Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 164:655 (Jul 2007)
Article: The Christological And Eschatological Significance Of Jesus’ Passover Signs In John 6
Author: Stephen S. Kim

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BSac 164:655 (July-September 2007) p. 307

The Christological And Eschatological Significance Of Jesus’ Passover Signs In John 6

Stephen S. Kim

Stephen S. Kim is Associate Professor of Bible, Multnomah Biblical Seminary, Portland, Oregon.

The literary structure of the Fourth Gospel makes it one of the most carefully crafted pieces of literature in the Bible. The Evangelist wrote in his “purpose statement” (20:30–31) that he aimed to present Jesus as the promised Messiah (“the Christ”) of the Old Testament and the Son of God. And his primary means of revealing Jesus’ identity is the seven sign-miracles (σημεία) and their attendant contexts of teaching, all of which are recorded in chapters 2–12, commonly referred to as the “Book of Signs.”1 Jesus’ first two sign-miracles are strategically placed in chapters 2–4, called the “Cana Cycle”2 because of two miracles that were performed in Cana of Galilee.3 The remaining

BSac 164:655 (July-September 2007) p. 308

sign-miracles of Jesus are also purposefully placed throughout the following chapters of this section. Chapters 5–12 are frequently called the “Festival Cycle,”4 because the sign-miracles and their attendant narratives and discourses are set in the context of Jewish festivals.5 This cycle begins with an “unnamed feast” (chap. 5; see v. 1), and then records a year of festivals, including Passover (chap. 6; see v. 4), Tabernacles (7:1–10:21; see 7:2), Dedication or Hanukkah (10:22–42; see v. 22), and then another Passover (12:1).6

The literary structure of the Fourth Gospel is skillfully interwoven with its profound theology. Whereas the “Cana Cycle” reveals Jesus as the Messiah who grants life and emphasizes the importance of believing in Him to receive that life, th...

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