John’s gospel begins with a “book of signs,” the word semeion used sixteen times in the first 12 chapters and only once after (20:30).  The last use of the noun in the book of signs occurs in 12:37, which speaks of the “signs” that Jesus performs to unbelieving Jews.

What comes after the “book of signs”?  It seems that 12:33 tells us: In talking about being “lifted up,” Jesus “signified” (semaino) the death that He would die.  This is the first use of the verb in John’s gospel (indeed, in the entire NT), but it is picked up in 18:32 and 21:19, both of which also talk about “signifying” Jesus’ manner of death.

The book of signs is followed by the book of the single sign, the sign of the cross.

(As a bonus, we might notice, following J. Massyngberde Ford, that all the uses of the word semeion in Revelation come after chapter 12.  John’s book of signs in 1-12 thus matches Revelation’s book of signs in 12-22, with the sign of the cross bridging the two.)