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

by Andreas J. Köstenberger

That you may believeHave 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 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.

Genres: Theology, Christian

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 23, 2021

Reviews

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andreas Kostenberger has been writing on John’s Gospel for years. I’ve used all of his titles on John to advantage. While this volume may never be as well-known as his commentary on John, nor his upcoming major new commentary on John, I think this book is something of a little jewel that Bible students ought not to overlook. To be sure, it is a perfect example of where a scholar writes some of the best the profession can give pastors or those doing intense study of Scripture. Or what is even better is that there is little jargon or extraneous material to have to wade through to get to the good stuff! When scholars take the details of a book and formulate its structure they present to us something that is truly helpful. That is what you will find here!


The introduction is not a complete introduction to the gospel of John, but rather an explanation of what this book is trying to accomplish. It takes the signs (you will learn what they are if you don’t already know) and break the gospel of John down into units. Within the unit, he explains the sign that was given and what Jesus was accomplishing and the Book of John particularly. There are riches in every chapter.

I thought the several charts throughout the book were a wonderful aid to what you were learning and crystallized in one visual what you were trying to grasp.


I disagreed with a few fine points of detail, many of which were only in the footnotes, but overall I agreed with his conclusions and thought the work was awesome. This book will probably never be the most famous one written by this author, but it will do you as much good as any of them.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[Adam Balshan · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars [Theology]
(W: 2.65, U: 2.5, T: 2.4)
Exact rating: 2.52

Use: 2.5
Rather than a self-contained introduction to John's Gospel as the subtitle states, this book seemed more like a sermon-series aid (or an outright sermon template). Bits of homiletic entreaty were unusual for a Bible-book Introduction.

Truth: 2.4
A high view of the Bible was rightly defended [3], and general insights were commonly [2.5] and uncommonly [3] true. Some OT allusions were cited, but almost none of the deeper ones. The most serious omission [1.5] was in the book's focus: the signs comporting with Messiahship were singularly relayed at the expense of the Christological witness. Even places where Sonship was validly (and primarily, if not solely) in view were instead described as Messianic.

Takeaway
Signs of the Messiah is a fast-paced but incomplete engagement of John's Gospel, apparently aimed at preachers or lay Christians. A different subtitle: "One Motif of John's Gospel" would have mitigated some of its misapplication.

It might be worth your time if you are a casual reader, but for those more devoted to Theology or Exegesis, you will probably want to pass on this one.

_______
//W lexical 2.63 [2.5-2.75]; semantic 2.5; syntactic 2.5; register 2.75; pacing 3.5; linearity and organization 3.5; repetition -1/4 overall Writing score)

[Jordan Litts · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good intro.

[Landon Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kostenberger provides a nice treatment of Jesus' seven "signs" in the narrative of John's gospel. The rest of the gospel is summarized in hurried fashion, but Kostenberger's approach to the "signs" is helpful for the student of John's gospel.

[Dogeared Wanderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focuses on the 8 signs of the promised Messiah from the gospel of John and why they are so important. The author focuses on various aspects surrounding the signs, including authorship (John), various outlines, the festival cycles, and the Jewish significance of various themes. I also appreciated the contrasts between key characters within the 8 signs.

🦦The Cana Wedding
🦦The temple clearing
🦦Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus
🦦Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman
🦦The Healing of the lame man
🦦The feeding of the 5,000
🦦The healing of the blind man
🦦The raising of Lazarus

Reasons why this book was 4 stars:
There were some theological and academic assumptions that were probably covered by other speakers where these lectures were given or perhaps in previous books by this author. I felt like I missed something at times.

Because it's based on lectures, each chapter opened with a lengthy introduction that restated the previous chapters. This is a helpful technique in speaking but seems redundant to read.

One of the subjects that was spoken of was the adulterous woman of John 8. The author claims that it's not part of original manuscripts and cited several sources. Even though I'm not thoroughly convinced that it's part of the original manuscripts either, it seemed poor logic to give only one side of the argument, namely the side the author agrees with.

Another concern I had was the section on Nicodemus. It was an excellent chapter and emphasized a lot of good points. But the author concluded that Nicodemus was a permanent unbeliever who is contrasted with the Samaritan woman in John 4. Though there is a remarkable contrast between the two chapters, I thought that the author neglected the fact that Nicodemus may have been silent in John 3 but he was bold in John 19 after Jesus' crucifixion. His reappearance is never mentioned in the book and seems to be an intentional oversight.

Otherwise, I enjoyed this book and was profited by it.

🦦YES discussion questions

[Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, great introduction to John. I would definitely recommend. Focuses on the big picture (literary structure, features, and characters) which make this Gospel unique. This would be excellent for a small group or personal study. It is a very fast and easy read.

A few things I didn’t like, too much space dedicated to review and other issues like who the author is. This is evident when you get to the discussion about the end of the Gospel and it’s brief. Also, I was unconvinced that the prediction of the temple destruction/body is the second sign, instead of pointing to the possible 7th and greatest sign, his resurrection. The worst part of the book is that somehow the cover designer got the signs out of order! Lol.

[Jonathan Ginn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful intro to the Gospel of John with some fascinating textual insights here and there. At times, however, especially in the final third of the book, the author seemed to be rushing through things. He covers John 1-12 in about 120 pages and then speeds through John 13-21 in about 35 pages. Perhaps he was operating under a word constraint? If so, I wonder if this flyover approach to the fourth gospel was really the most effective?

[Matthew Rawlings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clearly and well written. A great source for pastors, Sunday school teachers, etc. I disagree with Kostenberger on the dating and background of John (I think it was earlier) but, otherwise, very well done.

[Chris Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful survey of the Gospel of John. I’ll use it again and again in my study and small group work.

[Gage Terrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the fourth Gospel. Everything Kostenberger writes is fantastic.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many love the gospel of John. But have you truly seen the wonder in his writing? Have you met the Messiah? In Signs of the Messiah, Andreas J. Kostenberger takes you on a beautiful journey through John’s gospel.

The book is divided into three parts, breaking up the narrative to show you the “sign cycles” of Jesus. Part 1 focuses on the Cana cycle (John 1-4), Part 2 highlights the festival cycle (John 5-10), and Part 3 features the conclusion to the book of signs (John 11-12) and begins the book of exaltation (John 13-21). With these partitions, Kostenbeger keeps the book focused on the plot and message of John’s gospel.

Sign Cycles

While I was familiar with the sign cycles, I had never studied them broken down in such a succinct manner. It is clear that Kostenberger is an expert, as he effortlessly guides the reader to see the genius of John. There are 28 figures employed throughout the book, including the chiastic structure of John’s prologue, the anointings of Jesus in the four gospels, and Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances in John’s gospel.

What I appreciated the most was how Kostenberger highlights different contrasts throughout John’s gospel. He contrasts Nicodemus and the Samaritan Woman in John 3-4, showing Nicodemus’ religious advantages versus the Samaritan Woman’s spiritual understanding. He compares the Invalid and the Man Born Blind in John 5 and 9, showing their differences in faith (or lack thereof). The insights that Kostenberger packs in such a small book are impressive.

Head and Heart

But Kostenberger isn’t content to leave his audience with just head knowledge. He calls upon his readers to think about themselves and how we relate to Jesus as we see ourselves in the Biblical characters. In regards to John 5 and 9, he asks us how we would respond to Jesus’ gracious initiative. As Jesus waits to raise Lazarus, Kostenberger makes the connection to our waiting for answers to prayer. Will we trust God, knowing that his timing is perfect?

This book also gives insight into why Jesus did the things he did. In regards to waiting four whole days to raise Lazarus, Kostenberger points out that according to first-century Jewish belief -- a person’s spirit left their body three days after death. This makes Jesus’ miracle irrefutable and meaningful.

Jesus Looks More Glorious

Kostenberger also helped me see the more comical elements in John’s gospel. He mentions how Lazarus coming out of the tomb must have been such a strange sight – his body being wrapped with cloths, his face covered, and seeing him trip and stumble awkwardly coming out of the tomb. And when Jesus is being arrested, the sight of an entire mob needing to come to take hold of Jesus seems ridiculous. And all of these serve to make Jesus look more glorious.

As I am reading and writing this review with Easter on the horizon, I am stunned by the rich writing of John. I am amazed at the signs and events in the gospel story. And I am more in love with Jesus, the Messiah.

I received a media copy of Signs of the Messiah and this is my honest review.

[Greg Mathis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the theological landscape of John.
True to its title, this is an introduction. I read it as I was preaching through John's Gospel. It is not suitable, in my opinion, as a commentary. For instance, of the 170 pages of text, the first 111 cover John 1-10. This indicates the author's priority of sketching our the theologically rich contours of the book, which is certainly a needed element. Throughout, certain differences are noted between John and the Synoptics, which is helpful. If the reader is consulting this text for preaching helps, I recommend reading its entirety in a few sittings, prepared to make notes for future reference as the book highlights salient points related to certain passages.

[Mark Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book. Clear in its presentation. A great help when you are teaching the Gospel of John. However, as good as it is, it is not an exhaustive commentary. This book is focused on the signs within John.
I also, appreciate the detailed work on the structure of John. Very enlightening.

[Ethan Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rating. Helpful to show the basic outline and features of John's gospel. Theologically uninteresting. Only moderately well-written - would have benefitted from stronger editor.