Read John 4:43-54.

Introduction⤒🔗

A Christian asks:

When is the last time I simply thanked my heavenly Father? How long has it been since my prayers were praise rather than petition? Do I applaud God simply for who He is, rather than for what He can do for me?¹

How is our prayer life? Do we find that the main focus of our prayers is placed on personal requests? Do we spend most of our prayer time asking Jesus to do things for us? When we honestly and carefully analyze our prayer life, do we find that we tend to view Jesus as our wonder-working, problem-solving servant? Do we tend to view Him as our personal divine physician or psychologist whose primary duty is to bless our earthly life with health and happiness?

When adversity or serious illness strikes, do such occurrences take us by surprise? Do we find ourselves becoming angry with Christ? Do we accuse Him of failing us and failing to do His job? Such reactions to adversity or illness are a good indication that we do, in fact, tend to view Jesus as our wonder-working, problem-solving servant whose main duty is to provide for the welfare of our life on earth.

Often times, like the Galileans whom we meet in this passage of Scripture, we tend to view Jesus as our personal wonder working, problem-solving servant, and fail to reverence Him for who He is: the Son of God. Because Jesus is the Son of God, we must reverence Him as such.

Reverence Jesus as the Son of God, rather than Viewing Him as a Wonder-Working Servant←⤒🔗

When Jesus returned to the region of Galilee, the Galileans enthusiastically welcomed Him. They did so because they had witnessed all the mighty works He had done in Jerusalem during the time of the Passover (vs. 45). But it is important to realize that these Galileans are welcoming Jesus as a miracle-worker; they neither recognize Him nor reverence Him for who He really is.

Notice that at the outset, as Jesus enters Galilee, John reminds us of Jesus’ own testimony: “A prophet has no honor in his own country” (vs. 44). The truth of that statement may not be so readily apparent until we contrast this present passage with such a passage as 1 Samuel 16:4, “Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the city came to meet him with trembling and said, ‘Do you come in peace?’” The elders of the city greeted Samuel with reverence and godly fear, because they recognized him to be a prophet of God. In the case presently before us, the whole region of Galilee welcomes Jesus as a wonder-worker, because they have seen the mighty works He did in Jerusalem; they fail to recognize that He is the ultimate prophet of God, the very Son of God Himself.

This failure on the part of the Galileans to recognize and reverence Jesus is strikingly brought out when you compare the episode recorded here with another episode recorded in Matthew 8:5-10,

When [Jesus] had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶Lord, my servant lies in the house afflicted with palsy and is suffering terribly. ⁷[Jesus] said to him, I will come and heal him. ⁸But the centurion answered, Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; just speak the word and my servant shall be healed. ⁹I myself am a man under authority, and I have soldiers under me. I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. ¹⁰When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those who were following him, I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.

Here in John 4:46-54, we read of a Jewish nobleman from Capernaum, who, upon learning that Jesus was in Cana, undertook the 20-mile trip to that city. Arriving in Cana, he persistently urged Jesus to accompany him back to his home to heal his desperately ill son. In Matthew 8:5-10 we read of a Roman centurion who, upon learning that Jesus was in Capernaum, humbly solicits Him to have mercy upon his servant. But in contrast to the episode involving the Jewish nobleman, we learn the following about the Roman centurion:

First, he exhibits a great reverence for the Person of Jesus. From the outset he addresses Jesus as Lord (vs. 6) and expresses his own unworthiness (vs. 8). From the Gospel of Luke, we learn that he actually sent a delegation of Jewish elders to represent him and did not even think himself worthy of holding a personal interview with Jesus: “The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant” (Lk. 7:3).

Second, the centurion expresses a great confidence in Jesus’ word, this in contrast to the Jewish nobleman: “The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; just speak the word and my servant shall be healed’” (Matt. 8:8). In contrast to the centurion, whom He commends, Jesus must rebuke the nobleman with the words, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe” (Jn. 4:48).

Third, the centurion exhibits a great understanding of and respect for Jesus’ authority (Matt. 8:9). He recognizes that he himself is subject to a higher authority in the Roman army, while exercising authority over those under his command.

Both men solicit Christ’s mercy and aid on behalf of their loved ones who lay seriously ill; but there is a great difference. The Jewish nobleman saw Jesus’ power, but only focused on how that power might be employed for his personal benefit. The Roman centurion saw Jesus’ power and recognized that the Possessor of such divine authority must be worshiped and must only be solicited with the utmost reverence and humility and submission.

We must reverence Jesus as the Son of God, as opposed to viewing Him as a wonder-working, problem-solving servant whose main task is to do our bidding. Do we approach Jesus in the same manner as the Jewish nobleman, recognizing Jesus’ power, but only focusing on how that power might be employed for our own personal benefit? Or do we approach the Lord Jesus in the same manner as the Roman centurion, recognizing Jesus’ power, and recognizing that the Possessor of such divine authority is to be worshiped, and His aid is to be solicited with the utmost reverence, humility, and submission?

If necessary, the Lord may likewise use a crisis in your life to force you to submit to the authority of His Word and to enter into a much deeper and more spiritual relationship with Him.

Reverence Jesus as the Son of God, If Necessary, Being Taught to Do So through a Crisis←⤒🔗

The Galilean nobleman thought he was coming to merely a miracle-worker; maybe you view Jesus in similar terms. Maybe you only look to Jesus to heal your marriage, or to save your troubled family, or to deliver you from drugs or alcohol, or to improve your self-esteem, or to fill your spiritual emptiness; instead of viewing Jesus as the Son of God to be worshiped and the Savior from sin to whom you must entrust your very life and soul for salvation.

The Galilean nobleman came imposing himself upon Jesus, seeking to dictate the terms of his relationship with Jesus, and seeking to define that relationship solely in terms of meeting his own personal needs: “a certain nobleman...went to him and begged him to come and heal his son; for he was at the point of death.” (vs. 46-47) The “begging” is more of a persistent demanding, rather than a humble petitioning.

Maybe you approach Jesus in a similar way. Maybe you seek to dictate the terms of your relationship, seeking to confine that relationship to merely an impersonal “business” arrangement in which you “contract” for Christ’s services when you are in need and for “eternal life insurance” in anticipation of the time when you must finally leave this world. Christ will not accept such a relationship, as the very Son of God, He insists on setting the terms of your relationship with Him.

That Galilean nobleman came imposing himself upon Jesus, and seeking to define their relationship solely in terms of meeting the man’s own personal needs. That was the type of relationship this Jewish nobleman thought he could have with the Lord Jesus Christ. But in the hour of crisis this man was forced to rely solely upon the word of Christ; and in so doing, he came to know Christ in a far deeper way: he came to know Christ as the divine Savior and the Savior of his whole household:

The nobleman said to him, Sir, come down before my child dies. ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, Go your way, your son lives. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and he departed. ⁵¹While he was still on his way, his servants met him, reporting that his son was alive. ⁵²He asked them what hour he began to recover. They told him, Yesterday at the seventh hour [of the day] the fever left him. ⁵³The father realized that it was at the hour when Jesus said to him, Your son lives. Then he believed, together with his whole household. Jn. 4:49-53

Notice that twice in this passage it is stated that the nobleman “believed,” (vs. 50,53). The first time, he has confidence that the Lord Jesus has honored his request and will grant healing for his son. The second time, being struck by the concurrence of Jesus’ word, spoken at a distance of twenty miles, and the healing of his son at the very instance Jesus spoke the word, the nobleman comes to truly recognize that Jesus is the LORD; and he puts his faith in Him as the Messiah, along with his whole household. The statement, “Then he believed, together with his whole household” (vs. 53), is very reminiscent of Paul’s interaction with the Philippian jailor:

The jailor brought Paul and Silas out of the dungeon, and wanted to know,

’Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ ³¹So they said to him, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, you and your household.’Acts 16:30-31

In the case of the Galilean nobleman, Jesus did not submit to the man’s request that He accompany him to his home in order to personally heal his son. On the contrary, the Lord Jesus compelled the nobleman to accept His divine word; and when he did, he was confronted with the true Person of Christ and, consequently, entered into a deeper, saving relationship with Christ. But it took a crisis to bring him to that point; indeed, Christ created the crisis, in order to bring him to that point.

Reverence Jesus as the Son of God, by Believing and Submitting to His Word←⤒🔗

The Galileans received Jesus because they had seen all the things He had done in Jerusalem (vs. 45). Their “faith” focused on His works, but did not go beyond those works. They welcomed this man, Jesus, because He was able to do mighty works that fascinated them and were of personal benefit to them. They failed to appreciate that these works were “signs” (vs. 54), intended to be the divine credentials that identify Jesus as the Lord and Messiah, so that men might trust in Him and His Word.

Theirs was not only a “faith” based on miracles, it was also a “faith” that was sustained by miracles; for this Jesus rebukes them: “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe” (vs. 48). As long as the miracles continued, they would continue to welcome Christ and rejoice in Him.

As a contemporary example of such immature faith as that exhibited by the Galileans, consider the case of a young woman named Ruth:

Ruth was a young wife and mother, twenty-five years old. She and her family lived in Denver and enjoyed the majestic Colorado Rockies. One August day in 1981 her husband and three of his friends went camping in those mountains. Only two of them returned: a lightning storm took the lives of the other two, one of those who died was Ruth’s husband. During the awful days that followed, rescue workers sought to locate and recover the bodies, while Ruth’s mother sought to console her daughter. It was during this time that Ruth asked her mother, 'Where is my sign from God? I thought that He would let me know if J.R. [her Christian husband] is with Him.'²

With all due respect to Ruth, and being sympathetic to her situation, we still may quite rightly ask, “Why did she expect a sign from God? Isn’t it enough that He has given us His Word?” Her husband had received Christ as his Savior, are not Christ’s promises made to those who believe in Him sufficient for us? It is Christ Himself who gives words of assurance to those who believe in Him: “this is my Father’s will, [namely], that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (Jn. 6:40).

To what extent is our faith based upon miracles and dramatic “signs,” as opposed to being based upon the Word of Christ? Consider the faith of Abraham, which was firmly established upon the Word of God, trusting God’s promise that he would have a son, even when that promise appeared as though it would be impossible to fulfill:

And without becoming weak in faith, he acknowledged that his own body was now as good as dead, (he being about a hundred years old), and [he acknowledged] the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. ²⁰ Nevertheless, looking to the promise of God, he did not waver through unbelief, but grew strong through faith, [thereby] giving glory to God, ²¹being fully persuaded that what [God] had promised, he was also able to fulfill. Rom. 4:19-21

The Apostle Paul informs us that Abraham’s steadfast faith in the word of God was a means of bringing glory to God.

Notice how Jesus deals with this Jewish nobleman: He puts the man into a position in which he has no other alternative but to believe the word that Jesus spoke to him and then act upon that word in faith (vs. 50). Rather than accompanying the man to his home and there personally healing his son, Jesus simply speaks the word, “Go your way; your son lives.” The nobleman is thus put into a position in which he must accept Jesus’ word; he has no other alternative.

There are many times when we as Christians will likewise be providentially put into a situation in which we have no alternative other than simply trusting in the word and the promises of God as they are presented in the Scriptures. And we should not need any other alternative! The Word of God is sufficient, for the LORD is both able and faithful to be true to His Word.

Let us reverence Jesus as the Son of God, by believing and submitting to His Word. One of the greatest forms of reverence and honor we can give Jesus is simply accepting His Word and acting upon it. (Note, again, that Abraham’s steadfast faith in the word of God was a means of bringing glory to God.) Jesus has already provided more than ample credentials: His mighty works are signs that bear witness that He is the Son of God and as such He is worthy of our complete confidence. The Apostle John testifies to this throughout his Gospel and especially at the conclusion of his Gospel:

Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples that are not recorded in this book. ³¹But these are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and by believing you may have life in his name. Jn. 20:30-31

Jesus has also provided the promise that steadfast faith in His Word shall be rewarded with the fullness of assurance:

Jesus said to those Jews who had believed him, If you abide in my word, then you are truly my disciples; ³²and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Jn. 8:31-32

Conclusion←⤒🔗

Because Jesus is the Son of God, we must reverence Him as such and must never view Him as a wonder-working, problem-solving servant. One of the greatest forms of reverence and honor we can give Jesus is simply accepting His Word and acting upon it.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. As He returns to His home country of Galilee, what does Jesus testify? See Jn. 4:43-44. As a Christian, do you honor the Lord Jesus Christ? Note Mal. 1:6a. What is one specific way in which we can honor our Lord? Note Prov. 3:9-10,

After the two days, he went from there to Galilee; ⁴⁴for Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. Jn. 4:43-44

Thus says the LORD of hosts, A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is my honor? And if I am a Master, where is the reverence due me? Mal. 1:6a

Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your harvest; ¹⁰then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Prov. 3:9-10

2. Is it surprising that in Jn. 4:44 Jesus identifies Himself as “a prophet”? Why does He do so? Note Jn. 12:49-50. What is totally unique about Jesus in His capacity of being a prophet? Note Jn. 3:31­ 32; Heb. 1:1-2. Since the Lord Jesus, as the Son of God, is the ultimate prophet, dare we ever go beyond His word as it has been recorded in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments? Note 2 Jn. 9,

...I did not speak of my own accord; on the contrary, the Father who sent me, he has commanded me what to say and how to speak. ⁵⁰And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Therefore, what I say is just what the Father has spoken to me.Jn. 12:49-50

The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and he speaks of the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. ³²He testifies of what he has seen and heard; but no one accepts his testimony.Jn. 3:31-32

God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²has in these last days spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds...Heb. 1:1-2

Whoever goes beyond, and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God: he that abides in the teaching, that one has both the Father and the Son. 2 Jn. 9

3. Given Jesus’ testimony concerning a prophet and his home country, is it surprising to see the way in which the Galileans received Him? See Jn. 4:45a. What accounts for this kind of reception? See Jn. 4:45b; also, Mk. 1:32-33. For what reason do you “welcome” Jesus? Is it merely for the temporal benefits you hope to receive from Him, such as healing from illness or disease, material prosperity, a happy marriage? Or do you welcome Him as the Son of God, your only Lord and Savior?

So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all the things that he had done in Jerusalem at the [Passover] Feast; for they also had attended the Feast. Jn. 4:45

At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to him all those who were sick, and those who were possessed with demons. ³³The whole community was gathered together at the door [of Simon’s house]. ³⁴He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; but he did not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.Mk. 1:32-33

4. When Jesus arrives in Cana, from whom does he receive a visit with an urgent request? See Jn. 4:46-47. Given the position this man occupied, and the fact that Capernaum was twenty miles from Cana, what does his personal visit tell you about his love for his son and the urgency of his request? How does Jesus respond to him? See Jn. 4:48. Has the Lord Jesus ever allowed you to remain in a crisis situation until you learned to simply trust His word?

He came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. Now there was at Capernaum a certain nobleman whose son was sick. ⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Jn. 4:46-47

Jesus said to him, Unless you see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.Jn. 4:48

5. What does the Lord Jesus now tell the man to do? See Jn. 4:50a. With no other alternative, what does the man do? See Jn. 4:50b. By so doing, what does he discover? See Jn. 4:51-52. What does the nobleman now realize, and what does this lead him to do? See Jn. 4:53; cp. Acts 16:31. Have you realized that when you accept Jesus’ word it leads you to a deeper and more profound realization of who Jesus is and a deeper, more personal relationship with Him?

Jesus said to him, Go your way, your son lives. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and he departed.Jn. 4:50

While he was still on his way, his servants met him, reporting that his son was alive. ⁵²He asked them what hour he began to recover. They told him, Yesterday at the seventh hour [of the day] the fever left him. Jn. 4:51-52

The father realized that it was at the hour when Jesus said to him, Your son lives. Then he believed, together with his whole household. Jn. 4:53

And [the jailor] brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' ³¹So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.' Acts 16:30-31

The nobleman’s initial acceptance of Jesus’ word led him to the realization that Jesus is the Messiah, and, consequently, led him to place his faith in Jesus as the Messiah; have you had a similar experience with the Lord Jesus?