In his book Broken Signposts, NT Wright identifies seven signposts that point to a world that should make sense, a world where we should find both meaning and answers to life’s great questions. The problem is that the signposts are broken. They point to an ideal that remains beyond us. We experience enough of things like beauty, freedom, and justice to know they are real and offer hope, but also to recognize they are broken. Something just isn’t quite right and so these signposts leave us searching for more.
In his book The Gospel of John, John the beloved disciple also identifies seven signs, but the signs he identifies are not broken. They are signs that can help us makes sense of the world, find answers to our questions, and discover our purpose. The signs that John identifies are the signs through which Jesus “revealed his glory,” and prove that He is the Messiah.
"Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his
disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are
written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the
Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
John 20:30-31
