John 4:46-54

Well, this afternoon, we're going to look at this passage, and before we do, I just want to put it into some sort of context quickly, because John, up to this point in his gospel has been emphasizing that salvation is a work of God.

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus back in chapter 3, you may remember, he said, you must be born again.

You must be born of the Spirit, and only God can do that.

It's a divine work.

Salvation is a divine work to which man or a woman are not able to add anything to.

It's solely God.

And while it's right that John emphasizes salvation as the sovereign work of God,

John also emphasizes the necessity of the sinner's faith,

and the fact that the sinner must believe.

At the end of John, chapter 20, verse 31,

John 20:31

John is very explicit as to why he actually wrote this gospel.

He says, he's written these words so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,

and that by believing you may have life in his name.

In other words, John is writing with the hope that as we read his words,

we will see Jesus for who he really is and believe in him.

And I think it's interesting that John uses the word belief over 90 times in his book.

And belief is not only the theme of John's gospel, but it is also the essence of the Christian faith.

One must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.

And whenever we look outside of Christian faith,

we find that all the other religions have one thing in common that is not taught in the Bible.

They teach that salvation does not belong solely to God,

that people themselves are actually able to accomplish a righteous relationship with God

and achieve salvation from judgment on their own.

In other words, false religions provide a platform for men and women to rule themselves,

to sit on the young throne of their lives and decide for themselves what is right and what is wrong.

However, here in the Gospel of John,

John is emphatic that there is only one way to have sin forgiven.

There is only one way to get to heaven.

And that is by believing in the work and the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And for those who do not, there is no salvation.

There is only eternal damnation and torment.

Now, in the opening verses of John chapter 1,

John 1 · chapter mention

John made the statement that when Jesus came from heaven,

he came to his own people, but generally as a rule, they didn't receive him.

And we see throughout the Gospel of John that there are people who refuse to believe Jesus.

Some receive him while others reject him.

And that is what we see here in the healing of the royal official's son.

As the story is meant to show us the contrast between a false faith and a true faith.

In fact, in many ways, the story expands on the statement of John's at the end of chapter 2,

where he said,

Jesus did not need any testimony about men and women,

because he already knew what was in each person.

Jesus knew what men and women were thinking and feeling,

what was really and truly in their hearts.

Now, in our passage here in verse 43,

Jesus returns to Galilee from Samaria.

You'll remember that Jesus had stopped off at the well in Samaria,

and he'd met the woman,

and he'd been received by a large number of people who believed in him,

and many, many people were saved before he left.

However, Jesus knew that when he arrived in Galilee,

his reception would be very different from Samaria.

Verse 44, John uses a proverb to make a very specific statement,

that a prophet has no honor in his own country.

And the fact that that proverb rings so true

is a testimony to the utterly perverse state of mankind,

that men and women hate things that are familiar to them.

In fact, they breathe contempt in us.

Their problem was this, though, his message.

It was offensive to them.

They loved the miracles of Jesus,

but they hated the message that he brought.

And if we look at verse 45,

a simple reading gives us the impression

that Jesus' reputation was spreading like wildfire.

They welcomed him.

They had all seen what he had done at the Passover festival.

You see, Jesus had been performing miracles there,

and we know that he used those miracles

in order to show his credentials

as the one who had actually been sent from heaven.

But you know, as I read this,

I wondered how seriously

the Lord Jesus really accepted

the enthusiasm of the Galileans as he arrived.

We've already been told that Jesus knew

what was in the heart and mind of every man and woman.

And the fact is,

their welcome was superficial.

To say they welcomed him

has a sort of ironic feel to it.

And if we have any doubt

about how Jesus felt about the welcome he received,

we all have to read his response

to the man who approached him there in verse 48.

Unless you, and that's plural,

unless you people see signs and wonders,

you'll never believe.

This man is described to us as a royal official.

He was most likely a member

of the court of Herod Antipas.

And he had walked 25 miles

to find Jesus in Cana

because we're told his son was sick and close to death.

This is a situation that every parent can empathize with.

A sick child.

And not just sick, but dying.

And I think we can assume

that the official would have had

access to all the known remedies of the day.

I mean, he had servants,

so apparently he had money.

He was a royal official in the court,

so he would have had some access

to the physicians in the court.

And I'm quite sure

that all the finest medical advice

had been tried,

and still the child woke up every morning

in a worse state than the day before.

And we see there in verse 47

that the official had heard the news

that Jesus had returned to Cana.

So he left his home in search of Jesus

and with a hope that Jesus would help his son.

And when he finds Jesus in verse 47,

he implores Jesus to return home

and heal his son.

Many translations say

that he begged,

he begged Jesus to come.

Again, in verse 48,

notice how the reply of Jesus

was short and sharp.

It's almost like a rebuke.

Notice, too,

that he expands his audience

from just the official alone

to all the Galileans who were there.

Unless you people,

he's saying in the plural.

You see, Jesus is saying

to the official and to the crowd,

you are nothing but curiosity seekers.

You have no interest

in the message that I bring.

You see, it was like going to the circus

for many of them.

They thought of him

as a sort of super magician.

But Jesus knew

that the miracles on their own

had no lasting, eternal effect.

The people were pleased

to see the miracles.

In fact, they yearned

to see the miracles.

But they had no desire

to recognize Jesus

as Lord and Savior.

And John makes it clear

throughout the gospel

that the human heart

is so blinded by sin

that not even miracles

can produce a true

and living faith.

You remember Judas.

He saw countless miracles.

In fact,

he performed miracles himself

in the name of Jesus.

But he didn't have

a true and living faith.

So Jesus knew

that these miracles alone

would not produce

a sincere saving faith

in the people.

And John is showing us here

that their faith

is simply a manifestation

of their enthusiasm.

A faith produced

by their enthusiasm

over the miracles.

And the problem

is not an issue

of having faith

or not having faith.

I mean, we all have faith

as something

to some degree or another.

There are many people

who call themselves Christians,

but they still do

and have a sincere faith.

And we see this problem

throughout the Bible,

even in the Old Testament.

It was one of the primary themes

in the prophets.

They spoke to a congregation

who had the outward sign

of circumcision,

but they were lacking

the inner reality

that the circumcision

was supposed to represent.

These people looked forward

to the day of the Lord.

They were always talking

about when the day

the Lord would come

and He would draw near to them

and rescue them.

But it was Amos

and the other prophets

who warned them

of their folly.

The prophets told them,

You talk about

the day of the Lord,

but the day of the Lord

is not going to be good for you.

In fact,

it is going to be

a terrible day for you

because your faith

in the Lord

is not real.

You talk about

your faith in the Lord,

but look around.

You are unfaithful

to the Lord.

And that was the problem

in the Old Testament.

And it remained the problem

even during the time of Jesus.

His ministry began

with the same warning

over and over and over again

throughout His teaching.

He warns the people.

You remember Jesus said,

Many of you will say to me

on that day,

Lord,

did we not drive out

demons in your name?

And I will say to you,

depart from me.

I never knew you.

It was always a part

of His public teaching.

He spoke again and again

about the hypocrisy

of the Jews.

And their faith

was all posture

and not a true

and sincere trust

in the grace

and the mercy of God.

And the distinction

between true

and false faith

is a large,

large part

of the teaching

of Jesus.

I just think about

all the parables

and the illustrations

that He used

throughout the Gospels

to illustrate false faith.

the Pharisee,

the tax collector,

the prodigal son,

the rich man

and Lazarus,

the narrow door,

the wise and foolish virgins,

and so on and so on.

And just look at His teaching.

In every case,

without exception,

the one who has

the Lord's approval

and is set before us

as the true believer

is the person

in the lowly,

humble position

who simply acknowledges

his need

and cries out

for mercy.

And of course,

in the end,

we saw the manifestation

of all the warnings.

We actually saw

the reality

of false faith

in action.

It was the religious element,

the upright,

the respectable,

who finally,

in a frenzy

of what they thought

was religious zeal,

murdered Jesus.

Because of false faith,

they murdered

their own Messiah.

And Jesus was always

concerned about false faith

because He did recognize

that it's the easiest

thing in the world

to think of oneself

as a Christian

when one is not.

Or to think of oneself

as being at peace

with God

when one is not.

Examine yourself

to see whether you

are in the faith,

Paul writes.

Again, he writes,

let the one who thinks

he is standing

take heed

lest he fall.

Now, with regard

to the official,

at this point,

he's not really interested

in any of these issues.

He simply wanted

a healing

for his son.

He believed

that Jesus

had the power

to grant his request.

However,

instead of tending

the bedside

or offering

an obvious miracle,

verse 50 says,

Jesus simply said,

Go,

your son will live.

The man took Jesus

at his word

and departed.

The man took Jesus

at his word

and left for hope.

I mean,

imagine that.

A 25-mile walk,

16 words with Jesus,

and he turns around

and starts walking

back home.

But as he left

for home,

we are seeing

a man take steps

of belief.

And we know he believed

because he left.

There's no more pleading.

There's no more desperation.

He did what Jesus

said to do.

He just,

he went home.

It says he believed

the words of Jesus.

I mean,

this man took Jesus

at his word,

which showed that

he was not like

the rest of the crowd

who were only interested

in seeing the signs

of the wonders.

And his trust,

the faith that he put

in the words of Jesus,

led to the healing

of his son

at that exact hour

some 25 miles away.

See,

the official

was asked

to believe

without saying,

to accept the words

of Jesus

without the visual

assistance of a miracle.

It may have been hard,

but the man did it.

And that's what

made the difference.

He believed,

and then he received

a miracle.

You see,

that phrase in verse 50,

the man took Jesus

at his word

and departed,

is an important phrase

because as he accepted

the words of Jesus

and believed him,

the omniscient,

omnipresent power

of the Lord Jesus

was 25 miles away

touching the body

of that boy.

And Jesus never left

the spot

that he was standing on.

And as the official

believed the words

of Jesus,

he moved from

a detached,

philosophical view

of Jesus

to a view

that was focused

on who Jesus

really is.

I mean,

if you think about

the crowd,

the popular view

was,

look,

we're not denying

that Jesus

is a miracle worker.

We've all seen it.

Everybody knows

it's supernatural

and no one denies it.

But what is it

that moves a man

or a woman

from having that

detached view

of an observer,

a person who sees

Jesus as a showman

or a miracle worker

to a view that sees

the reality

of who he is.

And that catalyst

for the transformation

we see here

is need.

It's recognizing

that one has

a desperate need.

In Matthew 9,

Jesus said,

the people who aren't sick

aren't out looking

for a doctor,

are they?

It's that moment

when we recognize

that we are in

a desperate situation

and that under

our own power

we have no remedy.

It's when we recognize

that left to our own devices

and our own schemes,

there is only failure

on the horizon.

We must admit

our need for help.

And you see,

this sort of desperation

will drive people.

And it drove this man

to Jesus.

And when he found him,

he begged Jesus

to give life

to his son.

Now the difference

between the Galileans

and their superficial interest

and this father

who begged

for the life

of his son

was desperation.

Here was a man

who loved his son.

He was terrified

that he would die.

So he came

to the Lord Jesus.

He implored.

He begged Jesus

to come with him.

Imagine that.

A royal official

walking 25 miles

to beg

a Nazarene carpenter

for his help.

What would you think

his friends and colleagues

would have said

about that?

But in his need,

he has found

a true friend.

He's realized

that this man,

Jesus,

could obviously

do much,

much more for him

and his family

than that.

C.S. Lewis once wrote,

You never know

how much you really

believe anything

until its truth

or its falsehood

becomes a matter

of life and death

to you.

And that was

the problem

for the Galileans.

There was never

an admission

of terrible need.

There was never

a cry for help.

I mean,

they were in danger

to be sure,

but they never

recognized it.

They simply

couldn't see it

through their

self-satisfied

hearts and minds.

They were happy

with the status quo.

While on the other

hand,

the royal official

had come to realize

that he needed

Jesus desperately.

And some of the

Galatians were

fascinated,

as the people

will be,

with someone

who can work

miracles.

But otherwise,

the message,

the meaning,

the significance

of Jesus Christ

completely escaped

them.

It just passed

them by.

He was offering

forgiveness and

righteousness with

God, but they

were sure that

they already had

that.

As we have said,

the story throughout

the ministry of

Jesus was the same.

Those who came

to realize

their great needs

suddenly saw in

Jesus the one

who could help

them when no

one else was

able to.

But those who

refused to admit

their need,

well, first they

found Jesus

interesting.

Then they found

him entertaining.

Then he became

irritating and

finally he became

infuriating.

His message

offended them.

He required them

to admit the

darkness in their

hearts, but they

resented even the

very suggestion

that there was

anything to admit.

And what we see

in this father is

a man who learned

as a result of

his son being at

death's door,

that he had needs

that only Jesus

could deal with.

You know, the

Lord often brings

men and women to

faith in this way.

Instead of a

person immediately

seeing themselves

as a sinner

in need of

salvation,

very often men

and women are

shown first to

realize how weak

and needy they

truly are through

some trouble or

failure or through

some extreme

disappointment in

life.

But once that is

acknowledged, the

dam is broken

and their need for

other things,

especially peace with

God, could actually

be acknowledged.

And that seems to

be what happened

with this man.

Verse 51 tells us

that he was going

home when his

servants came out

to meet him with

the news that the

boy was recovering.

The miracle had

happened.

His faith had been

rewarded.

The boy was

alive and well.

And the official

asked at what

time the boy was

revived and he

found it was at

the exact moment

that Jesus spoke.

Verse 53 there

confirms that the

official was a

believer as he

shared his faith

with his whole

house and they

believed too.

He turned into

an evangelist just

like that.

He began by

looking to Christ

for the earthly

life of his son.

And he's ended

up looking to

Christ for his

own eternal

life and that

of his family

as well.

And there is

the distinction

that the Lord

Jesus makes

between true

and false

faith.

False faith

looks to Jesus

for what will

interest and

entertain.

True faith on

the other hand

looks to Jesus

in desperation

and realizes that

he and he

alone is the

only one who

can give you

what you must

have for life

now and

forever.

and with

that recognition

a person finds

in Jesus a

savior and a

friend with

every worth

every ounce of

loyalty and love

that one can

muster.

Now at the

start of the

story the father

had a sort of

faith.

He was a

religious man.

He believed

that Jesus was a

miracle worker and

he sought out

Jesus in the hope

of receiving a

miracle.

But at that

point he had

no living trust

in Jesus Christ

because his

heart had not

yet been engaged

by the Lord.

And it was

not until he

believed the

words of Jesus

that his

blindness cleared

and he could

see Jesus for

who he really

was.

The son of

God and the

savior of the

world.

Now both the

Galileans and the

father had faith.

I mean both

states of mind

are in the

Bible and they

are both called

faith.

But the

difference between

them is the

difference between

light and

darkness, life and

death, heaven and

hell.

I mean you

can call Jesus

the greatest

miracle worker

that ever lived.

You can call him

the greatest

teacher that ever

lived and you

would be right.

But you see

John teaches us

that that is not

enough.

John wants us to

learn from his

words that Jesus

is the Christ,

the son of the

living God, the

savior of the

world and you

must believe that

who he is and

what he came to

do is the only

way to receive

eternal life.

And that is the

gift that God

gives to those of

us who believe

in his son.

Let me pray for

us.

Thank you.