A Step of Faith

Big Idea

Tension: What does Jesus do for the royal official who asks Jesus to come down and heal his son?

Resolution: he heals him without coming down.

Exegetical Idea: Jesus heals the royal official’s son without coming down.

Theological Idea: Jesus often gives life without conforming to the expectations of those who ask.

Homiletical Idea: Jesus gives true life in such a way that we can only receive it by faith.

Outline

Introduction: What do you want from Jesus?

Story:

In Galilee they receive him, but not really. They just want stuff from him (43-45).

He is in Cana where he has already done his first miracle (46) which they don’t really seem to have understood.

A royal official asks him to come down and heal his son (vs. 47)

Jesus says, somewhat tersely, unless you see signs and wonders you won’t believe (48)

“Come down before my child dies.” (49)

“Go your child will live” (50)

He believed the word which Jesus had spoken (50)

His servants met him as he was going down (without Jeuss) and told him his son was recovering (51)

When? (52) The 7th hour, the same hour Jesus had spoken (53)

2nd sign

Did Jesus give him what he wants?

Answer 1: Not exactly.

“Come down” (47), “unless you see, signs” (48), “come down” (49) - The official wants Jesus to heal his son, but he wants to have the experience of it. He wants to see it. He wants to taste it. He wants to be able to go to the spectacle.

So, did Jesus give him what he said wanted? Well, not exactly.

Jesus did heal his son, but he didn’t give him the experience of it.

Jesus essentially puts him on the spot and says, you need to step out in faith, you need to believe.

You see, we often say we want to believe in Jesus, but we attach strings to it. We think, “I’ll believe if Jesus heals me of cancer, or gets me out of a financial pinch, or gets ahold of my kids’ hearts.”

Now, the assumption that we make here, is if we really experience it, then we’ll believe it.

But i want to question, is that really true? Is it really true that if only you could experience it, then you would really believe it? Let’s just do an experiment. How many of you have ever been pulled over for speeding.... Okay, how many of you sped on your way to church this morning?… How many of you sped past the spot where you got pulled over on your way to church this morning?

The truth is that we go against our own experience ALL the time. We know things to be true and yet we go ahead and do things against our experience all the time any ways.

One blogger says this, “Our problem isn't lack of information. Bookstores are stocked with countless books about how to eat less and exercise more; dozens of experts advise us to save and invest our money; wise friends warn us to stay away from troublesome lovers. We have plenty of information on getting rid of clutter, managing time, taking care of our bodies, managing our finances, fulfilling our career dreams. But all this information doesn't change our behavior. We know what to do but we still don't do it… In fact, sometimes we do just the opposite of what we know is good for us! We overeat and under-exercise; we spend every last nickel (or more); we pick the wrong partners to fall in love with (again and again). We buy stuff we don't need, procrastinate and fritter away time, neglect our bodies, mismanage our money, and bail out on ourselves in countless ways. If anyone else treated us the way we treat ourselves, we'd be outraged!” - BJ Gallagher <https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-dont-we-do-the-things_b_409428>

How many times as a pastor I’ve sat and told people, “Don’t be a fool. Remember how this happened last time? Remember how this went last time? Remember what happened your parents? Remember what happened to your siblings? Why would you want to go down that road again?

In just the next chapter, Jesus is going to heal a cripple. Then he’s going to tell that cripple, “Sin no more.” And the very first thing the cripple does? Betray him. What about the time that God saved Israel and brought them out of land of Egypt. And the very first thing that Israel does? they make a golden calf.

The reality is that we are fickle and fallible, and we are not nearly as faithful as we wish we were.

So, Jesus, for pretty good reasons really isn’t interested in playing this game. He’s not really interested in this kind of tit-for-tat loyalty. He’s not really interested in playing negotiator with us while we hold our faith hostage. He gives us a very plain, very simple choice. Will you believe me? Will we trust him?

The royal official here made his choice. He and all his family believed. They trusted Jesus, and we actually see that their faith grows from vs. 50 to vs. 54.

Answer 2: He gives him far more than he could have asked or imagined.

He gives him more than he wants.

The man was a royal official, probably, from King Herod’s court because Galilee was in the territory of King Herod. Now, King Herod’s court was a place of deep depravity. <John the Baptist in Matt 14:1-12>

That man probably had access to every pleasure, every earthly good someone could imagine. But it couldn’t give life to his dying son.

Jesus tells him his son will “live.” Now, we can’t read that without seeing what Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4:10, 13, that he had living water.

As we saw a few weeks ago, this is a reference to Jeremiah 2:13…

The point is simple. Jesus gives the man not only a physical healing, but life, true life, living water. The man wanted a healing, but Jesus gave him life, he gave him himself.

Big Idea Reveal: You see, Jesus gives true life to the person who is willing to step out in faith.

Application:

Jesus does not need to prove himself to us.

Jesus holds out true life for us

We’re faced with a very simple choice, will we believe?

If we want to grow in receiving the true life that Jesus has to offer, we must take steps to cultivate our faith.

remember his faithfulness

abide in his Word

Believe with his people.

Jesus might not always give us what we want, but he does give us exactly what we need. <this exposes a fundamental flaw in the prosperity gospel>

Therefore, if God knows what we need more than we do, shouldn’t we be earnest in our prayers?

This puts the question on us, if God doesn’t give us what we want, is he still enough for us?