Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 5:36

"But the witness which I have is greater than [that of] John; for the works which the Father hath given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me." — John 5:36 (ASV)

Another witness is that of the works Jesus was doing, i.e., those deeds that revealed his divine nature. As the quality of one’s deeds shows one’s moral standards, skill, and personal competence, so Jesus’ works marked him as superhuman in both his compassion and his power (cf. 3:19–21; 10:25; 14:11). Although Jesus never performed miracles for the purpose of drawing attention to himself, he regarded them as valid proofs of his claims.

The gospel lists seven of these works: (1) The turning of water into wine (2:1–11); (2) the healing of the official’s son (4:43—54); (3) the healing of a paralytic (5:1–15); (4) the feeding of the multitude (6:1–14); (5) the walking on the water (6:16–21); (6) the cure of the blind man (9:1–41); and (7) the raising of Lazarus (11:1–44). Each of these miracles demonstrated Jesus’ power in a different area of human experience. They are called “signs” (GK 4956) because they point to something beyond themselves. In most cases, these signs were followed by a confession of belief on the part of many of the spectators (2:11; 4:53; 6:66, 69; 9:38; 11:45).