So that You May Believe!” John 20:31
John begins his Gospel boldly with the words “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
That Word, that is Jesus, came into this world and John was led by the Spirit to write about His coming and His signs so that we may believe and have the life and light that Jesus gives. What signs? Changing water into wine, driving out evil spirits, healing the blind and the sick and bringing the dead back to life. Oh yes, also dying and rising from the dead and showing Himself as the risen Lord. Why did John write? So that we might believe and as we believe we live.
Question: Jesus remained on this earth 40 days after His resurrection. The number 40 is used on other occasion in the Holy Bible. Is there a special meaning with the use of the number 40 in Scripture?
Answer: The number 40 shows up often in the Bible. Here are a few examples of the Bible’s use of the number 40 besides the number of days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension: The rain fell 40 days and 40 nights, when God destroyed the earth with the flood. After Moses killed the Egyptian, he fled to Midian, where he spent 40 years in the desert tending flocks. Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights. In the New Testament, Jesus was tempted for 40 days and 40 nights. Whether or not the number 40 really has any significance is still debated. The Bible definitely seems to use 40 to emphasize a spiritual truth, but the Bible nowhere specifically assigns any special meaning to the number 40.
