The Emphasis in John's Account on the Disciples' Faith

I've been intrigued by Jn 2.11 where it is said that after seeing the sign of water into wine and the manifestation of Christ's glory, 'his disciples believed [put their faith, NIV] in him'.

What's intriguing about that you might ask?
Well, the text doesn't comment for example on the belief or otherwise of anyone else. Not the servants who filled the stone jars or the 'master of the banquet' (NIV)--all of these knew about the miraculous sign--but the active faith of the disciples.

The gospel writer is sophisticated and chooses his words and themes carefully and as responsible readers we must do that same. That this observation above is not just happenstance is seen in the fact that in the same chapter after Jesus has driven out the money changers out of the temple precincts, a similar statement is made (Jn 2.22). And in this statement, the author projects us into the post-resurrection period when the disciples 'recalled what he had said [about his body being raised in three days]. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken' (NIV).

Even before John 2.11 we've heard about the faith of the disciple by either implication as in Andrew's, Simon Peter's and Philip's cases or directly as in Nathaniel's case. The latter scorns the idea that anything good can come out of Nazareth but is confronted by the Son of Man who knows him and confesses that he is the Son of God, the King of Israel (Jn 1.49).

Why is the writer so focussed on the disciples' faith?

At least one of the answers to that question is found in Jn 2.23-25. This little passage is slightly discordant in terms of the above because Jesus, we notice, doesn't take the faith of those who see his signs at face value. He calls a certain disciple group to trust in Him and in turn he is entrusting himself to them.

But apparently not to everyone because 'he knew all men'; he knew their instability and fickleness it would appear and his time 'had not yet come' to be handed over to be executed (which has been alluded to in verse 4 and verses 19-21).

The faith of the disciples is going to grow throughout the gospel account and even after the Resurrection; so we should take heart. The faith that we have today by God's grace is going to grow as we mature in union with our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Revelation of Christ's Glory 2

I know I've already spoken about this theme in reference to first part of John ch2.

But the same three interwoven strands of SIGN-GLORY-BELIEF appear again in the pericope of the Cleansing of the Temple (Jn 2.13-22). This occurrence invites a further look at this triad.

The sign is less obvious but it's still there because the Jews ask Jesus 'what sign do you show [us] given that you're doing these things [driving out the money changers from the temple]?'

Jesus gives them the sign of his resurrection: 'Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up' (Jn 2.19).

They don't understand and significantly neither do the disciples!

The disciples only understand after Jesus is resurrected and the text says that the disciples remembered what He had said on this occasion, they believed the scripture and they believed the word which Jesus had said (Jn 2.22).

In this case, some 3 years elapsed before the disciples became more mature believers. No doubt the Holy Spirit brought to their awareness these words of Jesus and the effort on their faith was noteworthy.

It seemed to me on thinking about this passage and the earlier one, the turning of water into wine, that the signs given in John's account are written expressly 'that [we] might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing [we] might have life in his name' (Jn 20.31).

Jesus gently rebuking Thomas says that those who have never seen him are blessed!!! How can that be true? We late-comers believe because of the Spirit's work within us as we listen to the preaching of the word of those who were eye-witnesses.

And God in his mercy surrounds us continually with providential signs of His presence in our lives, signs of his glory in Christ Jesus, that are designed to deepen our belief in the Lord.

However, often we have become dulled by affects of the world, the flesh and the devil that we don't perceive all that God is doing in our lives.

• The preached Word of God. Always the Word will if approached with an open heart heal us, challenge, change us or chastise us depending on our need. At a service yesterday, a priest (Anglican) spoke on Jas 1.19-27. I was arrested by Jas 1.21, 'Therefore, rid yourselves of everything impure and every expression of wickedness, and with a gentle spirit welcome the word planted in you that can save your souls'. Welcome the Word! What an important direction!
• Other Christians and their love towards us are a wonderful sign of His presence in our lives . 
• Answers to prayers. Sometimes we pray and the Lord replies but we don't notice and we fail to give thanks. In everything we are to give thanks. Of course we fail in this directive but we can pick ourselves up from the floor and start again. God is always merciful.
• The holy Scriptures. Perhaps our minds will be exercised on a particular issue and then this very point is raised in a meeting where no one knew about what was going on in our lives. Recently, I was thinking of 'glory'. My wife and I went to different church services where preachers spoke on different texts but both highlighted the issue of Christ's glory. In the service I went to, the preacher spoke about it right at the end of his sermon because the passage in 1 Cor 2.8 calls Jesus, the Lord of Glory. His point was that it is a singular title. That got my attention. But when I got home and my wife was enthusing about the sermon she had heard on Jn 1.14 my attention was even more fully on alert! 

That experience among others has spurred me to write this post.