The Second Sign

Introduction

We live in a world filled with sickness and disease. I mean, I’m talking to a room full of people who lived through a global pandemic. We are perhaps more aware of that then ever. Yet even before Covid-19 there was already viruses afflicting the world, cancers taking away loved ones, degenerative diseases crippling people slowly and painfully.

But is that the way things are doomed to be forever? Do we have to resign ourselves with living in the shadow of sickness and death forever? Are we people of despair whose children will inherit a world of despair after us? Or is there hope somewhere out there on the horizon?

I believe that today’s passage is an answer to that question in the heart of humanity. The people of the first century, when Jesus did His bodily ministry, were no strangers to sickness. In fact they were perhaps more in touch with it than we were. By all metrics we are much more advanced in the world of medicine and you are far more likely to survive if you come down with something today that would have been an almost certain death back then. So what message does Jesus have for people in that world? Well let’s take a look at our passage today found in John 4:43-54 and what Jesus’ Second Miraculous Sign in the Gospel according to John has to teach us about being disciples now and about the hope awaiting us in the future.

John 4:43–54 CSB

After two days he left there for Galilee. (Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) When they entered Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen everything he did in Jerusalem during the festival. For they also had gone to the festival. He went again to Cana of Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a certain royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to him and pleaded with him to come down and heal his son, since he was about to die. Jesus told him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” “Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my boy dies.” “Go,” Jesus told him, “your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and departed. While he was still going down, his servants met him saying that his boy was alive. He asked them at what time he got better. “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him,” they answered. The father realized this was the very hour at which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was also the second sign Jesus performed after he came from Judea to Galilee.

I think it’s no coincidence that just before the royal official comes to Jesus, John reminds us that Cana is where Jesus turned water into wine, something that John called his “First Sign.” So clearly he wants us to be thinking about that miracle as this one is happening. So what do these two miracles have in common? The first thing they have in common is that in both cases someone suffering a crises turns to Jesus. This is the same thing that we should do when we are faced with difficulty and struggle in our lives. The second thing they have in common is teaching us the value of having our faith tested by Jesus and trusting in Him anyway. And finally they both give us a glimpse into the future Kingdom that we are going to live in when Jesus comes back.

Coming to Jesus

Illustration: It is already very clear that Owen is Mommy’s boy and Lucy is Daddy’s girl. This shows in who they call for when they need help. Owen calls for Mommy, Lucy calls for Daddy.

Now most of us are getting a little too old to be calling on Mommy and Daddy for help all the time, aren’t we? Yet we do still sometimes meet obstacles in our life’s path that seem insurmountable. Moments where we don’t know how we’re going to make it through, or maybe we don’t even know if we’ll make it through. Those moments where we question who let us be “responsible adults.” So who do we call when things get that way?

Do we even call anyone at all, or do we avoid? That’s my unhealthy go to. When trouble comes around I get distracted. I find something to do to keep me busy. Some of you might be able to relate to that.

The “royal official” of today’s passage found himself in one of those desperate situations where you don’t know what to do. He found himself living out any parents worst nightmare. His son was dying. As we talked about in the introduction of this sermon we live in a world full of sickness, and this sickness had found his son. I imagine they tried a few things before this moment. Maybe he had spent a significant amount of his no doubt great wealth on doctors. Maybe he has already gone to other faith healers looking for a cure. In any case, he didn’t find what he was looking for. This is where we pick up his story in

John 4:46–47 CSB

He went again to Cana of Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a certain royal official whose son was ill at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to him and pleaded with him to come down and heal his son, since he was about to die.

In desperation this man turns to Jesus. At the end of the day that’s what we’re supposed to do. The Bible encourages us in Philippians 4:6

Philippians 4:6 CSB

Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

So then God wants us to take all of those things that we worry about and stop worrying about them and bring them to Him. Of course Philippians calls us not just to bring the big desperate-I’m panicking because I don’t know what to do- requests to Him. It calls us to bring everything to Him. That’s not to say Jesus is going to tell someone no because they waited until they were desperate to come to Him. We’ve already read the end of this story. But Jesus doesn’t want to be our last resort. Jesus wants to be the one we come to first and with everything.

I mean, how would you feel if you’re friends, loved ones, or children only ever came to you when they were desperate and needed help? Some of you may be living this, I hope not, but it’s not what you want is it? You want someone you love to be coming to you consistently, right? I think God is the same way. He encourages us to come to Him in need, but wants us to come to Him all the time.

So my friends are we coming to Jesus? Are we seeking Him out all the time? And when times get tough are we bringing everything to Him? Or are we worrying? Complaining? Avoiding? I want to pledge together with all of you today to put effort into turning to Jesus instead of to those sorts of things. That’s what faith really is after all. You’ve heard me say before that a simple Biblical definition of the word faith is “active trust.” How do we demonstrate that we actively trust Jesus? By bringing everything to Him.

Faith Testing

Illustration: Have any of you ever done a trust fall exercise? It’s the kind of thing that companies often do as a team building exercise sort of thing. It’s a bit nerve wracking honestly. We did a skit at summer camp once that involved doing a trust fall. It’s the only thing I remember about that skit, and it was stressful. It really makes you question how much you trust the person who is supposed to catch you.

Sometimes in the gospels we read records of Jesus making people do a sort of “trust fall” with Him. He gives people these sort of tests to see how genuine their faith is in Him. In some cases it’s not obvious that this is what He is doing, in other places it’s pretty clear. In our passage this morning it’s more of the former. It’s not necessarily obvious that this is what Jesus is doing until you look closely at what happens when this man makes His request of Jesus.

First Jesus says John 4:48

John 4:48 CSB

Jesus told him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”

This seems like a bit of an odd response, doesn’t it. This man walked over 20 kilometers to come see Jesus. That has to show at least some measure of faith, doesn’t it? That’s the equivalent by the way for those of you who’ve been to my home in the ‘gornish of me walking to work at the church. This would take about six hours of walking. A lot longer for me I’m sure when you add in all the breaks. So why does Jesus respond this way to his request?

Well first of all, Jesus isn’t saying this to the man specificaclly, but to everyone present. In English we say “you” when we mean one person we’re talking to and when we mean more than one person that we’re talking to. In Greek there is a singular and a plural second person pronoun. Jesus is using the plural. That means He’s talking to everyone. Second, Jesus is the master of the teachable moment. Why else would He test this mans faith? Jesus is God, He knows this man has faith in Him. Who is the one who finds out about their level of trust from a trust fall? The one falling. So Jesus gives this man an opportunity to ask Himself “how much do I really trust Jesus?”John 4:49

John 4:49 CSB

“Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my boy dies.”

He repeats his request. We didn’t get the quote before, just a summary, but it’s notable the level of respect he gives to Jesus here. In English it’s translated as “sir,” but in Greek it’s κυριος, which can be used similarly to the way we use sir today, but also could mean “lord” or “master,” and was only ever used of a superior. Let me remind you that this guy is a royal official. So when met with a challenge to his faith this man responds by giving Jesus the respect He is due and doubling down on his request. So Jesus answers his request, but in a way that tests him again. John 4:50

John 4:50 CSB

“Go,” Jesus told him, “your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and departed.

This man wanted Jesus to come to where his son is. He wants the healer to come in person. But Jesus just tells him to leave with a promise that his son will live. This leaves him with a choice. Does he take Jesus’ word for it and go home in faith, or does He insist on Jesus coming with him? Well our friend does the right thing and believes Jesus and heads home.

I don’t think Jesus is finished testing people’s faith. For our own benefit from time to time Jesus puts us in situations that make us ask ourselves “how much do I trust Jesus?” He already knows the strength of our faith. We need to learn it however, and in the testing I believe if we prevail that we grow stronger in the faith. So what do we do when these tests come? We trust Him and do what He says. That’s the mark of a true disciple of Jesus. Do we keep following when it’s hard? When it demands everything of us? When we get nothing but suffering and no reward? If we know Jesus and trust Him then we press on.

A Sneak Preview

Illustration: It’s been a while since I’ve been excited about an upcoming movie, but when I am really excited about a movie I can’t help but watch the trailers obsessively. The previews of what I’m going to watch if they are made well give you a small taste of what you’re going to experience in the future.

I’m becoming convinced that the “signs” that John records in his gospel are sneak previews of the Kingdom of God. We’ll see if this proves true with the rest of the seven signs, but it seems to be with the first two for sure. You might remember when we talked about the Water into Wine miracle at Cana that it foreshadows the wedding feast of the lamb that will come in the New Heavens and the new earth. Well I believe this second sign also teaches us about the nature of the coming Kingdom.

I mean, who doesn’t want a sneak preview of our eternal destiny. Keyword here: Eternal. We’re going to be spending eternity in the new heavens and the new earth. Don’t we all want to know what we can about what that eternity is going to be like? Don’t we want a foretaste of what’s to come? The Bible gives us a lot of these, and we find one of them here in what happens next when this royal official acts in faith and leaves for home.

John 4:51–54 CSB

While he was still going down, his servants met him saying that his boy was alive. He asked them at what time he got better. “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him,” they answered. The father realized this was the very hour at which Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was also the second sign Jesus performed after he came from Judea to Galilee.

So as this man is going home he meets his servants and they tell him the boy is well. His immediate response is to ask when the boy became well. He became well the moment Jesus said it would be so. Jesus speaks and things happen. Just like when God spoke the whole universe into being. John has not been shy about the deity of Jesus of course, but there is another hint of it buried in here.

The other hint in this story is that what Jesus did for this one boy in this story is the same thing that He is going to do for all of us. Remember John’s big theme verse that comes at the end of his Gospel? John 20:31

John 20:31 CSB

But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

He wants us to have life. Just like he gave life to this boy. This however is just the preview. The boy that He healed then is dead by earthly terms now. But the day will come when we will all be resurrected and live forever. Not just will we live forever, but we will live forever in a world with no sickness. Never needing to worry about disease, contagion, or illness. In the Kingdom we will have no need of hospitals. No need of medicine. No need of anything but Jesus Himself. The one who healed this boy with nothing but His word.

Now the Bible wouldn’t talk so much of the hope we have for our future Kingdom with Jesus if it didn’t want us to think about it. It’s all over Scripture. So why did God feel it was important for us to see previews of the Kingdom to come? Because He knows that in the meantime life gets hard. I don’t want to repeat too much of what I’ve already said this sermon but we face trials and we face tests of our faith. In those times God wants us to remember what is coming. In comparison to an eternity of perfect bliss with our perfect King in a perfect world where we’re all perfect people, what’s even a 100 years of suffering? Most people I think won’t live for 100 years a life of nothing but constant suffering, but even if it were so those 100 years will shrink and shrink as we spend another 100 with Jesus, and then 1000, and then 1,000,000 and so on.

Conclusion

As we find often in Scripture even the short passages, with moments that we sometimes quickly pass our eyes over when we’re reading through the chapters, there is a lot of depth to be found. Who would expect any less from a book that claims to be inspired by the God who created the entire universe. Today’s passage was no exception to this rule. Though it is a short passage, it is full to the brim with eternal significance.

If we are attentive it can show us the importance of coming to Jesus when times get tough. Of turning when we are desperate to the only one who can solve all the problems we have, even the problem of death itself. If we look closely we see the importance of persevering through tests of our faith. That Jesus gives us these tests for our own benefit and our own strengthening. We also see if we pay attention a sneak preview of the eternal life that Jesus came to give us all.

Over all we see a Lord and Savior who has defeated sickness and death. Who is preparing for us a kingdom where we never have to live with cancer, aids, dementia, ms, or any other number of terrible illnesses but can live a life of perfect health for all time.

So then what I want you to leave here with today is a strong faith able to withstand the challenges of this world, built on the promise that Jesus made to His disciples when He says in John 14:1-3

John 14:1–3 CSB

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am you may be also.

So let’s go in the confidence of the place waiting for us, and inviting those that we know to join us there one day.

Let us pray.