In the Hebrew Bible, Wisdom is both the means by which God creates and the channel through which he communicates to humankind. John phrases many of Jesus" sayings similar to Wisdom in the Hebrew Bible. Besides associating Jesus with the Hebrew principle of eternal Wisdom, John's "I am" speeches also express an important aspect of his Christology. They echo Yahweh's declaration of being to Moses at the burning bush. In the Hebrew Bible, only Yahweh speaks of himself in this manner. Jesus uses the phrase "I am" in many of his sayings perhaps to express his unity with God. .
John repeatedly makes the reader aware that John the Baptist is inferior to Jesus. The author states that he is neither a prophet nor Elijah figure, but only a voice whose main function is to announce Jesus. The Baptist witnesses the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus, a phenomenon that Mark reports as Jesus" private experience of his calling. Contrary to other Gospels, Jesus is recognized as "God's Chosen One" right from the start. .
John structures his account of Jesus" public ministry around seven signs or miracles that illustrate Jesus" supernatural power. Many scholars believe that in composing his narrative the Johannine author used an older document, known as the signs Gospel. The signs Gospel was a straightforward narrative that depicted Jesus performing wondrous deeds that showed he was the Messiah. Some say that the signs Gospel was the first written account of Jesus" public ministry, composed about the same time as the Q, a similar collection of Jesus" sayings. .
The first Johannine sign occurs at the Galilean town of Cana, where Jesus, attending a wedding with his disciples and his mother, changes water into wine. The miracle is not present in the other Gospels. Oddly the miracle is reminiscent to festivals honoring Dionysus, the Greco-Roman God of wine. John sees Jesus" performance as evidence to the disciples of his divine glory.