John 2:18

2:18 So then the Jewish leaders ¹  responded, ²  “What sign can you show us, since you are doing these things?” ³ 

John 6:30

6:30 So they said to him, “Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?

John 7:4

7:4 For no one who seeks to make a reputation for himself ⁴  does anything in secret. ⁵  If you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.”

John 8:53

8:53 You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you? ⁶  And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?”

John 10:33

10:33 The Jewish leaders ⁷  replied, ⁸  “We are not going to stone you for a good deed ⁹  but for blasphemy, ¹⁰  because ¹¹  you, a man, are claiming to be God.” ¹² 

John 13:27

13:27 And after Judas ¹³  took the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. ¹⁴  Jesus said to him, ¹⁵  “What you are about to do, do quickly.”

John 7:3

7:3 So Jesus’ brothers ¹⁶  advised him, “Leave here and go to Judea so your disciples may see your miracles that you are performing. ¹⁷ 

John 3:2

3:2 came to Jesus ¹⁸  at night ¹⁹  and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs ²⁰  that you do unless God is with him.”

¹ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)

² tn Grk “answered and said to him.”

³ sn The request “What sign can you show us” by Jesus’ adversaries was a request for a defense of his actions – a mark of divine authentication. Whether this was a request for a miracle is not entirely clear. Jesus never obliged such a request. Yet, ironically, the only sign the Jewish leadership will get is that predicted by Jesus in 2:19 – his crucifixion and resurrection. Cf. the “sign of Jonah” in the synoptics (Matt 12:39, 40; Luke 11:29-32).

⁴ tn Or “seeks to be well known.”

⁵ sn No one who seeks to make a reputation for himself does anything in secret means, in effect: “if you’re going to perform signs to authenticate yourself as Messiah, you should do them at Jerusalem.” (Jerusalem is where mainstream Jewish apocalyptic tradition held that Messiah would appear.)

⁷ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).

¹⁰ tn Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” Here again the phrase refers to the Jewish leaders. See the notes on the phrase “Jewish people” in v. 19 and “Jewish leaders” in vv. 24, 31.

¹¹ tn Grk “answered him.”

¹² tn Or “good work.”

¹³ sn This is the first time the official charge of blasphemy is voiced openly in the Fourth Gospel (although it was implicit in John 8:59).

¹⁴ tn Grk “and because.”

¹⁵ tn Grk “you, a man, make yourself to be God.”

¹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Judas) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁴ tn Grk “into that one”; the pronoun “he” is more natural English style here.

¹⁵ tn Grk “Then Jesus said to him.”

¹⁶ tn Grk “his brothers.”

¹⁷ tn Grk “your deeds that you are doing.”

¹⁹ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁰ tn Or “during the night.”

²¹ sn The reference to signs (σημεῖα, shmeia) forms a link with John 2:23-25. Those people in Jerusalem believed in Jesus because of the signs he had performed. Nicodemus had apparently seen them too. But for Nicodemus all the signs meant is that Jesus was a great teacher sent from God. His approach to Jesus was well-intentioned but theologically inadequate; he had failed to grasp the messianic implications of the miraculous signs.