Signs of the Messiah: An Introduction to John’s Gospel

by Andreas J. Köstenberger

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2021

That you may believe

Have you ever asked God for a sign? Throughout Scripture, God gave signs to his people, whether mighty acts during the exodus or miracles through Elijah and Elisha. Jesus was also asked for a sign. Yet despite giving seven remarkable signs, his people refused to believe him.

In Signs of the Messiah, Andreas J. Köstenberger—veteran New Testament scholar and expert on the Gospel of John—guides readers through John and highlights its plot and message. John’s Gospel is written to inspire faith in Jesus. By keeping the Gospel’s big picture in view, readers will see Jesus’ mighty signs and be compelled to trust more fully in the Messiah.

Readers will have a deeper grasp of John’s message and intent through this short and accessible introduction.

Praise for Signs of the Messiah

Students and pastors alike will gain new insights into this crucial telling of the Good News by working through this little primer.

–Ben Witherington, III, Amos Professor of NT for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary

An accessible and engaging book.

–Jeannine Brown, Professor of New Testament & Director of Online Programs, Bethel Seminary

Pastors, teachers, students, and all others who want to understand this Gospel and pass along its good news to others will find this book to be an outstanding resource.

–Robert W. Yarbrough, Professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

Forgoing unnecessary academic lingo, Köstenberger writes this work in a way that communicates well for pastors and lay readers. After a robust and, I believe, persuasive defense of the Fourth Gospel’s authorship by the apostle John, Köstenberger works through the Gospel in ways both practical and edifying.

–Craig S. Keener, F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary

Top Highlights

“John’s seminal insight is that Jesus’ miracles are not primarily a display of his power but a demonstration of his messianic identity.” (Page 36)

“The miracles are messianic signs! To miss their significance—the way they point to Jesus’ true identity as the God-sent Messiah and Son of God—is to miss the very purpose for which they were intended.” (Page 36)

“What is even more important theologically is that Jesus here presents his own crucified and resurrected body as the replacement of the Jewish temple. This is especially significant given that, when John writes his Gospel—almost certainly after the destruction of the physical temple in the year ad 70—he knows that the temple has already been destroyed.¹⁴ So, what John is suggesting here is that anyone who was mourning the loss of the temple as a place for worship need no longer mourn. They could and should worship the risen Jesus instead!” (Page 43)

“John is thus deliberately casting the ‘disciple whom Jesus loved’—himself—in a position parallel to none other than Jesus. Specifically, he is implying that the way in which Jesus was closely and intimately related to God the Father resembles the way in which he, John, was closely and intimately related to Jesus. This closeness to God the Father, in turn, put Jesus in an ideal position to explain God and to give a full account of him, just as John’s proximity to Jesus put him in an ideal position to explain Jesus and to give a full account of him. That’s an astonishing claim!” (Page 17)

“Notice how Nicodemus’ comments get shorter and shorter the deeper he gets into the conversation (cf. 3:2, 4, 9). This is in contrast to the Samaritan woman in the next chapter, whose responses get longer and longer.” (Page 51)

Contents

• Introduction: “Give Me a Sign!”
• Part 1: Authorship, Prologue, and Cana Cycle
  • Authorship and John’s Prologue
  • The Cana Cycle, Part 1
  • The Cana Cycle, Part 2
• Part 2: Festival Cycle
  • The Festival Cycle, Part 1
  • The Festival Cycle, Part 2
  • The Festival Cycle, Part 3
• Part 3: Conclusion to Book of Signs and Book of Exaltation
  • Conclusion to the Book of Signs
  • Jesus’ Preparation of His New Messianc Community
  • The Johannine Passion Narrative and Epilogue

Product Details

• Title: Signs of the Messiah: An Introduction to John’s Gospel
• Author: Andreas J. Köstenberger
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Publication Date: 2021
• Pages: 200
• Format: Logos Digital, Hardcover
• Trim Size: 5.5x8.5
• ISBN: 9781683594550

About Andreas J. Köstenberger

Andreas J. Köstenberger (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is senior research professor of New Testament and biblical theology and director of PhD studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including Encountering the Gospel of John, The Book Study Concordance of the Greek New Testament, and The Missions of Jesus and the Disciples according to the Fourth Gospel. He also translated Adolf Schlatter's two-volume New Testament Theology, and editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.