The Word of Christ Gives Life

John 4:43-54

Introduction

If you’ve ever had a sick child, you know the helplessness of that moment. You’d do anything, call any doctor, drive any distance, spend whatever it takes, to see your son or daughter restored.

The father in our passage today knows that helplessness. His boy is burning with fever, slipping toward death, and all he can do is beg Jesus for help.

But there’s a deeper sickness in view here too. The child’s physical illness mirrors the spiritual condition of so many children today.

In our own community, we see it clearly: children who don’t know God’s Word, who are not being taught the faith in their homes, who come to church but leave with little grounding in Christ. They are spiritually weak, even dying, and the question is, are their fathers and mothers desperate enough to bring them to Jesus?

This story is not just about a miracle long ago; it’s about what it means to come to Christ in faith today. It’s about moving from a shallow faith that demands signs, to a true faith that trusts His word. And it’s about how such faith doesn’t just bring life to one child, but to an entire household.

John tells us this story so that we would see that life comes not through signs and wonders, but through trusting in the word of Christ. And when fathers, when parents, when believers take Jesus at His word, not only are they changed, but those around them are blessed as well.

A Father’s Request

Jesus had just come from Samaria, where an entire village believed His word. Now he’s back in Galilee, His home country:

This is where Jesus turned water into wine (Jn 2:1-11).

Many of the Galileans had also been in Jerusalem when Jesus cleansed the temple and many believed in him because of the signs he was doing (Jn 2:23).

The people here welcomed him, but we see that Jesus was not honored. The people were impressed by His signs, but hadn’t come to know him as Lord.

And yet, in that setting, one father came.

A royal official, a man of status, probably serving in Herod’s house. His boy is sick and he has no other hope. He has wealth, he has connections, but they cannot save his son. He walked twenty miles from Capernaum to Cana.

So he pleads with Jesus: “Come down and heal my son, for he is about to die.”

Now notice something: though this father comes to Jesus in desperation, his words still carry the tone of command. He is a royal official, after all, people are used to doing what he says. And here he is, speaking to the Lord of heaven, ‘Come down and heal my son.’

Do you hear it? It’s desperate, but it’s still ordering Jesus around. And isn’t that how we often come to Him too? We want Him to act in our way, on our timeline, in the manner that makes sense to us.

Jesus’ Rebuke Over Signs

But Jesus will not be commanded. He is Lord. He exposes this man’s heart, and the crowd’s heart, with His rebuke: ‘Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.’

The “you” here is plural. This is a word to the crowds, not just the man. They were looking for a quick fix. They had seen the water turned into wine, the cleansing of the temple, the signs at the feast, and they wanted more.

But Jesus will not let them, or this man stay in a shallow, sign-seeking faith. He presses deeper.

And look at the father’s reply: “Lord, come down before my son dies.”

Here is the beginning of genuine faith:

He calls Jesus Lord—acknowledging His sovereignty.

He bows in humility—only Jesus can save.

He pleads in desperation—“my son will die.”

The Lord spoke harshly, so that his hardened heart would be broken and opened to the Word of God. Jesus does not leave the father in despair. He points him forward, to faith that rests on His Word rather than on visible proof.

Christ Is The Word That Saves

And then, the turning point: “Go; your son lives.”

What is in these words?

A command to obedience: “Go.” He didn’t tell the man to go away and leave him alone, but he is sending him back to his family with a promise…

A promise of life: “Your son lives.” Jesus is sovereign over life, and can speak life into the child, even at a distance. He proclaims His grace and mercy.

And how does the man respond?

He believes the word that Jesus spoke. He was no longer waiting for a sign. He went home on the strength of Christ’s word alone.

And what did he find? His servants meet him with the news: “Your child lives.”

At the very hour Jesus spoke, the boy was healed. And so the father knew. He believed, and not only he, but his whole household.

This is the pattern: Christ speaks, faith responds, life flows.

Friends, here’s where this passage comes home to us.

Our children are dying: not of fever, but of unbelief. Many are completely unfamiliar and uninterested in God’s Word, indifferent in worship, unconcerned with sin. You see no reverence for the house of the Lord, feeble prayers, and their hearts are consumed with the things of this world.

Like this father, we long for Jesus to save them. But how do we often approach it? We want quick fixes, Church programs, emotional experiences, a flash of power. “Come down, Jesus, and do something spectacular!”

Yet Jesus works more deeply.

He begins with us. He calls us to trust His Word, to take Him at His promise, to live in daily dependence on what He has spoken. When the father trusted Christ’s Word, then the household followed.

Let’s be honest; our children pick up what we lay down.

If we are casual in prayer, negligent in God’s Word, sporadic in worship, and if our faith bears no fruit in our daily lives, what lesson will they learn from us?

But if we are steadfast in the Word, fervent in prayer, consistent in worship, and if our faith shows itself in love and obedience, they will see that Christ’s Word is real and sufficient.

Think of a little boy who watches his dad shave every morning. He begs for his own razor, and soon he’s standing beside his father every day, “shaving” with a plastic toy. Why? Because children copy what they see. They don’t just hear our words; they imitate our lives.

Parents, if we treat prayer and worship like optional accessories, our children will too. But if they see us treasuring God’s Word and seeking Him earnestly, they’ll notice that as well.

Studies have shown the profound influence of a father’s faith on his family.

If a child comes to church first, only a small fraction of families follow. If a mother comes, more follow. But when a father leads in worship and faith, almost the whole household follows.

Isn’t that exactly what we see here? The father believed, and his whole household believed.

So, fathers, mothers, church family—if you want to see Christ bring life to your children, your grandchildren, your neighbors, start here: receive His Word yourself. Live like His promises are true. Build your lives upon a firm and unmoving trust in Christ, that is demonstrated in a joyful obedience to his commands. Let your children see that Christ’s Word is enough.

Conclusion

This father came to Jesus desperate for his son’s life, but he left with more than he ever asked for. He received not just a healed child, but saving faith in Christ, and a household transformed.

Jesus is still speaking today: “Go; your son lives.” His Word still brings life to the dying, hope to the hopeless, and faith to those who will trust Him.

Will you take Him at His Word today? Will you let your life demonstrate that His Word is enough, so that those around you might believe as well?