August 7th, 2021

This week continues with a text from that very special Gospel according to John [6:35-51], and we continue to look at that special structure of that gospel account.

It may be helpful to remember that this special account is usually the last of four gospel accounts and, better yet, the end of a fourfold gospel. Within a context of proclamation, and also with some very broad literary strokes, the first three gospel accounts may be connected to the Trinity—the Gospel according to Matthew and the Father, the Gospel according to Mark and the Son, and the Gospel according to Luke and the Holy Spirit. With such a significant and strong beginning, the fourth gospel account may be seen as a good, meaningful conclusion, as a Jewish and very special type of word of exhortation/encouragement—but with more emphasis being on a ‘gospel’ word rather than on the ‘law’ of exhortation or encouragement.

One of the lesser-known characteristics of this word of exhortation/encouragement, as it occurs in Acts 13[:16], is the motion of one or two hands by the speaker. This motion of the hand occurs elsewhere in Acts. In one place [12:17] it is designed to quiet a loud crowd. Very literally, the verb means to ‘sway downward [See A Concise Lexicon to the Biblical Languages, Peabody, Massachusetts, USA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1987; A Concise Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, page 69.]’. The picture may be one of an uplifted hand with a downward motion, and such a picture would fit with a gracious God who brings down his good gifts to a very sinful world.

In some languages, the singular of the word can sometimes indicate the plural. When a person makes the request in English, ‘Give me a hand’, they are usually hoping for more help than with just one hand. In the same way, when someone is given a round of applause, something that takes two hands, this is also called ‘giving someone a hand’.
So, at Acts 13:16, there is some type of motioning with either one hand or two. If this was meant to for two hands—and we may not know for sure—then there might be an even greater connection to the Gospel according to John in that the first two signs are specifically numbered within this gospel account.

It should be said that there are literally MANY other signs as well, and some count a total of seven signs, while others are counting eight. But they are not clearly numbered as these first two are.

The first sign is Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine. The second sign is Jesus healing the nobleman’s son. Here are the supporting texts, in a somewhat-literal translation:

This Jesus did, the first of the signs, in Cana of Galilee, and the glory of him manifested, and the disciples of him believed in him [2:11a].

And this again, a second sign Jesus did, having come out of Judea into Galilee [4:54].
As was mentioned above, there are many other signs mentioned. The most obvious proof for that is in the following well-known text, where the writer is speaking DIRECTLY to the reader or listener:

Many other signs Jesus did before his disciples which have not been written in this book. But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, life you may have in his name [20:31].

The thought is that these first two signs MAY be compared to the motioning of two hands. And, as was said above, there are a lot of other signs, but they certainly and ultimately point to Jesus as the One with the authority to make a difference in a world that is filled with so many problems.

Another indicator that these first two signs are important may be that, in between them, there is a structure leading to a rare mention of Jesus as Lord. This mention of ‘Lord’ by the writer of the gospel account (and not someone else in the narrative) is certainly significant. It happens frequently after his resurrection, but it only happens very rarely BEFORE the resurrection when the writer himself uses it. And he chooses to use it in in John 4:1—although some manuscripts do NOT have this word—it does not appear in some; in others the name ‘Jesus’ is also left out and only ‘he’ is there. It appears in this way in the middle of this concentric structure; the appropriate, connecting phrases are translated somewhat literally here as well:

The disciples believed the scripture and the word which Jesus said [2:22b].
And when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover at the Feast, many believed in his name, beholding his signs which he was doing [2:23].
                        Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night—John 3.
                                 ‘…this one baptizes and all are coming to him [3:26b].’
‘When, therefore, the Lord knew….
…that the Pharisees heard that Jesus was making more disciples and was baptizing more than John—though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples—he left Judea and went away again into Galilee [4:1-3].’
                                    A Samaritan woman comes to Jesus at a well during the day—John 4.
‘And out of that city many believed in him because of the woman’s witnessing… [4:39a].’
            The man believed the word … and he and his whole household believed 
            [4:50b & 53b].

There is a great contrast, of course, between the two large sections (shown in italics). You cannot get a greater contrast than a male ruler of the Jews and a Samaritan woman who was married five times and the one she was living with now was not her husband. There is also the contrast of night and day.

But we should not focus too much on the others. The ultimate focus should be Jesus, and, in this case, the ‘Lord’—although, as was said above, that word does not appear in some manuscripts.

A stronger case may be made by saying that the word ‘Lord’ is very numerically close to the middle of the two uses of the word ‘sign’ at 2:11 and 4:54. The addition of chapter and verse divisions do not help too much when looking at the various structures of a text. I had the time this week to number the words and it is quite close—I counted 925 words in the first half of the structure—from the word ‘sign’ to ‘Lord’—and 920 in the second half—from ‘Lord’ to ‘sign’. [I counted using the Novum Testamentum Graece, 27th revised edition, 1993.]
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If that structure makes a difference, then the Lord, who literally (in a way) is in the middle of things, certainly makes a difference. With his two raised hands, rich blessings are given out.