John 2:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?”

NIV: The Jews then responded to him, 'What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?'

NASB: The Jews then said to Him, 'What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?'

CSB: So the Jews replied to him, "What sign will you show us for doing these things? "

NLT: But the Jewish leaders demanded, 'What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.'

KJV: Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

NKJV: So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”

When the gospel of John uses the term "the Jews," it typically refers to the scribes, religious leaders, and politicians. In this instance, they were absolutely right to question Jesus. Just as they were right to question John the Baptist, these leaders should have investigated a person making waves in the way Jesus did. Consider that what Jesus had done was not only disruptive to business, it was public, loud, and almost certainly illegal. What would make a man think He had the right to judge the leaders at the temple?

Hebrew thinking supposed that a true prophet of God was proven by the ability to perform a miracle. Jesus is challenging their spiritual condition, so they ask a blunt question: "What miracle are you going to do to justify yourself?" More than likely, the men asking this question didn't really expect an answer. Much as they had asked John the Baptist in John 1:25, these men are asking Jesus, "Who do you think you are?" This is a common human response to being called on the carpet: we instinctively attack the authority of the one criticizing, instead of considering the actual problem.

John 2:13–23 describes Jesus driving corrupt businessmen from the temple. Selling sacrifices to travelers was not a problem. The sin was in gouging the people, focusing on money, rather than serving God. Jesus is never depicted as out of control, but His anger is clear. It’s likely that this is an early temple cleansing, and the other gospels record a second, separate cleansing. Jesus’ authority is challenged by the authorities. In typical Hebrew style, they demand a miraculous sign. Jesus instead predicts His own death and resurrection. This passage is in contrast to the quiet, joyous miracle at the wedding.

Jesus attends a wedding where He performs His first miracle: turning water into wine. This is symbolic of His transformation of human rituals into divine sacrifice. Few people are even aware that a miracle has occurred. Jesus then drives crooked businessmen out of the temple, scolding them for turning a sacred place into a market place.

Chapter 2 begins to show Jesus’ “signs,” or miracles, which will prove that He is the Savior. The miracles will grow more and more spectacular, but they start quietly. Contrast is an important part of the gospel of John. The quiet, joyful miracle at the wedding is very different from the loud public spectacle of clearing the temple. Jesus’ first miracle symbolizes His mission. During the temple clearing, He also predicts His death and resurrection.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.