Miracles of Jesus - Part 2

Healing a Nobleman's Son
John 4:43-54

Although Jesus was as welcome among the Samaritans as He could be anywhere, and had better success there. After two days, He left Samaria and went to Galilee. He did not go to Nazareth, “For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country” (John 4:44; Luke 4:24). Prophets ought to have honor, because God has put honor upon them and we do or may receive benefit by them. The honor due to the Lord's prophets is often been denied them, and contempt put upon them. This honor due them is frequently denied them in their own country, city, town, and family. This is not universally true there are some exceptions. Joseph, when he began to be a prophet, was hated by his brethren; David was despised by his brother (1 Samuel 17:28). The men of Anathoth slandered Jeremiah (Jeremiah 11:21). Paul by his countrymen the Jews. Jesus would not go to Nazareth, because He knew how little respect He would have there.
When Jesus came into Galilee, the Galileans “received Him” (v. 45) because they had seen all the things He did in Jerusalem (v. 45). Unlike the Galileans, the Samaritans received Jesus even though they did not see all the things that He did in Jerusalem. The Galileans were less inclined to believe Jesus even though they had seen all the things He did in Jerusalem should have been enough to convince them He was more than a miracle worker. The Galileans would not believe what Jesus had to say to them unless He continued to do the things He did in Jerusalem.
When Jesus came into Galilee He went to Cana of Galilee (v. 45). We do not know why Jesus went to Cana instead of Capernaum. He may have gone to Cana to see if there were any good fruits produced by the miracle of turning water into wine. We do know while in Cana, a nobleman whose son was sick came from Capernaum and asked Jesus to come to Capernaum and heal his son (vv. 46-47).
Some interpreters claim this nobleman is the centurion in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10. However, there is a difference, in John’s account the nobleman asks Jesus to heal his son. In Matthew and Luke’s account the centurion, an officer in the Roman army asks Jesus to heal his servant. In John’s account, the nobleman asks Jesus to come to Capernaum. In Matthew and Luke’s account, the centurion does not ask Jesus to come to his house.
When the nobleman heard Jesus was in Galilee he comes to Cana. He believes Jesus has the power to heal his son. The problem was his belief in the things Jesus did in Jerusalem and not in who Jesus is. Jesus points this out when He said, “Unless you people see signs and wonders you simply will not believe” (v. 48). The “you” is in the plural, so Jesus is probably talking to the crowd following Him instead of to the nobleman. The nobleman is not looking for a sign. He just wants his son healed. Jesus said, “Unless you see, you will not believe.” They could have believed without seeing. The proper belief is not in the miracle. It is in the person of Christ. Therefore, the rebuke is against people who think they or others need to see a miracle to believe in Jesus.
In this statement by Jesus, He shows this man his weak faith. Like many people today, this man and the Galileans must see or they will not believe. They are like Thomas who would not believe unless he saw Jesus. They would go no further in believing than signs and wonders drive them. The Word of God does not attract their attention only the phenomenal power of miracles. Those that admire signs and wonders only, and reject the teaching of the Word of God unite themselves with unbelievers.
In the nobleman’s response to Jesus’, rebuke is commendable: he took the rebuke patiently; he spoke to Jesus respectfully. He did not take the rebuke as an insult; he did not deny what Jesus said to him and the Galileans. What we hear in his response is a plea, a troubled soul pleading for mercy. “Come down before my child dies” (v.49). This man has come to the place where he has no one else to turn to, if Jesus does not heal his child, the child will die. In this plea, we also hear an appeal to the compassion of Jesus. This man with a dying child seems to take no notice of the rebuke by Jesus. He makes no confession or excuse, for he is wholly taken up with his concern about his child and nothing else matters.
We discover the weakness of his faith in,
First, Jesus must come to Capernaum to heal the sick child. It is hard to convince ourselves that distance and time are no obstructions to the knowledge and power of our Lord Jesus.
Second, he did not believe Jesus could raise a dead child therefore; Jesus must come to Capernaum before the child dies. The good news is Jesus has the same power over death that He has over bodily diseases.
The power of Jesus is revealed in verse 50, “Jesus said to Him, ‘Go your son lives.’” Jesus’ words reveal that He not only could heal, but also could heal without going to Capernaum. Though Jesus is now in heaven, and his church on earth, He can send healing for the sick body and the troubled soul from heaven to earth. It is not necessary for Him to come down from heaven to heal. This nobleman wanted Jesus to come down and heal his son and Jesus healed the child and did not go to Capernaum.
Jesus said, “Your son lives,” though Jesus did not do what the father of the child wanted Him to do he believed what Jesus told him” (v. 50). How quickly and easily, is that which is lacking in our faith is perfected by the word and power of Jesus, no signs and wonders, just the words of Jesus and belief. The man believed not only the omniscience of Jesus that he knew the child had recovered, but also the omnipotence of Jesus that the cure was affected by His word. He left a dying child in Capernaum, yet, when Jesus said, he lives he believed. Jesus said, “Go” and, as an evidence of the sincerity of his faith, he went as one entirely satisfied.
On his way home, his servants met him with the good news of the child's recovery (v. 51). Probably they met him not far from his own house, He enquired what hour the child began to recover (v. 52) not as if he doubted the word of Jesus but that he might be able to satisfy any, to whom he should mention the miracle. It is good to furnish ourselves with all the corroborating proofs and evidences of the good works Jesus accomplishes in our lives it helps to strengthen our faith in the word of Jesus. The comparison of the works of Jesus with His word will also be of great use to us for the confirming of our faith.
Two things helped to confirm this man’s faith; first, the child's recovery was sudden and gradual. The servants told the man the precise time to an hour, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him” (v. 52). The word of Jesus did not work like medication that must have time to operate, and produce the cure. In men's works, distance and time delay the desired remedy of a situation but it is not so in the works of Jesus. Christ. The pardon, and peace, and comfort, and spiritual healing, which He speaks in heaven, are, if He pleases, at the same time effected and wrought in the souls of believers.
The good news that came out of this situation goes beyond the healing of the child. The whole household of the nobleman believed. The father believed the word of Jesus when Jesus told him his son lives, now he believed in Jesus. The experiencing of the power and efficacy of the word of Jesus introduced the authority of Jesus’ dominion in the soul of the nobleman and his household. Jesus has many ways of gaining the heart, and the granting of a temporal mercy leads to greater blessings.
The head of a family cannot force his family to believe in the word and power of Jesus, but he can be instrumental in bringing his family to the Lord. When great men receive the gospel, they may be instrumental to bring it to the places where they live.
The Apostle John informs us the second miracle, referring to the turning of water into wine, to let us know that this miracle was before the many miracles performed by Jesus in Galilee that are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s gospels (v. 54). These first two miracles show that John’s purpose for recording miracles is being fulfilled. People begin believing in Jesus. There is a movement from signs to the savior. They move from wonder to worship.
This second miracle is a sign of Jesus’ Messiahship, demonstrating His deity. The purpose of the miracle in its context was to bring faith. Faith is the result of trusting the words of God for the effects of God. The nobleman believed Jesus when He told him “your son lives.” This miracle stresses the importance of faith in Jesus. It is not necessary for Jesus to be physically present for people to believe His words and experience the effect. This is important to the disciples because Jesus is going to go away, distance is no barrier to the power of God.
Although we may not see it when it happens, afflictions are often a blessing in disguise. What brought the noble man to come to Jesus, sickness? What was the result, “he himself believed and his whole household” (v. 53). God may use human tragedy to lead people to Himself as the only answer for both physical life and spiritual life.
In the first miracle, we see the Creator of life, in the second the restorer of life.
What can we learn from this miracle? First, faith in God’s word should be preferred over miracles. Miracles only occurred in special times in history, but God’s word is always present. Trusting in the word of God is the key that unlocks the mysteries of life. Throughout the ages, people have continually tried to stress the miracles and perform miracles thinking that people need to see the miracle in order to believe. However, this nobleman believed the Word of Jesus and witnessed the results of believing rather than seeing.
Second, the opportunity to see miracles is so limited that few will have a chance to see and believe. Most will have to just hear and believe.
Third, sometimes God works in the immaturity of our faith to bring us to a more complete faith. Many people fear God but they do not have saving faith in the person of Jesus. If they had saving faith in Jesus, they would not fear God.
Where is your faith? Is it in signs and wonders or is it in the Creator and Restorer of life?