special way; the signs showed this. And it is what the signs showed that is John’s special concern. John’s use of the term “sign”, then, is very important. For him it is a way of drawing attention to the hand of God in the ministry of Jesus. John makes no attempt to be comprehensive: he simply selects a group of signs that show the sort of thing God did in Jesus. For him it is important that these happenings not be regarded simply as miracles. He never describes what Jesus did as a teras (wonder).