Honor and Belief
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Picture with me this morning, a group of soldiers- a battalion of troops- they have been engaged in combat for quite some time. They are seasoned, weathered, they have had their fair share of conflict. Leading these men is a highly respected, a very wise, and an overwhelmingly successful general.
Now imagine these soldiers are all gathered in the mess tent, and in walks a brand new, green behind the ears, fresh off the train commander. They don’t know him from Adam, and so when he walks in they don’t even notice him. One of the lesser officers has to call the men to attention, and they eventually stand up and lazily salute this new officer.
Several minutes go by, the men return to their conversations. Then their beloved general walks into the room- unannounced, and unassuming. He stands in the doorway allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim of the tent. After a few seconds one of the men notice him standing there and they jump to attention, and within a fraction of a heartbeat later the entire battalion is on their feet, straight backed, standing in a proud salute- showing due respect to their leader.
What made the difference in the response of the men?
Perhaps Paul’s words to the Romans will help us understand
7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
The difference in the response of the men can be summed up in one word- honor. They payed honor to whom honor was owed. The brand new commander had to force the men to show him respect, because he hadn’t yet earned any. But the seasoned general, the one who had led them through countless engagements, who had somehow pulled victory out of defeat on numerous occasions, who had even risked his own life for the sake of his men- he was owed honor. All he had to do was walk into the room and the men gladly paid him honor because to them he was a man of unusually high value. They would gladly storm the enemies fortress at the mere word from him- and it all comes down to this idea of honor.
In John 4:43-54 Jesus connects the idea of honor with belief.
As we have been working our way through the gospel of John one of the key questions that keeps confronting our thinking is this- “Who is Jesus?”.
And it doesn’t matter who I think Jesus is, or who your parents think Jesus is, or your neighbor. It matters what you think personally. Who do you think Jesus is? This is a critical question. Why?
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
Who is Jesus? This question matters because the Bible states that the only people who become children of God are those who receive Him- even to those who believe in His name.
This brings up more important questions. If you only become a child of God by receiving Jesus and by believing in Jesus, then what exactly does the Bible mean by receiving and believing? Or we could ask it this way, “What kind of belief will God accept as legitimate?”
What kind of belief or what kind of faith does God accept as legitimate? This is an important question.
In John 4:43-54 several different kinds of belief are displayed for us, so that we can understand exactly the kind of belief that God requires.
So our driving question today is this: What kind of belief does God accept as legitimate?
I. The belief of the Galileans (vv. 43-48)
I. The belief of the Galileans (vv. 43-48)
43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
OK, if you are going to get the point about the belief of the Galileans, then you have to see the startling contrast that is presented in these few verses. If you don’t see this contrast, then you will miss Jesus’ point about their insufficient belief.
43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
V. 43 is significant because it pulls from the previous context, the previous story if you will, and links these two accounts together. After two days he departed, he went out from where he was and went into Galilee. Where was Jesus?
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
For the past two days what has Jesus been doing? Preaching to an entire town of Samaritans- the town of Sychar. First, He masterfully shared the gospel with the Samaritan woman- and several weeks ago we looked at Jesus’ principles of evangelism and exactly how Jesus led her to faith in Himself.
Then what happened after that? The woman goes back to the men of the village and shares the story of what Jesus just did.
29 “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?”
So, as a result the entire town walks out to the well to see this Jesus. And do you remember what Jesus said to his disciples?
35 “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.
And what happened, they asked Jesus to stay there for two days, and he does, and in that two day period what happens to the Samaritans?
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
Shockingly, this is the most successful evangelistic outreach in Jesus’ earthly ministry. This is the only time an entire town comes to belief in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. I mean things are going really really well. They are going great.
If you went to a town and in two days of preaching the entire town puts their faith in the gospel what would you do?
What did Jesus do?
43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
Why? Would you leave that kind of ministry? NO WAY!! Why did Jesus leave?
We know exactly why he left, because v. 44 tells us why.
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
44 αὐτὸς γὰρ Ἰησοῦς ἐμαρτύρησεν
For Jesus Himself testified
ὅτι προφήτης ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ πατρίδι τιμὴν οὐκ ἔχει.
That a prophet in his own fatherland has no honor
Jesus left the Samaritans and returned to the Galileans why? For/Because Jesus Himself testified/bore witness- that a prophet has no honor in his own country/fatherland.
Does that verse strike you as odd? “Well things are going too well here in Sychar, so I’m going to go back to a people that don’t honor me- I’m going to go back to Galilee.”
Why does Jesus do this? At first glance this verse does not make any sense. But we have to ask ourselves some more questions. Why would Jesus want to go to a place and to a people who reject him? What was Jesus’ purpose in coming to this earth?
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
What did Jesus have to accomplish in order for the will of the Father to take place?
14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
Jesus had to go to the cross. That is his mission. He does not get to the cross by staying in Samaria where he is popular. He gets to the cross by returning to a people who do not honor Him. It is this road that ultimately leads Jesus to Calvary. This is the mission of the Son- He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
So Jesus returns to Galilee, to a people who do not honor Him. Again, just a quick reading through this text and you miss some of the meaning. At first glance do the Galileans look like a people who reject and dishonor Jesus?
45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
45 ⸀ὅτε οὖν ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν,*
Therefore, when He came into Galilee,
⸁ἐδέξαντο αὐτὸν οἱ Γαλιλαῖοι
The Galileans received Him
πάντα ἑωρακότες ⸀1ὅσα ἐποίησεν
having seen all the things as many as he did
ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις
in Jerusalem
ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ,*
at the feast,
καὶ αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἦλθον εἰς τὴν ἑορτήν.
For they themselves also went to the feast.
Does this sound like the Galileans were dishonoring Jesus? Not really, the text says that the Galileans received Jesus. So, what is going on here.
Why do they receive Jesus? They received Jesus because they were at the feast in Jerusalem in John 2 and at the feast they saw many different sign miracles.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
John doesn’t tell us what these sign miracles were- he only tells us that these people saw the miracles/signs (plural) that Jesus did. And John 2.23 states that many believed in his name.
So in John 2.23 the text states that these Galileans believed in Jesus’ name. And in John 4.45 the text states that they received Jesus. This is a good thing right? Do you remember John 1.12?
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
The Galileans received Jesus and they believed on his name so they must be children of God right? Well, the question that we are asking this morning is what kind of belief will God accept as legitimate? There are many people who say they believe in God or who say they believe in Jesus- but will God accept there belief?
Well, does God accept the belief of the Galileans?
46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
Here we are introduced to a nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. We will talk more about him is a little bit. But this nobleman or king’s official provides the backdrop for Jesus to confront the Galileans concerning their insufficient belief. How is that? Well this nobleman has a son who is sick, and he hears that Jesus is back in Galilee, so he goes to Jesus and he begins to implore Jesus-
“Jesus, please come down and heal my son, my boy is at the point of death, and if you would just come with me, you could heal him before it is too late. Jesus will you come down to Capernaum and heal my boy?”
Jesus’ answer to this royal official is very interesting.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
This is were you really have to pay attention to the precise words used in the text. Verse 48, Jesus answers the plea of the nobleman, then said Jesus unto who? Unto HIM- the nobleman. So Jesus is addressing the nobleman directly. What does Jesus say?
Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. Now this is a rare instance where the ye’s and thee’s of the old English actually help our understanding of this verse. Thee in the olden days, mean you- 2nd person SINGULAR. Ye on the other hand, means you- 2nd person PLURAL. Again this is easy to miss- but it is crucial to understand what is going on here. Jesus is addressing the royal official, but He is really talking to YOU (plural) i.e. the Galileans. To help get this translation into English look at how the NASB translates this verse.
48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.”
Ἐὰν μὴ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἴδητε, οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε.*
Unless you (people) see signs and wonders, you will in no way ever believe.
The Greek here is intense- unless you Galileans see sign after sign and wonder after wonder, you will NO NOT believe. Now that is bad English, but excellent Greek. A double negative does not negate itself like it does in English, instead it intensifies the meaning- You will in no way ever believe!
Wait a minute! I thought the text already stated that the Galileans received Jesus and that they believed in his name. So why does Jesus say that unless they see signs and wonders they will in no way ever believe? What is going on here?
Apparently, Jesus did not accept the belief of the Galileans as legitimate.
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.
24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
So the Galileans had some kind of belief- they believed that Jesus was a prophet, that he was from God, that he could perform miracles- but that was insufficient. Exactly what you believe about Jesus matters.
They believed that he was a good man, but they did not believe that He was the Messiah, the Son of God, the Savior of the World. How do we know that?
44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
They didn’t honor Him!
The word honor means- the amount at which something is valued, manifestation of that esteem- the respect that one enjoys, honor as a possession.
Illustration: The other day we went to Seth’s soccer game out at University Lake School, out in Hartland. We had to use the GPS to get there because we had never been there before. I knew the area generally, but not the school specifically. So we get there no problem, and we watch the game, and afterwards we decide to go over to my parents house for supper. As we are loading all the kids in the van and getting ready to go to my parents, my wife asks me, “Do you want me to set up the GPS?” I knew generally where we were so I said, “No, I think I can get us there just fine.” So my wife answers, “OK, sounds good.” And I’m planning in my head the way I think is the right way to get out of here. And as I’m thinking I notice that my wife is busily interacting with her phone. So I ask her, “What ya doing?” And she says, “I pulling up Google Maps on my phone!” WHAT? I thought you said, “OK, sounds good- i.e. You got this honey.” Why are you getting out Google Maps I can get us out of here no problem. You know, I’m a little miffed at this point, my own wife doesn’t trust my navigational skills. Come on! So we get to the road and to the first turn- and I got to turn left or right- and I confidently put my blinker on to turn left. And she pipes up, “Google, says you need to turn right.”
What happened? My wife in a way said she believed that I could get us to my parents house for supper, but at the same time she got out her phone. And good thing she did. Why did she get out her phone? Because she did not value my ability to navigate us correctly. Can’t imagine why that is!
What were these Galileans doing? They at some level believed in Jesus. But Jesus is making the claim that He is the Son of God, that He is the Messiah, that He is the Savior of the world. And the Galileans are saying, yeah we believe you Jesus, but can you show us some more signs and wonders just in case? What kind of honor is that? What kind of respect is that? If they really believed that Jesus was the Son of God what kind of honor would they have showed Him?
17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
16 who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.
9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
This passage in I Peter 2 is really striking. For the ones who believe in Jesus He is a chosen and precious corner stone- they have given Jesus honor. But for those who do not believe- Jesus is to them a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense- and they stumble because why? They disobey the word!
It’s like the beloved general when he walks into the room full of his men- they give him honor because of the amount in which he is valued. Imagine the honor that we should give to Jesus- the very Son of God. What would that look like?
Again we come back to the startling comparison between the belief of the Galileans and the belief of the Samaritans.
39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his own word;
42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
How many signs did Jesus perform in Samaria? 0. All he did was tell the Samaritan woman all that she ever did- and you could explain that away- it is not the same thing as healing the sick, or casting out demons, or turning water into wine. How many signs did Jesus do for the Galileans? Many. We are not told exactly, but he performed multiple signs. And yet the Galileans did not believe- that had belief- but they did not have a belief that God accepted as legitimate. What you believe about Jesus matters. Who is Jesus to you?
42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
The Samaritans, not seeing any signs or wonders, just hearing Jesus’ words for themselves, they believed! And what did they believe? They believed that Jesus was who He claimed to be! He was the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God- He was the Savior of the world! What honor! That is the kind of belief that God is looking for.
How about you? Many people say they believe in Jesus- but what specifically do you believe? Do you believe that He is the Son of God, that He alone is the Savior of the world? Many people say I believe in Jesus, but then they also believe that they have to do good works (go the church, be baptized, help the week, pray, read their bible) in order to be saved. Yeah, Jesus I believe in you, but just in case I’m going to do all these other things. What kind of honor is that? What kind of value are you really placing in Jesus?
Will God accept your belief in Jesus Christ as legitimate? Do you really honor Jesus in your belief as the Son of God, the Savior of the World?
Believer do you honor the Son? Do you honor Him for Who he really is- the very Son of God? Do we honor him like the men who honor their respected general? Are we really willing to do what Jesus commands?
So our driving question today is this: What kind of belief does God accept as legitimate?
I. The belief of the Galileans (vv. 43-48)
II. The initial belief of the king’s official (vv. 46-50)
II. The initial belief of the king’s official (vv. 46-50)
46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
We turn our attention back to the nobleman mentioned in v. 46 with the son who was sick.
The word nobleman come from the Greek word, “basilikos, sometimes rendered ‘nobleman’, probably refers to someone officially attached to the service of a basileus, a ‘king’—here doubtless referring to Herod Antipas. He was tetrarch of Galilee from 4 BC to 39, AD and not properly a ‘king’ at all; but he was popularly considered one.”
D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 238.
It is interesting to think about who this man was. He may or may not have been a Gentile- we are not sure. But he is most likely a king’s official connected to Herod and therefore, he was most likely not looked upon favorably by the Jews. And yet as the story progresses it is this man who actually believes, while the Galileans do not. And backing up to the previous paragraph it is the Samaritans who believe, the outcasts or the half-breeds, it is again the ones looked down upon by the Jews. The outcasts are the one’s that really believe and the Jews, Jesus’ own people reject Him.
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
This king’s official has a real problem. His son is sick, and he is sick unto death. This man is the desperate parent who is at his ropes end and is willing to do anything to say his son.
v. 47 tells us that he hears about Jesus coming back into Galilee, so he rushes to Jesus and begins to beg Him, to implore Him to come down to Capernaum and heal his sick son. And the text says that his son was at the point of death. Parents, how frantic would you be in his situation? Imagine that your child was on the doorway of death, and your only hope was this man called Jesus who had been doing these signs and wonders. Most likely this king’s official has never seen Jesus before. He has only heard about him, but it is his son’s last chance. And so this dad comes and the idea of the text is- he is over and over again imploring Jesus to come down and heal his son.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
As we talked about this morning- Jesus is talking to this dad, but through this official ultimately to the Galileans.
Unless you see sings and wonders over and over again you will in no way ever believe.
Now imagine that you are this dad who is just trying to save his son. You ask Jesus to come down and heal him before it’s too late. And Jesus makes this statement, “Except you people see signs and wonders, you will in no way ever believe.”
Did this man understand what Jesus is talking about? Probably not. Again, Jesus is saying something that this man cannot entirely comprehend to make him curious about spiritual things.
But the dad is desperate so again he says to Jesus.
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
I’m not interested in sings and wonders, all I want is for you to come down before my child dies. Please come down with me! This dad has a felt need, he is in need of help, he is seeking something or someone outside of himself for answers. These are the kinds of people Jesus came to save- to seek and to save those who are lost, to help those who are sick- those that understand that they have a need. And this official is there- he needs help from outside of his own ability.
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
Here we see this man’s initial belief. He believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him and he departed. This takes a lot of faith. To this dad Jesus was his son’s only hope, and for him to walk away from Galilee without Jesus in tow. That takes faith. What kind of faith? What did this man believe? Well, he believed that Jesus could heal his son. That’s it. That is all we know for sure. Jesus said go home, your son lives. And this man took Jesus at his word and left.
This man had enough honor for Jesus that he was willing to find out for himself if what Jesus said was true or not.
These are the kinds of people we need to be looking for as well.
Do you remember the goal of relational evangelism? To make people curious about spiritual things so that they will read the Bible with you. Why do we want them to read the Bible with us? So they can find out for themselves who Jesus really is.
In the book Evangelism for the Fainthearted, Floyd Schneider tells about a conversation he had with his unsaved friend Karl,
“You’ve read the Bible. Why don’t you just tell me what it says?”
“No, if you really want to know what the Bible teaches, you’ll have to read it for yourself.” “Why? I trust you!”
“Then you’re thicker than I thought! I can think of no good reason why you should believe what I have to say about the Bible. All the religions and cults will gladly tell you what to believe. If you don’t want to think for yourself, then go into any one of the churches or cults and ask them to give you something to believe. They’ll be happy to do so. I’m not going to do that to you.”
He looked at me, somewhat surprised.
“You know what I find interesting?” I continued.
“What?”
“Most people believe, in some way or another, that God created the human being. At the same time, when they talk about God and belief, they assume that belief rejects reason. If that were the case, why did God give us a brain? I find that an interesting contradiction. Well, I’m not ready to give up my mind. God gave it to me to use.”
He slowly nodded in agreement.
“Remember our talk about skepticism?”
He opened his eyes wide in surprise. “Yes, you told me that you were the world’s biggest skeptic and that trusting people was the quickest way to get hurt in this life.”
I nodded in agreement. “I really am a skeptic, but I’ve also read the Bible and know what I’ve found. I would like to ask you to read the Bible with me, but under two conditions.”
He was listening intently.
“First, that you don’t believe anything I say. I didn’t write the Bible, and no one will ever get to God through my beliefs. I openly admit that I could be wrong and, if so, you would be really stupid to follow me. It doesn’t matter what I believe; it only matters what the Bible says and whether it is true or not. So, condition number one: don’t believe what I have to say about the Bible.”
“And the second condition?” he asked, interested.
“The second condition: I won’t interpret the Bible for you. We’ll read it together, and you can tell me what the Bible says.”
“Well, that’s a new one,” Karl remarked. “All cult leaders I’ve ever heard about want to cram their views down your throat. But how do I know you won’t interpret it for me?”
“Only one way to find out,” I said.
“Right,” he said, rolling his eyes towards the sky. “We read together, and I’ll see.”
Isn’t this exactly what Jesus was doing with this king’s official? Jesus tells this desperate father- go your way your son lives. Go see for yourself, that I am who I claim to be- the Son of God- the Messiah- the Savior of the World. Jesus is not requiring blind faith. God wants us to use our brains, God wants us to have a well thought out faith. But God is also seeking for those people who are wiling to find out for themselves.
If I invite someone to read the Bible with me, but they are not willing to find out for themselves who Jesus really is, what can I do. They are like the Galileans. They will never be convinced. Jesus was looking for people like this desperate father- he had need that he could not fulfill, and he had enough honor for Jesus to find out for himself if Jesus was who he claimed to be.
How about you? Do you really believe that Jesus is who He says he is? Have you every taken the time to find out for yourself if His claims are true? I stand up here this afternoon and testify that I have found his claims to be true- I know this personally! And you can too- its all there in the Bible. I would love nothing more than to read the NT with you so you can find out for yourself who Jesus really is.
If you already believe in Jesus, are you seeking for people like this desperate father? Are you out in your Jerusalem looking for people who will read the Bible with you to find out for themselves personally if Jesus is who He claims to be? This is the mandate of the Great Commission. But if we are not out in our Jerusalem, making people curious about spiritual things, and inviting them to see for themselves through the Bible, how will God ever use us to win people to Christ?
So our driving question today is this: What kind of belief does God accept as legitimate?
I. The belief of the Galileans (vv. 43-48)
II. The initial belief of the king’s official (vv. 46-50)
III. The saving belief of the king’s official (vv. 51-54)
III. The saving belief of the king’s official (vv. 51-54)
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
52 Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
Jesus tells this man, “Go, your son lives.”
This desperate dad believes that Jesus is capable of doing this miracle, and in demonstration of this belief he departs without Jesus in tow, and he proceeds back to his home in Capernaum.
And while he is still on the road, while he was currently on his way down to his home, his slaves meet him on the road, and they say to him, “Your son lives!”
And the first question the father asks is when. When did the fever leave him? And they reply that it was the day before about the seventh hour. Think about that. This desperate father was alone with his thoughts for almost 24 hours before he discovers that his son is healed. What must have been going through his mind? Did I make the right choice, is my son really healed, did I doom my child to die, should I got back? And on and on and on.
Then he discovers the good news, he does some quick mathematics in his head, and he figures out that his son was healed of his fever at the exact time the day before when Jesus told him, “Go, your son lives.”
So now that this man has seen for himself who Jesus really is, he has seen for himself evidence to back up Jesus’ claim- what does he do?
53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household.
He believes- he himself and his entire household- they all believe. Believe what? I thought that this man already believed back in v. 50.
50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off.
But now in v. 53 the text says, “he himself believed and his whole household.”
I think back in v. 50 the man believes that Jesus is a prophet, or that he is able to heal his son, or that something good will happen and so he departs.
But now that He has seen this evidence for himself- that his son was healed the moment Jesus said he lives. He believed- that is he believed that Jesus was who he claimed to be- the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior of the world- the very Son of God.
42 and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Two questions-
1. What evidence are you willing to accept as legitimate that Jesus is who He claims to be?
1. What evidence are you willing to accept as legitimate that Jesus is who He claims to be?
Is this eyewitness account from this desperate father enough to convince you that Jesus is the Son of God?
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
2. What kind of belief does God accept as legitimate?
2. What kind of belief does God accept as legitimate?
Have you truly believed?
If you had to categorize your belief what category would you fit into today?
The belief of the Galileans?
The initial belief of the king’s official?
The saving belief of the king’s official?
Are you passionate about helping people see for themselves that Jesus is who He claimed to be?
Are you willing to make people curious enough about spiritual things to make them read the Bible with you?
What are you going to do about it?