as it treated him. The world does not know God. Therefore the world ill-treats the people of God.
17 The plural "these things" (which NIV, REB, GNB and others render with a singular) is somewhat surprising. The singular would give an easier sense, looking forward to the single command to love one another. The plural may mean that all the injunctions in the preceding discourse really amount to this, Love one another. Or, more probably, it may signify that all the commandments in the discourse are for a single purpose,39 that the dis-ciples may engage in mutual love.
18 Now the world is set in sharp contrast. "If the world hates you" does not imply that there is any doubt about the matter. Rather the reverse. The world will certainly hate them.40 But when that happens they have the knowledge41 that no new and surprising thing has befallen them. The world hated Jesus42 first.43 And because it hated44 him it is not in the least strange that it comes to hate his followers (cf. Matt. 10:25). It is not without its significance that the disciples are to be known by their love, the world by its hatred.45
19 This last point is made clear. "If you belonged to the world" implies that in fact they do not. Therefore they are not recipients of the world's love, for the world loves only its own. The disciples "do not belong to the world,"46 for Jesus has chosen them out of it47 (incidentally a further indica-tion of the divine initiative: divine election means a good deal throughout this Gospel). The necessary consequence is that the world hates them. The present tense in this last verb indicates a continuing attitude. This verse is a good example of the way John can give emphasis by repeating a word. Here he makes "world" linger in the mind by using the word five times in a single verse (NIV drops one of them). And the world being what it is and Christians being what they are, it is inevitable that the world reacts against Christians as it did against their Master. It is important to realize this, for we sometimes act as though it is surprising that upright worldly people oppose the things of God. On the contrary, it is inevitable.48
20 Jesus now recalls an earlier saying of his (13:16, where see note), and calls on his hearers to remember it.49 The quotation is exact, which is fairly rare in this Gospel (see on 3:5). We may be meant to think of the saying as especially important. It reminds them that the treatment given the Master determines that accorded the servant. They persecuted Jesus. They will per-secute his followers then.50 They will keep the "word" of Jesus' followers only to the extent that they kept his (NIV has "teaching" for "word").51 Basically this, of course, points to rejection. But the positive aspect should not be overlooked. Some had in fact kept Jesus' word, and some would keep theirs.
21 The root cause of persecution is now traced to the world's ig-norance of God.52 This is characteristic Johannine teaching (cf. 16:3). The Father ("the One who sent me"; see on 3:17) is known in the mission of the Son. When the world rejects Jesus it accordingly rejects the Father who is made known in Jesus Christ. And when the world rejects the God who is thus revealed, the world proceeds to reject and ill-treat the ministers of that God. Persecution accordingly will come to Jesus' followers "because of my name" (see on 1:12; 14:13). It may not be too much to say that when the world persecutes Jesus' followers it persecutes him (cf. Acts 9:4).
2. Christ Reveals People's Sin (15:22-25)
22"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. 23 He who hates me hates my Father as well. 24If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason. 'a"
a. 25 Psalms 35:19; 69:4
Jesus now takes up the theme of opposition to himself. He points out that this opposition underlines the guilt of the people. The greatness of the revelation made in Christ is the measure of the guilt of those who rejected him.
22 The seriousness of rejecting Christ is brought out. Jesus does not mean, of course, that the Jews would have been sinless had he not appeared.53 But he does mean that the sin of rejecting God as he really is would not have been imputed to them54 had they not had the revelation of God that was made through him. But now, as things are, they have no excuse.55 There is no way of covering up their sin.
23 Both "me" and "my Father" are emphatic. Jesus leaves no doubt as to the seriousness of the conduct of the people of his day. He lays down the general principle that anyone who hates the Son hates the Father. The two are so closely connected that to hate the one is to hate the other. For the opposite truth see 13:20.
24 The truth of the two preceding verses is further brought out and emphasized. First Jesus points out the significance of the "works" (NIV has "what" for "the works which"). This term certainly includes the miracles, but also more. It covers the whole life of Jesus (which makes inadequate the rendering "miracles," as in Rieu, Weymouth). He had done among the Jews works such as nobody else had ever done (cf. the similar truth con-cerning his words, 7:46). There was an obligation resting on them accord-ingly to take note of these works. The appeal to the works is noteworthy and classically Johannine (see further Additional Note G, pp. 607-13). The works are distinctive.56 Had such works not been done among them they would not have been held to be sinners. For "having" sin see on verse 22. But now things are different. They have both seen and hated both Christ and the Father.57 Both verbs are in the perfect tense, which must here indicate a permanent attitude (cf. v. 18). It is interesting that the Father as well as the Son has been "seen." This will be in the sense of 14:9, for right at the beginning of the Gospel John has assured us that nobody has seen God (1:18). Once again the closeness of the unity between the Father and the Son is stressed. The guilt of the Jews consisted in this, that they rejected the revelation of the Father that was made known in the Son. Jesus does not speak of "the Father" but of "my Father." His special relationship to God is very much to the fore.
25 "But" is somewhat unexpected.58 The meaning evidently is that the Jews' conduct is the opposite of what might reasonably have been antic-ipated. The construction is elliptical and we must supply "they did this" or "this is" (as NIV).59 What stands written in the Law must be fulfilled. The Law is called "their" law; it is the Law that they of all people might have been expected to heed.60 "Law" strictly means the Pentateuch, but sometimes it is used of Scripture in general. It must be the latter use here, for the passage quoted is from Psalm 35:19 (or 69:4, or possibly 109:3). All the suggested passages speak of hatred that lacks any reasonable foundation.61 It is this kind of hatred that the Jews had exercised toward Jesus. There is more Johannine irony here. The Jews saw themselves as the upholders of the Law, but in their zeal for the Law they incurred the condemnation of the Law by rejecting the Christ to whom the Law bore its witness.
E. THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (15:26-16:15)
Jesus has a good deal to say about the Holy Spirit in this discourse. Without ceasing to think of persecution he unfolds further teaching on the work of the Spirit. As he is thinking of the attitude of the world to Christians it is perhaps not surprising that he deals here with the one activity of the Spirit toward the world, namely that the Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
1. The Witness of the Spirit (15:26-27)
26"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me; 27but you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning."
26 For "the Counselor" see Additional Note F, pp. 587-91. Earlier Jesus said that the Father would send the Spirit in response to his prayer (14:16), and that the Father would send him in Christ's name (14:26), hut now he says that he himself62 will send him from the Father. It is plain the Spirit is regarded as connected in the most intimate fashion with both the Father and the Son. The sending of the Spirit is an activity that concerns them both. For "the Spirit of truth" see on 14:17. The Spirit's relationship to the Father is brought out by saying that he "goes out from63 the Father." Probably not too much emphasis should be placed on the meaning of this verb. The passage is not concerned with the eternal mutual relationships of the Persons of the Trinity, but with the work the Spirit would do in this world as a continuation of the ministry of Jesus. The particular function of the Spirit64 that occupies us here is that of witness, and specifically of witness to Christ. For the concept of witness in this Gospel see on 1:7. When Jesus is taken from the earth, the Spirit will continually bear witness concerning him. The passage strengthens the conviction that the word translated "Counselor" has legal significance. The Spirit, so to speak, conducts Christ's case for him before the world. Beasley-Murray rejects the views that Jesus means that the Spirit speaks in defense of the disciples (Dodd) and that he brings evidence against the world (F. Porsch). Rather, in conjunction with the disciples, the Spirit "is to bring to light the truth of the revelation of Jesus in his word and deed, and death and resurrection."
27 The apostles are linked closely with the Spirit in this activity of witness (cf. Acts 4:33). Their witness65 is linked with that of the Holy Spirit. It is the same Christ to whom they bear witness, and it is the same salvation of which they bear witness. At the same time it is their66 witness. They cannot simply relax and leave it all to the Spirit. They have a particular function in bearing witness in that they were with Jesus from the very beginning.67 There is a responsibility resting on all Christians to bear witness to the facts of saving grace. They cannot evade this. But the really significant witness is that of the Holy Spirit, for he alone can bring home to people's hearts the truth and the significance of the truth.68
ADDITIONAL NOTE G: MIRACLES
John has his own particular way of referring to the miracles of Jesus. He never uses δύναμις, the favored word in the Synoptic Gospels. This word is to all intents and purposes the only word for miracles in the first three Gospels (Matthew uses it 12 times, Mark 10 times, and Luke 15 times). This makes John's total omission of the word all the more striking. Instead he uses two words, σημεΐον, "a sign," and έργον, "a work."69Neither of these words is absent from the Synoptic Gospels, but neither is used in the Synoptics in the same way as in John, σημεΐον is found in Matthew 13 times, Mark 7 times, and Luke 11 times, but in none of them is it applied to the miracles of Jesus. It is used of "the signs" that the Jews asked of him and which he refused to supply. And it is used of "the sign of the Son of man," which will appear in the last days. But it is not applied to the actual miracles that Jesus did. It is almost the same with έργον. This word is used by Matthew 6 times, Mark twice, and Luke twice. Twice indeed it may refer to Jesus' miracles, namely when Matthew reports that John the Baptist heard in prison of "the works of the Christ" (Matt. 11:2), and when Luke reports that Jesus was "powerful in word and deed" (Luke 24:19). But this is exceptional in these Gospels. John, by contrast, uses both words very freely in a way that reveals his characteristic view of miracles.
He uses σημεΐον 17 times. On one occasion this refers to John the Baptist, who "did no sign" (10:41). Jesus' opponents used the word on two occasions when they asked him what sign he showed (2:18; 6:30); and on another occasion when they asked themselves whether the Christ when he came would do more signs than Jesus (7:31). Jesus used the word on two occasions. Once he complained that his hearers would not believe unless they saw "signs and wonders" (4:48), and again he referred to those who sought him out because they ate of the loaves, and not because of the signs (6:26).
On the other 11 occasions σημεΐον always refers to the miracles of Jesus.70 Here we must regard the intrinsic meaning of the word as significant. It is connected with σημαίνω, "to signify, indicate, make known." In other words, a σημεΐον is something full of meaning.71 It is not an end in itself, but it points people beyond itself. The word has no necessary connection with the miraculous. Indeed, in LXX it is usually used of "signs" that are not miraculous. But John uses it exclusively of miracles. The miracle, as John sees it, is a means of teaching people spiritual truth, and specifically of pointing them to God. Thus he quotes the words of Nicodemus, "no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him" (3:2). And negatively he records the words of those who interrogated the man born blind: "How can a sinner do such signs?" (9:16). The signs, then, take their origin from God and point people to God.72 It is not surprising that they therefore result in faith. On the occasion of the first of them, the changing of water into wine at Cana, it is said that "his disciples put their faith in him" (2:11). Many in Jerusalem came to believe on account of the signs (3:23), and indeed John can speak of his whole Gospel as an account of "signs" recorded that people might believe (20:30-31). In accordance with this, people who saw the signs but refused to believe are blamed for that very reason (12:37). The chief priests and the Pharisees on one occasion expressed their deep concern. Jesus, they said, "is performing many signs," and the consequence, they thought, might well be that "everyone will believe in him" (11:47-48). On more than one occasion John records that people came to Jesus on account of the signs (6:2; 12:18), while on the occasion of the feeding of the multitude the people who saw the sign concluded: "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world" (6:14). It is of interest that Jesus did not reject the faith that rested on the signs. It is not, of course, the highest kind of faith, but it is better than no faith at all. So on one occasion he blamed people who had a wrong attitude to the signs: "you are looking for me, not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill" (6:26). These people went on to ask Jesus for a sign (6:30), but their desire was not granted. No more than the Synoptists does John depict a Jesus who works the kind of miracle that will compel faith. The signs stimulate faith indeed. But they are not of such a type that people must believe when they see them, as John 6 shows. Jesus' words about those who demand "signs and wonders" before they believe leave us in no doubt but that he repudiates their attitude (4:48).
It is plain that John uses "sign" in a distinctive fashion. For him the miracles were significant events. They set forth spiritual truths. We see this, not only in the meaning of this one word, but in the way John arranges his narratives. In them he exposes facet after facet of human need, showing at the same time human inadequacy and Jesus' all-sufficiency. At Cana with the turning of the water into wine this concerns our inability to cope with the demands of those festivities that are normal to human life. In the case of the nobleman's son and of the man lame for thirty-eight years it is our helplessness in the face of disease and of the tragedy of crippling physical disability. The feeding of the multitude shows up the barrenness of human resources even to supply necessary food (a lesson very much in place in the modern world), while Jesus' walking on the water contrasts with human helplessness in the face of the awesome forces of nature unleashed in, for example, a great storm. The opening of the eyes of the blind man illustrates our failure to cope with innate handicaps while it also shows Jesus to be the light of the world. The raising of dead Lazarus underlines the ultimate human defeat by death while it reveals Jesus as the resurrection and the life. Each miracle is "sign"-iftcant, meaningful.73 Rightly considered it points people to God,74 and to God's provision in Jesus. If people will only view the miracles as they should they will be led into deeper faith. From this point of view the σημεία represent a challenge, a call to faith.75
For John the "sign" was something akin to the "signs" employed by the prophets and which are now widely recognized as an integral part of their message. The "sign" did things. Thus the sign at Cana set forth the life-giving power of Christ over against the ritualism of Judaism, and his disciples believed (2:11). The healing of the nobleman's son points to Jesus as the Life, and life came to the nobleman and his house (4:53). The healing of the man born blind shows Jesus as "the Light of the world" and leaves the man with light for his body and light for his soul (9:38). So it is with other signs. For John the "sign" is effectual.
On all three occasions when John uses the cognate verb σημαίνω it refers to death (twice the death of Jesus, 12:33; 18:32, and once that of Peter, 21:19). The "signs" are significant, for they are wrought as part of the work of him whose supreme work was to die for sinners.
But this is not all that John has to say about the miracles; thus his use of έργον is also important. This word can be used of the deeds people do, whether good or evil. For the evil see 3:19, 20; 7:7; 8:41, and for good deeds 3:21; 6:28, 29; 8:39; 14:12. It is not without its interest that these good deeds may sometimes be called "the works of God" (6:28, 29). It may be that this hints at the derivative nature of good works. They do not originate within us ourselves. The one passage in which Jesus looks forward to the works that his followers would do after he is taken from them is very striking: "anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father" (14:12).
But John's characteristic use of έργον is for the works of Jesus.76 Of the 27 times he uses the word, 18 times he applies it to what Jesus has done. He uses the term in a variety of ways. Clearly it applies to the miracles on some occasion; for example, "I did one work (NIV "one miracle"), and you are all astonished" (7:21). On other occasions it refers to the whole of Jesus' earthly work, for example when he refers in prayer to "completing the work you gave me to do" (17:4). The word may be used in the singula!־, for an individual act or for the sum total of his earthly life, or the plural may be used of many individual deeds.
Jesus' works are "the works that no one else did" (15:24). They are distinctive and are not to be compared to those of other people. Indeed, in a sense they are not the works of Jesus at all, but of his Father. The Father, he says, "loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater works (NIV, 'things') than these" (5:20). There is no doubt that it is the works done by Christ that are meant. But Jesus recognizes these to be the Father's works. He himself does not originate them. "It is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works" (14:10).77 Thus he can say that it is his very meat to accomplish the Father's work (4:34), and he can speak of the works that the Father has given him to do (5:36). At the end of his life he could speak of "completing the work you gave me to do" (17:4). έργον here stands for his complete life's work. On one occasion he says that a man was born blind "that the works of God might be displayed in his life," and he adds, "we must do the works of him who sent me" (9:3-4). Again, Jesus can say to the Jews, "Many good works I showed you from the Father" (10:32). It is plain that Jesus regards his characteristic works as originating with the Father.
Now these works have a function in teaching people. They have value as revelation. More than once Jesus spoke of the works he did as "testifying" of him (5:36; 10:25). And if his works testified, it is important that people heed this testimony. So he could tell his hearers not to believe him if he does not do the works of the Father. He adds, "But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may learn and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father" (10:37-38). So again he can say, "believe me for the very works' sake" (14:11). His word and his works are closely connected, for he can say, "The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works" (14:10). Clearly the works, like the signs, have a revelatory function.
From all this we see that έργον is an important word in John's under-standing of the miracles. It is not without its interest that this is the term Jesus usually employs for the miracles in this Gospel. He uses σημεΐον on two occasions, but apart from these he always refers to έργα. This is surely a very important fact, but it is missed by many who see no further than John's preference for σημεΐον over the Synoptic δύναμις. There must be significance in Jesus' own preference for έργον. We may discern part of this at any rate from the intrinsic meaning of the word, and the fact that it can be applied to the ordinary deeds people do. What to us are miracles, to God and to Christ are no more than "works." This is their normal way of working.
And besides being used more often than σημεΐον, έργον is used in a greater variety of ways. Perhaps it would be true to say that where John sees miracles from one point of view as σημεία, activities pointing people to God, from another he sees them as έργα, activities that take their origin in God. But because they originate with God they have a revelatory function and they also point people to God. Therefore John can look for faith on the basis of the "works" just as much as on the basis of "signs." έργον is for him the fuller word.78 It includes what we would call the "natural" activities of Jesus as well as the "supernatural." It reminds us that these are all of a piece, that Jesus' whole life was spent consistently in doing the will of God and in accomplishing his purpose. Not only in the miracles, but in all his life he was showing forth God's glory.79
There is another thought behind John's use of the term έργον. The same word is used consistently in the Old Testament of the works of God. Perhaps especially important are the passages in which it is used of his works in creation (Gen. 2:2-3; Ps. 8:3; 104:24, etc.) and in delivering his people from Egypt (Ps. 44:1; 95:9, etc.). But in view of the way in which Jesus is seen in this Gospel to be fulfilling what is foreshadowed in other works of God in the Old Testament (giving the true manna, the living water, the true light, etc.) we should not limit the use of the word too narrowly. What John is doing is indicating the continuity of the work of God in the Old Testament with that which he does in the ministry of Jesus. This is seen in all manner of activities, but especially in those of creation and salvation. The "wondrous works" of God are brought to their climax and fulfillment in the "works" of Christ. There is a unity here. And it is probably no coincidence that the great saying, "I and the Father are one" (10:30), is made in a context that deals with the "works." Unity of being means unity of action, and unity of action points to unity of being.80
1. A surprising number of commentators see in the vine a reference to the Eucharist, but this seems farfetched. A vine is not wine, let alone the wine of the Eucharist. And if it were, there is nothing in the passage to indicate the bread. But the biggest objection is the subject matter of the whole section. Jesus is clearly talking about the life of Christians and their relationship to God, not about a liturgical observance.
2. See SBk, II, pp. 563-64 for evidence that the vine symbolism continued to be used among the Jews.
3. John uses άμπελος three times only, verses 1, 4, and 5. Characteristically there are slight variants in the repetition. MM cite evidence from the papyri that this word was sometimes used in the sense of άμπελών, "vineyard," but there is no reason for thinking that this is the meaning here. A few commentators do accept this meaning, including Calvin, who sees κλήμα as the word for "vine." The meaning then would be that Christ is the vineyard and his disciples the vines. Pallis argues to the same effect from the usage in modern Greek. But this usage has not been shown to be common in the ancient world, and the usual interpretation remains far more probable.
4. For άληθινός in John see on 1:9.
5. There are several linguistic connections with Jer. 2:21, where Yahweh says to Israel, " I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock."
6. γεωργός is a general word for "one who tills the soil," that is a farmer. Thus some translators prefer "Cultivator" or, as NIV, "Gardener." The context rather than the word shows that here it is activity in connection with vines that is meant. This activity of the Father is not unlike that ascribed to him in Ps. 80:8ff., where the vine is Israel.
7. κλήμα is found in the New Testament only in this passage (vv. 2, 4, 5, and 6). The term denotes not a branch in our sense of the term (κλάδος), but a cane or shoot of a vine.
8. The redundant pronoun in the expression πάν κλήμα .. . αϊρει αυτό is Semitic. The construction is repeated in the next clause.
9. John uses καρπός 8 times in verses 1-16, and twice only in all the rest of the Gospel.
10. As we pass from αίρει to καθαιρεί (here only in the New Testament) there is a play on words that it is impossible to reproduce in English. MM cites an example of the use of this latter verb in a papyrus of the third century B.C. for an agricultural process, ". .. on condition that Heron shall measure out and winnow the produce annually for the State" (it is rendered "winnow"). It cites no example of the verb with the meaning "prune," and the same is true of LS (which cites only this passage). It is often said that the word can mean "prune," but Lagrange denies this. He points out that the thought is conveyed otherwise in the passage from Philo usually cited to prove the point. Dodd is also skeptical about its use for pruning. He does not find the word in a number of documents referring to viticulture and concludes, "I do not think it was a word which a vinegrower would naturally have used" (IFG, p. 136n.). The connection between καθαιρεί and καθαροί of the next verse should also not be missed. This incidentally helps us to see the meaning of the branches that are taken away. The term was applied to the disciples in 13:10, with Judas explicitly excepted: "you are clean, though not every one of you." The branches cut off are people like Judas. This man had had contact with Jesus, even close contact, but was not a real disciple. He was "the one doomed to destruction" (more literally, "the son of perdition") (17:12).
11. The word is καθαροί, used elsewhere in John only in the incident of the foot washing (13:10f.).
12. The perfect λελώληκα may be meant to indicate that the word remains with them. For this verb see on 1:37.
13. Ε. M. Sidebottom regards "abide" as "a technical term with the rabbis," and he cites as typical, "When ten sit together and occupy themselves with the Torah, the Shekinah abides among them" (The Christ of the Fourth Gospel [London, 1961], p. 37).
14. Abbott points out that έάν μή with the present subjunctive is rare in the New Testament, being found twice in this verse, and again only in verse 6 and Luke 13:3 in the Gospels. In the Lukan passage there is plainly the thought of retribution, and he thinks that this would make good sense here also, "except a man be (found) abiding" (2521). This is probably too subtle, but the present is certainly unusual.
15. χωρίς έμού is reinforced with the double negative, ού . .. ούδέν. For δύναμαι see on 3:4.
16. The aorist εβλήθη views the action as completed. Moule adds the point that it suggests immediacy, "he has forthwith been thrown out" (IBNTG, p. 13). έξω seems to mean "out of the vineyard."
17. The article in the expression τό κλήμα points to a definite branch, the one not in vital contact with the vine. In strict grammar the following αύτά should be αύτό, but the meaning is not in doubt.
18. Some scholars find an indication of a Semitic background, since this type of indefinite plural is more common in Semitic languages than in Greek (see Black, AA, pp. 91-92).
19. Cf. Strachan, "Unfruitfulness alone separates men from Christ and His Church. The Church without a sense of mission is no church."
20. Cf. Loyd: "the Lord Jesus can only live and express Himself in us, if we are constantly meditating on His words which we have treasured up for us in the Gospel." Profound piety and study of the words of Jesus go together. For the use of singular and plural see on 14:24.
21. The aorist έδοξάσθε views the glorification as complete, as in 13:31-32. For this verb see on 7:39.
22. In this understanding of it ίνα is followed by the future indicative, a construction not common in John (though cf. 7:3, and some MSS of 17:2). The change of tense and mood will give this second proposition a certain independence of the first (cf. BDF, 369[3]). It is partly to avoid this construction that "so" is supplied. The second verb in that case is not governed by ίνα. Some MSS read γένησθε (ρ66 [vid] Β D Θ), thus plainly carrying on the construction. But this looks like a scribal emendation. For ίνα see on 1:8.
23. It is possible to punctuate with a comma instead of a colon or full stop after ήγάπησα to give the sense: "As the Father loved me and I loved you, abide in my love." But this would give an unusual sense to κάγώ (see on 1:31) and overlook the fact that the normal continuance of that construction would refer to "our" rather than "my" love. NIV is better.
24. For άγάπη in John see on 5:42.
25. There are characteristic Johannine slight changes when the thought of abiding in Christ's love is repeated from the previous verse, μου replaces τη έμή and the verb is future.
26. There is emphasis on Jesus' complete keeping of the commandments in the pronoun and the perfect tense, έγώ . . . τετήρηκα. See on 4:34 for Jesus' obedience.
27. 'ίνα is fully telic.
28. The cognate verb χαίρω is found more often in the intervening chapters (3:29; 4:36; 8:56; 11:15). But in none of these passages does it refer to the joy of the disciples as it does in 16:22; 20:20. Clearly joy receives special emphasis in the upper room. John uses χαρά in all 9 times, which is more than in any other New Testament book (Luke has it 8 times).
29. The present άγαπατε is used of the disciples' love, but the aorist ήγάπησα of Christ's. They are to love habitually; his love is shown strikingly in the cross. When the thought is repeated in verse 17 ταΰτα έντέλλομαι ύμΐν replaces αΰτη έστιν ή έντολή ή έμή of this verse. See also 13:34.
30. Ten Homilies on the First Epistle of John, 5.8; NPNF, I,vii, p. 504.
31. For ΰπέρ see on 6:51.
32. W. D. Davies finds this passage of central importance: "For the author of the Fourth Gospel the words of Jesus do not, explicitly at least, constitute a court of appeal. Rather they are summed up in one commandment — prominent also in Matthew and Paul, as elsewhere — which finds its connotation, primarily at least, not in what Jesus said, but in what he did, and especially in the Cross" (The Setting of the Sermon on the Mount [Cambridge, 1964], p. 413).
33. As often in this discourse the emphatic pronouns bring out the sense, ύμεΐς marks the disciples off as a definite, significant group, "you, and not the world in general." έγώ reminds them whose commands are important, " I and no other" (see on 1:20).
34. Many commentators draw attention to the fact that a small group of specially favored people were called "Friends" of the Emperor. It is not likely that Jesus' words owe anything to this. Perhaps more important is the fact that rabbinic teachers spoke of the Jews as friends of God (see SBk, II, pp. 564-65). This, of course, is found in the Old Testament in the case of Abraham (2 Chron. 20:7; Isa 41:8).
35. Some commentators hold that the aorist έγνώρισα points to a single decisive act, probably the footwashing. But against this is the preceding πάντα, as well as the fact that the perfect of this verb never occurs in the New Testament. It seems as though theaorist is used here in the sense of the perfect. The earlier aorist ήκουσα agrees with the fact that in this Gospel the aorist rather than the perfect is always used of what Jesus heard from the Father (3:32; 8:26, 40).
36. Cf. the dictum of Rabbi Joshua b. Perahyah: "Provide thyself with a teacher ..." ('Ab. 1:6).
37. John puts some emphasis on this, ούχ negates ΰμεϊς, not έξελέξασθε; in other words, "it was not you that chose" rather than "you did not choose." άλλ' is the strong adversative, "on the contrary" (see on 1:8), and this is followed by the pronoun έγώ (see on 1:20). Perhaps this is the place to notice that the Qumran scrolls frequently have the idea of election. It mattered to the covenanters that God had chosen them.
38. The verb is έθηκα, which is used of Jesus' laying down his life for his people (10:11, 15, 17-18; 15:13). Lightfoot comments, " I f this is no accident, it emphasizes, indirectly, that it is the Lord's redemptive death which enables and empowers the disciples to undertake their work in His name." Hoskyns attempts to convey something of this in English with "He set aside His life and set them to their work."
39. In this case ίνα will be fully telic. It is omitted by p66* D e and Nonnus, not a powerful group of authorities, but Barrett thinks it may be the true text. The ϊνα would be due to assimilation to verse 12. He thinks that "without it the sentence is harsher, but stronger. 'These things I charge you: Love one another.' " This is attractive and may well be right. GNB. REB, Phillips, Berkeley, and others take it this way.
40. This is the implication of εί with the indicative.
41. γινώσκετε may be indicative or imperative: "You know" or "Know."
42. έμέ is emphatic, both from its form and its position.
43. Abbott finds no precedent in Greek literature for rendering πρώτον ΰμών "before (it hated) you." He proposes to take it in the sense, "It hath hated me, your First, i.e. your Chief' (1901,2666). Calvin anticipated this with his view that the expression denotes primacy in rank rather than time. MM, however, argues from the papyri that the similar words in 1:15 mean "before me" and that accordingly this is the meaning here (sub πρώτος). Dods takes it to mean "not only 'before' in point of time, but as the norm or prototype." There is a similar expression in 1:15 (where see note). There is certainly a difficulty since the expression is not the usual one, but it seems best to take it as "before you."
44. The perfect μεμίσηκεν should not be overlooked. It points to a permanent attitude. The world's hatred of Christ was no passing phenomenon.
45. This is in contrast with the men of Qumran. They stress the importance of love within the brotherhood but also of hatred toward outsiders. Thus in the Manual of Discipline we read: "These are the regulations of the way for the wise man in these times, for his love together with his hate, eternal hate for the men of the pit" (DSS, p. 384). There is no equivalent in the New Testament.
46. For causal δτι that introduces this clause, see on 1:50.
47. έx is used in two senses in this verse. On the first two occasions it denotes origin, but on this third occasion the thought is rather that of separation from. For είναι έx see on 3:31.
48. Cf. Ryle, "It is not the weaknesses and inconsistencies of Christians that the world hates, but their grace." So also Barclay, "It is dangerous to have and to practise a higher standard than the standard of the world." He adds, "Nowadays a man can be persecuted for working too hard or too long." Cf. Carson, "Former rebels who have by the grace of the king been won back to loving allegiance to their rightful monarch are not likely to prove popular with those who persist in rebellion."
49. μνημονεύετε may be imperative or indicative. The imperative seems more likely here. Phillips makes it a question: "Do you remember . . . ?"
50. Loyd has an interesting reflection on these words: "How good it would be for us sometimes, when we are worrying about our feelings and about our 'prayer-life,' if an angel were to appear to us and say, 'Don't waste time worrying about these things. What you need to do is to get on with the business of being persecuted'! Not that we are to go out of our way to invite persecution; but we should examine our lives more seriously to see if they are free from compromise with the world."
51. BDF points out that this verse contains an example of μου "in a contrast (probably not intended at first)" (284 [1]).
52. The άλλά that begins the verse is rather strange since there is no contrast with the preceding. There may be an implied contrast with what might have been expected.
53. Cf. Temple, "Jews who were loyal to their tradition, the noblest religious tradition in the world, might still be involved in what theologians call 'material sin' so far as that tradition was less than the perfect will of God; but they were not involved in 'formal sin', which is deliberate action in opposition to that will made known. Now that it is made known and they refuse it, the sin becomes inexcusable."
54. The verb έχω is used with άμαρτίαν as its object in 9:41; 15:22, 24; 19:11 and in 1 John 1:8 only in the New Testament. The expression implies that the sin in question remains like a personal possession with the person who commits it. It is not something that can be over and done with. The form εΐχοσαν is found only here and in verse 24 in the New Testament. BDF notes it as a Doricism still found in one village in Rhodes. The -σαν ending "enlarged its domain still further in the Hellenistic period" (84). It is possibly used here to avoid any confusion, since εΐχον could be understood as first person singular.
55. πρόφασις can denote the real reason for an action (see BAGD). It is what is put forward to justify it, whether this is the real reason or a mere excuse. Jesus is saying that they have nothing to bring forward that can justify the position they have taken up.
56. This is the significance of ούδεις άλλος έποίησεν.
57. Murray comments: "This is a tremendous sentence. And when we stand face to face with the Cross, we admit its justice. There was no flaw in the presentation of the appeal of His love. Our rejection of that appeal was absolute and inexcusable. Granted that, in the fullest sense, none of those who slew Him were fully aware of what they were doing, yet they were themselves to blame for their ignorance." NIV omits "seen and" before "hated," but the Greek seems plain enough. Cf. NRSV, REB, etc.
58. All the more so since it is the strong adversative άλλά (see on 1:8).
59. For this use of ϊνα with the omission of the preceding verb see on 1:8.
60. Cf. Hoskyns, "The writer, moreover, names the Law your Law (viii.17, x.34), not so much that he may dissociate himself from it, as so many modern commentators maintain . . . but rather in order to rivet upon the Jews those scriptures in which they boast themselves so proudly, and then to prove those same scriptures prophetic of their apostasy."
61. δωρεάν is found here only in John. It means "gift-wise," "without payment," and so comes to mean without adequate cause, "gratuitously."
62. έγώ is emphatic (see on 1:20). We should also observe that the δταν that introduces the verse leaves the time indefinite, "whenever."
63. After έκπορεύεται we would expect the preposition έx rather than παρά. But John is fond of this latter preposition to express what comes from God, and he uses it 17 times in this way. Especially does he use it of the Son (1:14; 6:46; 7:29; 9:16, 33; 16:27; 17:8). Westcott thinks that "The use of παρά in this place seems . . . to show decisively that the reference here is to the temporal mission of the Holy Spirit, and not to the eternal Procession." He points out that the creeds that refer to the latter doctrine uniformly use έx and that the Greek Fathers who use the present passage to support the doctrine of the Procession change παρά to έx.
64. The masculine έκείνος is noteworthy, for τό Πνεϋμα . . . δ is nearer than is Παράκλητος. It does not prove that the Spirit is personal, but it is an indication that John tended to think of the Spirit in personal terms. This, of course, accords also with the function ascribed to him here, that of bearing witness, for this is normally a personal activity. Bernard comments, "However little modern conceptions of personality and of what it implies were present to the mind of the first century, the repeated application of έκεΐνος to the Spirit in these chapters (168.13.14) shows that for Jn. τό πνεϋμα της άληθείας meant more than a mere tendency or influence,"
65. μαρτυρείτε is usually taken as indicative, but it might well be imperative, "And you also, bear your witness . . ." (so Goodspeed, "you must bear testimony"). Berkeley renders with a future, "you too will testify" (Knox, Amplified, and others are similar), but this does not appear to be justified.
66. The pronoun ύμεΐς puts some emphasis on this.
67. άπ' άρχής points to the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. This was the decisive thing. The present tense έστε is a continuous tense that "gathers up past and present time into one phrase" (Μ, I, p. 119),
68. The Spirit, of course, does much of his work through human agency. But his witness is not to be confused with that of people. Cf. Godet: "The Spirit does not teach the facts of history; He reveals their meaning."
69. He uses τέρας, "a wonder," "a portent," only in 4:48, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe" (this word is, however, used in Acts of Jesus' miracles). Barclay sees significance in the fact that τέρας, δύναμις, and σημεΐον are all used in the New Testament of Jesus' miracles: "In any miracle, then, there are three things. There is the wonder which leaves men dazzled, astonished, aghast. There is the power which is effective, which can deal with and mend a broken body, an unhinged mind, a bruised heart, a power which can do things. There is the sign which tells us of the love in the heart of the God who does such things for men" (I, pp. 107-8). It is the last point that is significant for John.
70. P. Riga, in an important article, "Signs of Glory," in Interpretation, XVII (1963), pp. 402-24, says that σημεΐον "does not necessarily mean an extraordinary miracle (2:1-12, 14-21), but it can" (p. 407). Elsewhere he distinguishes between "a miraculous happening" and "a supernatural but significant event" (p. 402). I cannot understand this distinction, and I see no evidence that John uses σημεΐον with reference to Christ of any nonmiraculous event.
71. In LXX it most commonly translates 
, and Barrett can say, "The σημεΐον . . . becomes a special part of the prophetic activity; no mere illustration, but a
symbolical anticipation or showing forth of a greater reality of which the σημεΐον is
nevertheless a part" (p. 76).
72. R. H. Lightfoot takes the term, as used in the Old Testament and among the Jews, as denoting a present event pointing forward to the future: "In St. John's gospel the contrast in the end is not so much between present and future, as between seen and unseen, external event and internal truth" (p. 22).
73. Hoskyns points out that the "signs" in the Bible, and supremely in John, "are usually of such a kind as to anticipate and show forth the nature both of what will take place and of the work of Him whom they authenticate. . . . They are not narrated as prodigies, or wonders, nor do they merely authenticate Jesus. They are quite properly signs or parables of the nature of His work" (p. 190).
74. Barrett insists on the christological significance of the signs: "The miracles of Jesus, then, are not merely, as in the Synoptic Gospels, signs that the kingdom of God is at hand, but also clear indications that he by whom the signs are wrought is the Son of God and equal to God himself" (p. 78).
75. Riga sees in the signs in the Fourth Gospel an equivalent to the parables of the Synoptics. Both at the same time conceal and reveal truth. And both are a challenge to believe in Jesus. G. Bomkamm says, "The crucial question, however, is what John meant by signs and how he treated them. They are not stupendous deeds in the popular sense, intended to demonstrate the divine power of Jesus to nonbelievers. Their real meaning is perceptible only to faith. Their purpose is not so much to point to the miracleworker; it is really the other way round — the signs receive their meaning from him" (The New Testament: A Guide to Its Writings [London, 1974], p. 135).
76. A. Richardson does not notice this. He says that John "does not call (the miracles) δυνάμεις but σημεία; occasionally he uses the relatively colourless word ,works' (έργα). . ." (The Miracle Stories of the Gospels [London, 1959], p. 30). It is perhaps this failure to perceive the importance of John's use of έργον that leads him to deny any distinctiveness in the Johannine view of miracles. It is true that for John, as for the Synoptists, the miracles "are evidence (not to the general public, but only to those who have eyes to see) as to Who Jesus is" (Miracle Stories, p. 31). But there is more to it in John. "Works," for him, is not a colorless term, but a way of linking the miracles with the non-miraculous. It shows that the whole of Jesus' life glowed with the divine glory, and that the miracles and the rest of Jesus' life alike represent the outworking of a single consistent divine purpose.
77. Cf. M. de Jonge, "the term έργα is clearly regarded as more suitable to denote the inner meaning of Jesus' actions than the word σημεία. Jesus' works are God's works performed by and through Jesus . . . study of the έργα passages leads us to the heart of the matter and the center of Johannine Christology and theology" (Jesus: Stranger from Heaven and Son of God [Missoula, 1977], p. 132).
78. R. H. Lightfoot misses this in his preference for σημεΐον. He says that Jesus' "whole life is a sign, in action, of the love of God" (p. 23). But to get this into the word he has had to say, "it would be a mistake to confine the word to those of His actions whichare expressly so described." The point about έργον is that it is not necessary to make such an assertion. Jesus uses it expressly of the whole range of his activities. Ε. M. Sidebottom can say that the works "include the signs but are also more than these. . . . In the Fourth Gospel the works are closely associated with the manifestation of the character of God. John in fact stresses that like produces like and that only the good produces the good, so that good works reveal God" (The Christ of the Fourth Gospel [London, 1961], p. 157).
79. Westcott says that xh έργα in John describes "the whole outward manifestation of Christ's activity, both those acts which we call supernatural and those which we call natural. All alike are wrought in fulfilment of one plan and by one power" (on 5:36).
80. Riga says with reference to John 10:30 as set in a context of works: "The operation or activity of these works is, in reality, that of the Father; the works of salvation and life-giving are given to the Son while remaining the Father's. Christ has the full power of judgment and vivification because he does not work of himself or alone, but works in unity with the power of the Father" ("Signs of Glory," p. 419).