Pubic Ministry: Healing of the Official’s Son (4:43-54)

Introduction:

Praise the Lord for his word as we continue through this glorious gospel of John. John has declared Jesus to be God in the flesh, the long awaited Messiah, whose coming was not as his people the Jews had expected, but he came to implement a new covenant, rendering the old covenant obsolete. All the ceremonies of the Mosaic law including the temple, were merely types pointing to the actual anti-type Jesus, the Christ. He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament law and sacrifices and purifications and showed where and how to worship God. We see also that this new covenant, was not just for the Jews, but for the most despicable and despised people of both the Jews and their hated, half-Jew, half-Gentile neighbors, the Samaritans.

This new revelation that was in the counsel of the godhead from eternity past, completely baffled the Jewish Leaders, causing them to be infuriated with an increased resentment and hatred mounting at each interaction. This morning, as we close chapter 4, we will continue with Jesus public ministry as he returns to Cana and once again is involved with the gentiles in the Healing of the Official’s Son, John 4:43-54.

Text: John 4:43-54

John 4:43–54 ESV

43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Main Idea: Jesus, the Christ, though rejected by many, is the only divine solution to the human dilemma.

Background:

As we have mentioned earlier in our study, the purpose of John’s Gospel is to select only those events from the life of our Lord in which his deity becomes most strikingly evident and whereas its author presupposes that his readers are acquainted with the contents of the other three Gospels.

The main point in including this miracle, is this: Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, is revealing himself to ever-widening circles. He has now again reached Cana of Galilee. Here he performs a miracle in which his divine majesty and power are exhibited in a most remarkable manner, and has reached into the gentile royalty.

I. Superficial Welcome (43-45)

A. Hometown Dishonor (43-44)

(43) After the two days he departed for Galilee.

Jesus departed for and arrived in Galilee (v. 45). It is at least 49 miles (79 km) by road from Sychar to Cana (v. 46), a journey that, by foot, would have taken at least two or three days.

(44) (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.)

For (gar [explanatory conjunction]) Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor, tells the reason Jesus is now going to Galilee: he is going to minister where he does not yet have honor, so that people would then come to believe in him.

B. Galilean Welcome (45)

(45) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

the Galileans welcomed him - Most likely the point is that the Galileans’ welcome of Jesus is superficial and short lived (7:2–5), based on their need to “see signs and wonders” in order to believe, as we will see, sparked by…

having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast - possibly Jesus activities in the temple in Jerusalem.

II. Human Dilemma (46-49)

A. Official’s Dilemma (46-47, 49)

(46) So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill.

Cana. See note on 2:1. Capernaum.

where he had made the water wine - we saw this was the first of Jesus miracles back in John 2:1-11.

The official, a royal officer (τις βασιλικός) is introduced at this point. He was probably one of the courtiers of the tetrarch Herod Antipas, or he may have been a Gentile centurion, possibly in the service of Herod Antipas.

Up to this point, John shows Jesus bringing the gospel to the respected Jewish teacher Nicodemus (John 3:1–21), then to an outcast Samaritan woman (John 4:1–42), and now to an official working for the Roman government (John 4:46–54), and thus, by implication from these examples, to everyone in the world.

This same need is everywhere and experienced by everyone.

(47) When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. (49) The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

this man heard that Jesus had come - Jesus fame has now become well known, and as a result, this official acted upon the knowledge.

he went to him - This man, though a man of authority, understood that his need was beyond him and therefore went to Jesus.

come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death…“Sir, come down before my child dies.” - Humanity is fragile, this official’s need was great and beyond human capacity. The life of his son toters over the precipice of the ultimate human reality of death unless there is supernatural intervention of the eternal God. Jesus responds with a…

B. Pointed Challenge (48)

(48) So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

signs (semeion [noun]) - a supernatural event of God with the emphasis on communicating a message.

wonders (teras [noun])- a supernatural event of God that deviates from the normal course (or laws) of nature.

Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe is a challenge not only to the royal official (Jesus said to him), but also to the Galilean people (“you” is plural). Some may become entranced with signs and wonders and fail to see that they point to Jesus and hence fail to believe in him (cf. 6:2, 26, 30). However, this does not mean that John views “signs” in and of themselves negatively. To the contrary, Jesus’ miracles are one of the primary means God uses to bring people to faith in him; they often lead people to follow Jesus or place their faith in him as the Messiah (2:11, 23; 3:2; 4:53–54; 6:2, 14; 7:31; 11:47–48; 12:11, 18; 20:31).

However, there is an ultimate desire on Jesus part to show those who follow him because of these signs and wonders that there is a greater more eternal need, and that need is spiritual.

III. Divine Solution (50-52)

A. Divine Power Declared (50)

(50) Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

“Go; your son will live.” - Jesus commands the commander to act upon Jesus’ ability to command, not only him, but the health of his son, through the Word of his Power!

The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. - every true belief engages action.

B. Divine Power Verified (51-52)

(51) As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. (52) So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” - the faith of the official was verified by those saw the miracle happen. (seventh hour = 1:00 PM)

C. Divine Purpose Realized (53-54)

Since this miracle was a sign with a purposeful message, what was that purpose?

(53) The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household.

The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” - the father knew it was Jesus…there was no other explanation for such a change, and as a result…

he himself believed, and all his household - the ultimate purpose of this miracle was to bring about belief in Jesus as the incarnate Son of God!

(54) This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

second sign. While Jesus has performed many other signs (2:23), this is the second that takes place at Cana in Galilee (cf. 2:11).

Just as Jesus has the power to give new birth as was shown to Nicodemus, and living water to the Samaritan woman, Jesus now revels through the repetition of “your son will live” (vv. 50, 53) that the purpose of this sign is to reveal that Jesus has the power to give life (see 5:21), as will be seen climactically in the resurrection of Lazarus (ch. 11) and His own resurrection (10:18; 21:26–31).

Corresponding to this repetition is the progression of the official’s faith (vv. 48, 50, 53). This focus on life through the power of Jesus’ words prepares the reader for the following discourse on life through the Son (5:19–30).

So What?

Do we see Jesus as the only solution to the human dilemma?

Do we have the faith to look beyond the superficial human needs of this life and see our true needs are spiritual?