Most Americans can expect to alive between 70-85 years, according to statistics. But the statistical tables don’t always work out with real-life precision. For example, we expect to face the deaths of our parents someday. We don’t expect, however, to face the deaths of our children.

Neither did Nicholas Wolterstorff. But one bright Sunday afternoon, a numbing telephone call brought news of a mountain-climbing accident. In his book Lament for a Son, the bereaved father reflects upon his painful feelings: “Gone from the face of the earth. I wait for a group of students to cross the street, and suddenly I think: He is not there. I go to a ballgame and find myself singling out the 25-year olds; none of them is he. In all the crowds and streets and rooms and churches and schools and libraries and gatherings of friends in our world, on all the mountains, I will not find him. Only his absence.

“When we gather now there’s always someone missing, his absence as present as our presence, his silence as loud as our speech. Still five children, but one always gone. When we’re all together, we’re not all together.

“It’s the never ness that is so painful. Never again to be there with us–never to sit with us at table, never to travel with us, never to laugh with us, never to cry with us, never to embrace us as he leaves for school, never to see his brothers and sister marry. All the rest of our lives we must live without him.”

As we turn to our lesson today, the emotion of another father who fears the death of his son bleeds through the page.

   “After the two days he left for Galilee. {44} (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) {45} When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there. {46} Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.”

These verses cause some students of the New Testament considerable grief. The problem centers around verse 44, where Jesus testifies that “a prophet has no honor in his own country.” Some see an inconsistency between verses 44 and 45: If Jesus believed that He would have no honor in “his own country,” then why does John tell us that the Galileans “welcomed” Him? All kinds of solutions to this problem are offered. The problem does not seem that difficult. This same proverb is found in Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; and Luke 4:24. In each of these instances, the circumstances are the same. In Matthew, we read:

53 Now when Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there. 54 He came to his hometown and taught them in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers? 55 Isn’t he the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary? And aren’t his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And aren’t all his sisters here with us? Where then did he get these things?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and in his own house.” 58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief (Matthew 13:53-58).

Jesus has come to Nazareth and is teaching in the synagogue. Some of these folks had probably been in Jerusalem when Jesus was there, performing signs (see John 2:23; 4:45). If they had not personally been in Jerusalem, they must certainly have heard about some of the miracles He had performed there. When Jesus arrives in His own “hometown,” expectations are running high. “What will Jesus perform here, in His own “hometown”? In spite of their high expectations, a question begins to formulate in the minds of some. Jesus is becoming a very popular person and attracting a following. But they know (or think they know) His origins. Because Nazareth is His hometown, they think they know all about Him. They know His mother and (so they think) His father, His brothers and His sisters. How can anyone so important come from such humble origins? Due to this perception of Jesus, there was a drawing back or falling away on the part of Jesus’ countrymen. Jesus sees this response as typical and proverbial. After all, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own hometown and in his own house” (verse 57). As a result, Jesus performs few miracles there because of their unbelief.[1]

Now let’s relate this description of our Lord’s ministry in Nazareth to our text in John, which speaks of His return to Galilee, to His “own country.” The question at hand is this: “How can John quote this same proverb about a prophet not having honor in his own country when he then tells us that when Jesus arrives in Galilee, the people there “welcome Him”? From what we have seen in Matthew’s account of our Lord’s arrival at Nazareth, we see virtually the same phenomena. Jesus returns to His “hometown” and there receives an initial warm welcome. The people are aware of the miracles He has performed in Jerusalem (and perhaps elsewhere) and hope to see many more in their own town. But as they reflect on the origins of Jesus, they are not so sure. Has He come to bless the Gentiles as well as the Jews? This is unpardonable (Luke 4:16-30). And so what seems to start off well ends up in a very disappointing way, both for our Lord and for those of His “hometown.”

 

A principle is involved here when, once recognized, resolves the apparent problem in our text: A short-lived, superficial acceptance of our Lord is not the same as an informed, long-term commitment to Him. In the parable of the four soils, the second soil represents what I believe to be this same superficial, short-term commitment:

16 And these are the ones sown on the rocky ground: whenever they hear the word, they receive it at once with joy. 17 But they have no root in themselves and are temporary. Then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they fall away[2] immediately (Mark 4:16-17).

Therefore we should not suppose that just because the Galileans initially “welcome” Jesus that they truly accept Him as Messiah. These folks are not even “sign-faith” believers; they are unbelievers fascinated by signs. The outcome of our Lord’s visit to His homeland is disappointing and yet exactly what our Lord intends. He leaves Judea because He is becoming too popular too quickly (John 4:1-3). He goes to His homeland so as not to be “honored.” There, He is initially welcomed, but He is not truly honored.

This third interview of Jesus which closed the series of His public presentations took place in Galilee two days after the visit to Samaria. His reception there was the result of His ministry in Jerusalem.

This ministry in Galilee lasted some 16 months. The religious parties were not so bitter here. The Galileans who had made the pilgrimage to the feast had seen His signs, or at least had heard of them, and were quite ready to welcome Him (the reference connects with the narrative of 2:23).

Their belief was grounded on the works that He did, not their faith in His person. John echoed Jesus’ utterance which is quoted in all the gospels, that a “prophet is without honor in his own country,” although the reception accorded to Jesus in Galilee was more friendly than in Judea.

Of all places it was in Nazareth where He was known by so many. They should have had the greatest respect and admiration for Him. But they seemed of all people the least interested in Him. But isn’t that common, even today? A preacher or teacher who has been faithfully serving his congregation many years…are members often most critical and unappreciative?

The same is true in our homes: mothers and fathers who with unselfish devotion seek to provide the very best for their children, are frequently misunderstood and even despised by their own children. How tragic that we do not give respect and honor where it is due.

The key to the healing of the nobleman’s son is given in the idea that he “once more” or “again” was in the city. He had performed a miracle here before, so He had a reputation as a healer and wonder worker.

This is the second sign which Jesus did after he had come from Judaea into Galilee.

Jesus is his only hope. He rushes the 20 miles from Capernaum where he lives to Cana of Galilee, where he has heard that Jesus has returned and can be found. He cannot know whether his son is still alive, or whether he has died during his nearly eight-hour journey to find Jesus. But when he finds Jesus, he has only one thing on his mind—getting Jesus to come to Capernaum with him as quickly as possible, in the hope that there is still time to save his child’s life.

What a shock it must be for this royal official when he realizes that Jesus is not going to accompany him to Capernaum. Worse yet, our Lord’s response to this official’s request for help almost appears to be a rebuke. How can this be? How can Jesus respond so harshly to a father who is only trying to save the life of his son? We shall seek to answer this question in our study of this text. It is a wonderful text, with lessons for us, as well as for the royal official. Let us listen and learn what the Spirit of God has for us in this portion of His holy Word.

Most of the commentators think this is another version of the story of the healing of the centurion’s servant told in Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10; but there are differences which justify us in treating it as quite independent.  Certain things about the conduct of this courtier are an example to all men.

(i)  Here is a courtier who came to a carpenter.  The Greek is basilikos which could even mean that he was a petty king; but it is used for a royal official and he was a man of high standing at the court of Herod.  Jesus on the other hand had no greater status than that of the village carpenter of Nazareth.  Further, Jesus was in Cana and this man lived in Capernaum, almost twenty miles away.  That is why he took so long to get back home.

There could be no more improbable scene in the world than an important court official hastening twenty miles to beg a favour from a village carpenter.  First and foremost, this courtier swallowed his pride.  He was in need, and neither convention nor custom stopped him brining his need to Christ.  His action would cause a sensation but he did not care what people said so long as he obtained the help he so much wanted.  If we want the help which Christ can give we must be humble enough to swallow our pride and not care what any man may say.

(ii)  Here is a courtier who refused to be discouraged.  Jesus met him with the at first sight bleak statement that people would not believe unless they were supplied with signs and wonders.  It may well be that Jesus aimed that saying, not so much at the courtier himself, as the crowd that must have gathered to see the outcome of this sensational happening.  They would be there all agape to see what would happen.

 

But Jesus had a way of making sure that a person was in earnest.  He did that to the Syro-Phoenician woman (Matthew 15:21-28).  If the man had turned irritably and petulantly away; if he had been too proud to accept a rebuke; if he had given up despairingly on the spot-Jesus would have known that his faith was not real.  A man must be in earnest before the help of Christ can come to him.

(iii)  Here was a courtier who had faith.  It must have been hard for him to turn away and go home with Jesus’s assurance that his little lad would live.  Nowadays men are beginning to realize the power of thought and of telepathy in such a way that no one would reject this miracle simply because it was wrought at a distance; but it must have been difficult for the courtier.  Yet he had faith enough to turn and walk back that twenty mile road with nothing but Jesus’s assurance to comfort his heart.

It is of the very essence of faith that we should believe that what Jesus says is true.  So often we have a kind of vague, wistful longing that the promises of Jesus should be true.  The only way really to enter into them is to believe in them with the clutching intensity of a drowning man.  If Jesus says a thing, it is not a case of “It may be true”; it is a case of “It must be true.”

(iv)  Here was a courtier who surrendered.  He was not a man who got out of Christ what he wanted and then went away to forget.  He and all his household believed.  That would not be easy for him, for the idea of Jesus as the Anointed One of God must have cut across all his preconceived notions.  Nor would it be easy at the court of Herod to profess faith in Jesus.  He would have mockery and laughter to endure; and no doubt there would be those who thought that he had gone slightly mad.

But this courtier was a man who faced and accepted the facts.  He had seen what Jesus could do; he had experienced it; and there was nothing left for it but surrender.  He had begun with a sense of desperate need; that need had been supplied; and his sense of need had turned into an overmastering love.  That must always be the story of the Christian life.

Most New Testament scholars think that at this point in the Fourth Gospel the chapters have somehow become misplaced.  They hold that chapter 6 should come before chapter 5.  The reason is this.  Chapter 4 finishes with Jesus in Galilee (John 4:54).  Chapter 5 begins with Jesus in Jerusalem.  Chapter 6 again shows us Jesus in Galilee.  Chapter 7 begins with the implication that Jesus had just come into Galilee because of the opposition which he met in Jerusalem.

The changes between Jerusalem and Galilee become very difficult to follow.  On the other hand chapter 4 (4:54) ends:  “This the second sign that Jesus did, when he had come from Judaea to Galilee.”  Chapter 6 begins (6:1):  “After this thing Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee,” which would be a natural sequence.  Chapter 5 then shows us Jesus going to Jerusalem for a Feast and meeting with very serious trouble with the Jewish authorities.  We are in fact told that from that time they began to persecute him (5:10).  Then chapter 7 begins by saying that Jesus went about in Galilee and “would not go about in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him” (7:1).

Here we have not altered the order; but we must note that to take chapter 6 before chapter 5 does give an easier and more natural order of events.

Because others have made much of it, I will mention the fact that some say this story is just another version of the healing of the centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:2-10). The similarities are very few; the differences are many. Allow me to mention some of these differences:

• The Centurion was a Gentile; the Royal Official appears to be Jewish.
• The Centurion’s slave suffered from a paralysis; the Royal Official’s son was ill with a fever.
• The Centurion is in Capernaum; the Royal Official is in Cana.
• The Centurion’s faith wins Jesus’ praise; the Royal Official and others are rebuked for a deficient faith.
• The Centurion urges Jesus not to come, but only to speak the word; the Royal Official urges Jesus to come.
• The Centurion has Jewish elders to plead his case; the Royal Official pleads with Jesus personally.[3]

I think we can safely assume that the miracle of the healing of the royal official’s son is unique, as is most of the material in the Gospel of John.

Jesus returns to Cana of Galilee, where He turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). A royal official[4] living in Capernaum hears that Jesus is once again at Cana. The official’s son is at the point of death and this father is desperate, as anyone who has ever been in his predicament knows. Jesus is his last and only hope to save his son. He hastily makes the 20 mile trek to Cana, in search of Jesus. When he finds Jesus, he pleads with Him to return immediately with him to Capernaum and to heal his son, who is about to die.

Our Lord’s response to the royal official is puzzling, almost disturbing: “So Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe.’” The NET Bible, along with some other translations, indicates that the “you” in verse 48 is plural, and not singular. Jesus is therefore speaking to a larger audience than just the royal official. It is my assumption that the royal official asks around town to find out where Jesus is staying. As he does, a small crowd of curious bystanders gathers around the royal official and follows him to where Jesus is staying, hoping to see Jesus perform a miracle. Jesus has left Judea and come to Galilee to avoid the crowds. He does not wish to create undue messianic excitement too soon. Thus, our Lord does not seem eager to perform a miracle in a way which will draw attention to Himself.

I suspect that if our Lord had accompanied the royal official home to Capernaum, a crowd would have followed Him there too. Had they witnessed the healing of this lad, they would have told others, and many would have flocked to our Lord for healing. Jesus does not want this situation to arise. Our Lord’s response to the official, as well as to those gathered, achieves His desire to disperse the crowd. His words are a rebuke. These Galileans do not really believe in Him as the Messiah. They simply know of the signs He has performed elsewhere and want to see if He will do the same (or even more) for them. Jesus rightly rebukes them for being interested only in His miracles and not taking to heart what these signs signify. Our Lord’s words of rebuke send a message that Jesus is not going to “jump through their hoops” on this occasion. If they have come only to see signs, they will not see one now. The only thing they get is a rebuke.

Why stick around if nothing sensational is going to happen? I think the crowds left. It is true that Jesus’ next words should give them pause for thought. Jesus tells the man, “Go home; your son will live.” Looking back from our vantage point in time, you and I would expect the whole town to follow the official back to Capernaum to see if our Lord’s words actually come to pass. But remember that these people are sign-seekers, not men and women of faith. They are those who do not trust in Jesus as their Messiah. When they hear our Lord say, “Go home; your son will live,” they probably say to themselves, “Yeah, right!” I think they believe that His words are only intended to get rid of this persistent father, not words of assurance that his son really has been healed. We are not told that anyone accompanies the official to Capernaum, or that anyone other than his own servants come to trust in Jesus. The crowd disperses, and the sign-seekers go away disappointed, and perhaps a little angry.

But if our Lord rebukes the crowd, He seems to include the royal official as well. Does our Lord not seem to lack compassion toward this desperate man, whose only concern is the well-being of his son? Some might be tempted to ask, “How can Jesus be so rude, so insensitive, so critical?” Let me suggest that the solution to this dilemma may be found in the Gospel of Mark:

24 Jesus left there and went to the region of Tyre. When he went into a house, he did not want anyone to know, but he was not able to escape notice. 25 Instead, a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him and came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, of Syrophoenician origin. She asked him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 He said to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and to throw it to the dogs.” 28 She answered, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 Then he said to her, “Because you said this, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.” 30 She went home and found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone (Mark 7:24-30).

Is our Lord being unduly harsh with this Gentile woman, who begs Him to cast the demon out of her daughter? I think not. First of all, what Jesus says is true. He has come “to the Jew first” and then to the Gentiles (see Matthew 10:5-6; Romans 1:16; 2:9-10). Beyond this, I believe our Lord is dealing with this woman in a way that inspires faith. Having heard Jesus, does this woman cower and walk away? No; she presses Jesus even harder for her daughter’s sake, reminding Him that Gentiles are to benefit from His coming as well as the Jews.

I believe the same thing is taking place in our text. The on-lookers are merely sign-seekers, and our Lord’s words seem to send them home. The royal official is not about to let his son die, and he knows that Jesus is his only hope. It may be that his faith is weak, that he needs to see to believe, but he does believe that Jesus is able to heal his son, and so he persists with his request. I believe our Lord’s words press him in the right direction. They are not intended to turn him away, but to turn him to Jesus in faith.

It seems from what we are told that this official believes the saying, “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” He thinks Jesus can heal the sick, but not raise the dead.[5] And no wonder he thinks so, for Jesus has not yet raised anyone from the dead. The royal official seems to believe that Jesus can heal his son if He is at his side, but not from 20 miles away. Jesus now says to this official, “Go home; your son will live,” and the official goes home. This man’s faith seems to grow in the few moments he pleads with Jesus. And so the official leaves to return to his son, believing the word of our Lord.

“When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.”

The word translated “royal official” is “basilikos,” meaning “king’s man.” Obviously a person of prestigious rank, this man is probably one of Herod’s trusted officers…he was possibly a courier of Herod the Tetrarch.

But his rank means nothing to him now. His son’s life is at stake. He doesn’t go to Herod; he goes to Jesus, the very Source of life. His interest in Jesus was prompted by the sickness of his son, who had been ailing for some time. The gradual decline of the child’s health, with a sudden turn for the worse, drove him to look for aid wherever he could find it.

The Greek language also adds a point often missed here: the imperfect tense of the verb “begged” or “requested” is used, giving the nuance of continuous action. It could better be translated “he kept on begging Him over and over again.”

Although we can understand his urgency, we shouldn’t overlook two matters:

1. He told Christ how to handle the need
2. He presented the need before presenting himself

This event causes us to think for a moment: isn’t it amazing how infirmity draws people to Christ faster than prosperity does.  But sometimes that’s what it takes!  C. S. Lewis said: “how hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us.”

     {48} “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

Jesus’ answer was a protest against the popular feeling concerning Him. Before we judge Jesus’ words too harshly, we must understand that a “circus” atmosphere was developing around Christ. Too many people, He was fast becoming a traveling sideshow: “Come one, come all! See the Galilean Miracle Worker!” Jesus also had a way of testing men and women to determine the sincerity of their faith.

Jesus’ rebuke should cause us to think about what we do in the name of helping others. Are we more dedicated to the pursuit of truth or to the pursuit of comfort? Are we more concerned that people believe or that they are delivered from their emotional discomfort?

I have often been warned and rebuked by the following words from Henri Nouwen:

“A minister is not a doctor whose primary task is to take away pain….Perhaps the main task of the minister is to prevent people from suffering for the wrong reasons. Many people suffer because of the false supposition on which they have based their lives. That supposition is that there should be no fear or loneliness, no confusion or doubt. But these sufferings can only be dealt with creatively when they are understood as wounds integral to our human condition. Therefore ministry is a very confronting service. It does not allow people to live with illusions of immortality and wholeness. It keeps reminding others that they are mortal and broken, but also that with the recognition of this condition, liberation starts.”

I believe that Jesus was deeply concerned for the suffering father and his dying child, but I believe that He was even more concerned about their relationship with God. Jesus wanted the child to be healed and the father’s heart not to be broken, but He wanted lost people to be saved even more.

Jesus saw that the greatest need in the life of the royal official that day was not deliverance from physical death; it was God! Jesus also saw that the possible death of a son had opened this man to his greatest need.

Before continuing the story, we all need to ask ourselves what our most pressing concern is at this moment. What issue is weighing on your mind right now? Although it is important to you, it is probably not your greatest need. However, it may be the very matter that helps you to recognize your greatest need—-to open your heart to God!

“The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” {50} Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed.”

Without question, the nobleman’s comment displayed his faith, though verse 50 put him in a dilemma: should he take Jesus at his word or not? To his credit, he did!  Standing by and watching as another brings healing requires little faith…but to believe without being there, without seeing for yourself? That takes faith!

It should be noted, too, that the nobleman asked for one thing while God did another..yet the son was healed. This is the way it is today with our prayers!

Four Important Traits:

1. He did not let position, pride or effort prevent him from coming to seek Christ’s aid.
2. He stood the test of faith.
3. He showed the reckless type of faith (not ignorant) which Jesus desires; the only way to receive the full benefit of the promises of God’s Word is to believe in Jesus unreservedly.
4. He became a witness for the Lord. Verse 53 shows that others believed.

“While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. {52} When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.” {53} Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his household believed. {54} This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.”

Again, the Greek language gives us a special picture: the imperfect tense of the verb “saying” is used in verse 51, again indicating continual action. Apparently, the slaves were jumping up and down with joy, repeating over and over, “Your son’s alive…he’s alive…he’s well.”

The healing not only caused enthusiasm on the road, it also created revival at home: verse 53 shows us the belief of the man and his household!

An interesting cross-reference is found in Luke 8:1-3: “After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, {2} and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; {3} Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”

Look closely at verse 3. Joanna was the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, who was in charge of the king’s financial books–a close, trusted official, occasionally called “the king’s man.”

Yet, though the king’s man, he and his wife supported Jesus out of their private means. Very possibly‚ Chuza and Joanna were the grateful parents of the young man in John 4.

Jesus tells the royal official, “Go home; your son will live.” The official does not get what he asks for; Jesus does not volunteer to return to Capernaum with him. Nevertheless, the man believes Jesus and leaves Him to return home. Exactly what does he believe? I think that he trusts Jesus, not knowing exactly what He meant. He understands Jesus to say that his son has not yet died, and that he will not die. As he makes his way home, his mind must be racing as he considers all the possibilities. While still on his way, he is met by his servants, who have news of the boy’s condition and do not want their master to agonize any longer than necessary.

We should pause momentarily to view this incident from the servants’[6] point of view. Their master’s son becomes very ill, and they watch helplessly as his temperature climbs dangerously high. They know that if something does not happen quickly, the boy will die. They watch as, in desperation, their master hastens to Cana of Galilee, hoping to find Jesus and to convince Him to come and heal the lad. The child’s condition continues to deteriorate after their master leaves. They begin to lose all hope. They hate to think of how their master will respond when he returns home to find his son dead. Then, suddenly, the child’s fever breaks, and he begins to improve rapidly. They know the danger is past and that he will live. They do not have any clue as to how it happened, but they do not wish their master to agonize any longer than necessary. And so some servants go out to meet their master and to give him the good news.

As soon as their master is in sight, they call out the good news that his son will live. The words sound strikingly similar to the assurance our Lord has given the father just a few hours before. You can almost see the face of this father, the look of relief and joy that comes over him. And then there must be a subtle change of expression to a more thoughtful look. The father is starting to put the pieces together. He recognizes (as his servants do not) the relationship between the words of Jesus and the words of his servants. Jesus was right. The royal official’s faith in Him is well-founded. But now the ruler begins to wonder about these words. Has Jesus spoken as a prophet, assuring him that the child will not die, and will get better on his own? Or, did Jesus produce a miraculous “long distance” healing as he spoke some eight hours earlier, assuring him that the boy would live?

There is a way to find out. The ruler poses this question to his servants: “Just exactly what time was it when the boy suddenly improved?” They tell him it was 1:00 o’clock when the turning point came. Then he knows for certain, for he knows that was precisely the time Jesus assured him of the child’s well-being. It is a miracle indeed, a miracle brought about by our Lord speaking only a word. It is a miracle not unlike creation, when He spoke the world into existence (see John 1:1-3; see Hebrews 11:3; Genesis 1).

The father[7] knows he has witnessed a miracle, and he “believes,” along with his entire household. Have we not already been told that he “believed” in verse 50? In that passage, the official believed what Jesus said. The belief I see in verse 53 is a deeper, more informed belief, a belief in Jesus as the Messiah, as the Savior of the world. This man and his whole household become a household of faith. This is the way faith is. Look at the disciples in the Gospels. In John chapter 1, several disciples come to believe in Jesus as the promised Messiah. Then they observe the Lord changing water into wine, and we are once again told that they believe in Jesus (John 2:11). Throughout the life of our Lord, more and more miracles are performed as the disciples witness them. And the more they see of Him, the more their faith in Him grows. Faith is not a static thing, something we experience once and then it remains constant. Our faith should grow as we come to know our Lord and His Word better, as we see that this One in whom we have placed our trust is even greater than we imagined!

John tells us in verse 54 that this is the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed when He came from Judea to Galilee. This cannot mean that He performed only two signs, for we know that John has been very selective (John 2:23; 3:2; 20:30-31) in the signs he has chosen to record. It is the second of his “selected signs,” employed to bring men and women to faith in Jesus as the promised Savior.

There are a number of facts which make this a notable miracle:

1. It was a cure performed at a distance from the sick child. Distance is no barrier to God! Location has nothing to do with His healing.  This is one of several miracles at a distance:

– He healed the centurion’s servant at a distance (Matt. 8:5-13) and note that it was also in Capernaum

– He healed the daughter of the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:21-28)

* These two were Gentiles and, spiritually speaking, were “at a distance” (Eph. 2:12-13).

2. It was performed for a distinguished officer of the king’s court.
3. Jesus said no peculiar “healing formula.”
4. The child evidently did not have any faith in Jesus.
5. The child was at the point of death.

 

   Search the gospel and you will find only one time in the 31 instances of healing where the Lord required faith: Matthew 9:28: “When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied.”

In nine cases there is no evidence at all of faith; in four others faith is very unlikely; in four others there is no faith possible(Luke 7:11-17; John 5:2-13; John 11:1-46; and Matt. 9:18-26).

Verse 54 is difficult to comprehend completely: Jesus did the first miracle in Cana (2:1) and this is called the second. But John 2:23 tells us that many more were performed in Jerusalem.  This was the second miracle performed in Cana of Galilee!

Conclusion

What a great miracle this is! Do you notice that in one sense it is a miracle very similar to the changing of water into wine? Jesus turns the water into wine in a way that keeps most of those at the wedding from even knowing what had happened. It is a “sign” evident to a few, which results in the faith of only our Lord’s disciples (2:11). So it is too with the healing of the royal official’s son. If Jesus had chosen to perform this miracle as the official had hoped (by personally coming and attending to his son), many would have followed along, and our Lord’s popularity would have greatly increased. But this is not what our Lord wants at this point in time. That is why He left Judea and returned to Galilee (4:1-3). Jesus performs this miracle in such a way that only the official knows it is a miracle. As he “testified” of this miracle to his servants, they too become members of the “household of faith.” Jesus not only performs a miracle, He does so in a way that is consistent with His purpose.

Jesus accomplishes this miracle in a way that enhances the official’s faith from “sign-faith” to “word-faith.” John introduces a theme in chapter 2 which persists in this Gospel:

23 Now while Jesus was in Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover, many people believed in his name because they saw the miraculous signs he was doing. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people. 25 He did not need anyone to testify about man, for he knew what was in man (John 2:23-25, emphasis mine).

It is apparent that “sign-faith” is not pleasing to our Lord, for He chooses not to commit Himself to “sign-faith” believers. Sign-faith is not a bad starting point, but it should never end here. Jesus wants people whose faith is grounded in His word, not in miracles.

John the Baptist never performed a sign, but his words were powerful, and many believed them. Nicodemus, like his fellow-Pharisees, was not willing to take Jesus at His word. He had one question after another, but they did not bring him to faith at that moment (John 3). The woman at the well took Jesus at His word, and so did all the people of Sychar (John 4:4-42). The Galileans were impressed with our Lord’s signs, but they were not so inclined to accept His word. This royal official came to the point where he was willing to take Jesus at His word, and he and his household became believers.

If I sound like a broken record persisting in repeating the same theme, let me simply say that it is a theme John also keeps on repeating: “Sign-faith” is inferior to “word-faith.” Our Lord wants those to follow Him as His disciples who will take Him at His word.

We can learn another lesson from this royal official. He is wrong in (first) supposing that God can only accomplish what we ask for by doing it the way we prescribe. We all are like this when we pray. We tell God what we want, and then we proceed to tell Him how to do it. We think that the way we expect Him to act is the way He is most likely and able to act. The royal official thinks Jesus can save his son only if He comes to Capernaum and personally attends to him. He is wrong. Our Lord does intend to heal this man’s son, but in His way. He does not need to be at his bedside. He can heal him from a distance. (And, humanly speaking, if Jesus had agreed to go with the official, the son may well have died while they were on their way. Of course, He could have raised the boy from the dead, too.) Our Lord’s way of healing the boy keeps the crowds from witnessing the miracle, and restricts those who believe to the official and his household. Let us not lose hope when God refuses to “jump through our hoops” and does not answer our prayers the way we expect.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? 35 Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him? 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen (Romans 11:33-36).

But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

God delights in answering our prayers in a way that highlights His power, grace, glory, and sovereignty. We do better to trust Him to answer our prayers His way.

As I close, let me point out a very important principle: God often brings adversity into our lives—adversity beyond our ability to handle—so that we must come to Him as our only hope, so that we must trust in Him alone. I doubt very much that this royal official would have traveled 20 miles to beg Jesus to come heal his son if his son had athletes’ foot or an in-grown toenail. This man is desperate. He is helpless and hopeless, apart from Jesus Christ. Jesus said it: He came to heal the sick, not to minister to those who are healthy. There are those who came to argue with Jesus, who were trying to make themselves look good and Him look bad. But setting these trouble-makers aside, most of those who come to Jesus in the Gospels are those who desperately need help, those who are hurting and helpless.

Are you hurting? Do you feel helpless, unable to cope with what you are facing? This could be the gracious hand of God, drawing you to Himself for mercy and grace in your time of need. Let’s face it; we do not seek God when things are going well for us. We tend to turn to God only in our weakness, in our need, in our despair. If your life is like this, it may be the gracious hand of God, compelling you to come to Him in faith. Take Him at His word. Come to Him who is the solution to your every need.

[1] This is a most interesting turn of events. John wrote this Gospel, including all the signs that He did, so that men might come to believe in Jesus as the Christ (20:31). The people of Nazareth do not believe, and thus they see very few miracles.

[2] The Greek word, rendered “fall away” in Mark 4:17, is essentially the same word rendered “took offense” in Matthew 13:57.

[3] See Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1971), p. 288.

[4] “Although basilikov” has often been translated ‘nobleman’ it almost certainly refers here to a servant of Herod, tetrarch of Galilee (who in the NT is called a king, Mark 6:14, 22; Matt 14:9). Capernaum was a border town, so doubtless there were many administrative officials in residence there.” Translator’s note from NET Bible.

[5] Compare Martha’s words in John 11:21.

[6] One may wish to consult the translator’s note on this word in the NET Bible.

[7] Note that this official is now called “the father” in verse 53, for this is his prominent role. He has dealt with this situation, not as a royal official, but as a concerned father.