Thank you for joining us this morning. After Thanksgiving, many of you guys have been away, got back.
I think some of us are still away, not here. It looks like most of you made it back in one piece.
I feel like I've been sick for the last two weeks, and so I might get a coughing fit here and there as I preach,
so please bear with me as we go.
If you've ever seen a spy film or read a spy novel, then you're familiar with that moment
when the protagonist discovers that his friend who had befriended him or his lover who had loved him
actually did not have any genuine friendship or affection for them,
but were merely using them to cook secrets out of them to serve his enemy.
And there's that sense of disappointment and betrayal.
Or maybe you've seen reality TV or just people, just public figures around you of women marrying men with power and money
and later abandoning them when there's no more power and money to be gained.
Or men marrying beautiful young women, much more beautiful and younger than they,
and then later when they get older, discarding them as if they were things to be discarded.
And there's pain in the realization that when people whom you thought loved you or were devoted to you
really were actually not after you at all, but were seeking something else.
And frequently that's how many people relate to God.
We don't come to God for who he is.
We don't love him.
We don't seek to worship him, but rather we seek to use him for our purposes.
And God will not stand to be used as a convenience.
And that's why Jesus here in this passage teaches us that we must believe in him on his terms
as the giver of eternal life.
And this passage teaches us that in two sections.
First, it tells us about the belief in signs, what it means to believe in signs.
And then secondly, it tells us what it means to believe in Jesus.
And read with me verse 43.
It tells us,
After the two days, Jesus departed for Galilee.
Now this is after two days, meaning the two days he spent among the Samaritans,
preaching the gospel, the good news that he came to proclaim,
that he's the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
He spent two days with them, and then he departed for Galilee,
where his hometown Nazareth is.
And Jesus is heading to his hometown, and usually with homecomings, you expect a warm welcome.
You expect to get some rest.
You expect to let your burdens down for a week or for a weekend,
however long you're going to be home for.
And many of us did that this past week.
Hannah and I were home in New York for a couple days to visit Hannah's side of our family.
And one day when Hannah was resting in her grandmother's place,
at the end of the day she told me,
Oh man, that was like the most restful day I've had in months,
just because she felt all the burdens were just laid aside,
nothing to worry about,
just in the home of her grandparents who loved her and raised her.
And that's what we expect.
That's what we think of when we think of homecoming.
But here with Jesus' homecoming, we are prepared to expect that Jesus is not going to have such a warm welcome.
Because in verse 44, John gives us a parenthetical remark.
It says,
Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.
So this kind of foreshadows the kind of welcome he will receive in his hometown.
And then so verse 45 continues.
So when he came to Galilee, that's his hometown,
the Galileans, his townspeople, welcomed him,
having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast,
for they too had gone to the feast.
So if you're following closely at this point,
you might be a little confused by this verse.
Because you say,
well, he says that his hometown of people, Galilee,
they welcomed him, right?
Well, that's good.
They're welcoming him.
They are giving him a warm welcome.
So what do you mean that Jesus said that there would be no prophet,
has no honor in his own hometown?
See, that's not the whole story.
Because you have to examine the nature of their welcome.
And that's given in the following clause.
It says,
Having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast,
for they too had gone to the feast.
So basically,
the people of Jesus' hometown had heard of the miraculous works he had done.
And they wanted to see the show too,
basically is what's going on.
And Jesus is critical of this kind of interest,
because it's an unhealthy interest.
Because the dependence on signs for your faith
often leads to a spurious faith,
not an authentic faith,
a faith that teeters when it's tested,
when it's challenged.
And so see the contrast.
In order to really get that contrast,
look at verse 42,
which we talked about two weeks ago,
the Samaritan's response.
Because in verse 42,
the Samaritans,
the people that are not even Jesus' own people,
they say this in verse 42,
We know that this,
Jesus,
is indeed the Savior of the world.
They come to Jesus as a Savior of the world.
That's what their profession of faith.
But here in Galilee,
Jesus' own hometown,
there's no such profession of faith.
Instead,
we see people absorbed in their own needs,
in their own problems,
seeking to take advantage of Jesus for their purposes.
And that's the meaning of the statement,
a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.
And you can hear that bitter irony
in the verses 43 to 45,
because there's a threefold repetition of the word Galilee.
So Galilee is his hometown.
So he came to depart it for Galilee.
And when he came to Galilee,
the Galileans welcomed him,
having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem.
The Galileans,
his home people,
the family and friends he grew up with,
they, quote unquote,
welcomed him.
And for what reason?
Not because they truly knew him,
or loved him,
but because of the miracles he had performed
in Jerusalem.
It's as if,
you know,
Ben Affleck,
who grew up in Central Square in Cambridge,
comes to town,
to hang out with his old friends and family.
And instead of taking any genuine interest
in who he is,
or the work that he is doing,
they simply want to take some selfies with him
and score free movie tickets.
That's the kind of welcome Jesus is getting
in his hometown.
It's a sad fulfillment of what John had told us
in the prologue of chapter one,
verses 10 to 11,
that Jesus was in the world
and the world was made through him,
yet the world did not know him.
He came to his own
and his own people did not receive him.
Jesus had no honor in his hometown.
The Galileans flocked to him to see a show,
not to meet their savior.
And so this is the context
that you have to have in your background
as you look at Jesus' interaction
with this official,
because that's the spirit
in which this government official comes.
And he approaches Jesus,
but he also has a very pressing personal need.
In verse 47, it tells us,
he went to Jesus and asked him
to come down and heal his son,
for he was at the point of death.
The man had a dire need.
I mean, his son's dying.
And his son, it's a serious illness,
but he's desperate.
And at this point,
he's probably despaired of any kind of medical help.
So this is his last hope,
last chance,
Jesus, the wonder worker.
So he comes to Jesus.
Please come down and heal my son.
But that was the extent of the official's faith.
He didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah,
the son of God.
He did not believe that Jesus was the savior of the world.
He merely believed that Jesus just might be able
to heal his son.
And Jesus, seeing right through this,
admonishes him in verse 48,
unless you see signs and wonders,
you will not believe.
But the official is so preoccupied with his own need
that Jesus' word just, you know,
bounced right off of him,
go run right past him,
and he goes right back to believe.
Believe in what?
My son is dying.
So the official reiterates in verse 49,
sir, just come down before my child dies, please.
And so notwithstanding the ignorance of the official
and his deficient faith,
Jesus has compassion on him
because he is coming with the dire pressing need.
And even though the official apparently thinks
that Jesus has to be physically present
in order to heal his son
because that's why he keeps saying,
come down, please come down.
Jesus' power far exceeds the official's imagination.
And he simply tells him in verse 50,
Go, your son will live.
And John notes that the man believed the word
that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.
The man believed the word that Jesus spoke,
meaning the man believed that his son would be healed.
So he believed the healing.
He believed, in other words, the signs.
That's what it looks like to believe in the signs.
And sometimes people, and some of us,
we come to Christ out of self-serving purposes in this way.
We seek to believe the sign,
but not necessarily in Jesus.
For some, it's a sign of respectability, right?
Maybe not so much in New England anymore,
but some parts of the country,
being a Christian still comes with a badge of respectability.
So that's what they come to become,
come to Christ for.
They're going to say, well, I'm a Christian.
I'm a good Christian man or a good Christian woman.
I go to church every week or at least twice a week on Easter and Christmas.
That's the badge.
And that becomes then for us,
for those people, a part of maintaining a social identity
rather than coming to Christ for who he is on his terms.
For others, it's a sign of support.
Church becomes a sign of support.
They want to overcome some kind of personal problem.
Maybe they want to get sober.
Maybe they want to overcome depression.
Maybe they just want to find some people,
some friends to be around.
And for these people,
then being a Christian and part of a church
becomes a way to find affirmation and support
so that they can accomplish their personal goals.
And for still others, it's the sign of prosperity.
They believe that by coming to Christ,
by becoming a Christian
and trying to live a Christian life,
they believe they can fulfill their part of the bargain
in their relationship with God.
And so now they could expect God to do good things for them,
whether they give them a good job,
a good spouse,
a children,
health,
wealth.
But believing in the signs
apart from believing in Jesus
is tenuous,
as this passage teaches us.
Because when being a Christian
is no longer
a badge of respectability,
but of shame
and persecution.
When being a Christian
doesn't provide the support
that you are looking for
to achieve your personal goals.
When being a Christian
doesn't lead to health,
wealth,
and prosperity.
Those who come to Christ
only because of the signs
will fall away.
And this is the sure test
of whether or not
we have believed
merely in the signs
or in Jesus himself
on his terms.
Ask this question,
is the strength of your faith in God,
the ardor of your love for God,
are they contingent
on how well things are going for you?
Hmm.
If so,
that's an indicator
that our faith
is not in Christ himself,
but in the signs.
And Jesus calls us
to a faith
that is deeper
and more secure
and exhilarating than that.
So that even when we are mocked
and ridiculed
for our faith in Christ,
even in the midst
of abject failure,
loneliness,
sickness,
and poverty,
we could stand firm
and cling to Christ.
Because Jesus calls us
to believe
not just in the signs,
but in him
as our Savior,
as our Lord.
So what does it mean
then to believe
in Jesus?
Read verses 51 to 54 with me.
It says,
As he was going down,
his servants met him
and told him
that his son was recovering.
So he asked them
the hour
when he began
to get better.
And they said to him,
Yesterday at the seventh hour
the fever left him.
The father knew
that was the hour
when Jesus had said to him,
Your son will live.
And he himself believed
and all his household.
This was now
the second sign
that Jesus did
when he had come
from Judea
to Galilee.
So as the official
is going back
down to his house
after Jesus assured him,
Your son will live.
His servants come up
to meet him
and they're so excited
to share the news
that his son
is actually recovering.
The fever broke.
He's finally on the mend.
And the official
asks some questions
and then ascertains
that the very hour
when Jesus said,
Your son will live
was a time
when his son
started to heal.
And because of that
it says in verse 53,
The official himself
believed
and all his household.
Now this is a,
it might be a little
unusual for you
to hear the last phrase,
all his household,
because we live
in such an individual
as the culture.
We make decisions
for ourselves.
But this is a culture
where the fiber
of community
and family
run much thicker
and deeper
than it does
in our society.
So often
when the head
of the household,
for example,
here like the official
made a decision,
it became a collective
decision that the family
owned together.
And so they came
to faith together
as a family.
And here,
note the contrast.
In verse 50,
it says the man
believed the word
that Jesus had spoke.
So he at that time
believed in the son,
but now he says
he simply believes
in verse 53.
The implication
is that he came
from his faith
in the signs
and has progressed
rightly and appropriately
to faith in Jesus himself
as the promised Messiah,
the Savior of the world.
Before he believed
in the signs only,
but now he believes
in Jesus.
And what exactly
does it mean
to believe in Jesus?
And in order
to determine that,
we need to figure out
what this sign is
that John is talking about.
Because a sign
points to something.
So let's say
we were taking
a road trip to California
and you come across
the first highway sign
that says California
maybe says 300 miles away.
And then you go,
oh great, California.
And you take a picture
in front of it
and then you drive back home.
No, of course
you wouldn't do that.
That's not California.
That's just a sign.
But the sign always points
to a reality beyond itself.
So in the same way,
so what is the sign?
The sign is the healing
of the son, official son.
What does the sign point to?
And it's the second sign
John tells us.
The first sign was
the turning of water
into wine at Cana,
at the wedding feast.
And by filling
the purification jars,
the jars for purification
with wine,
Jesus indicated
that he's the promised Messiah
who fulfills the laws
and the requirements
of purification and atonement.
And now with the second sign,
Jesus heals a dying son.
And through that sign
indicates that he is
the promised Messiah
who imparts eternal life.
And we see that
in the repetition
of the word live,
it's mentioned three times
in this passage.
In verse 50,
Jesus says to the official,
your son will live.
Verse 51,
the servants tell the official
his son was recovering.
It's actually the exact same word,
even the same tense.
And it's,
it's,
you could really translate it,
your son is now living.
So it's the same word.
And then again,
in verse 53,
the word is used again
as the official recalls
what Jesus said,
your son will live.
Again,
live life.
That's the sign,
that the sign is pointing
to Jesus' ability
to give life.
And not just physical life,
but eternal life.
Because he has said earlier
to the Samaritans
in verse 14,
that the water
that I will give
will become
a spring of water
welling up
to eternal life.
The main concern
of this passage
is not the healing
of the official son,
the physical healing,
but the reality
that it points to,
namely that Jesus
revives,
who revives the sick,
can also impart
eternal life,
bring dead souls
to life again.
And that's why
it's not enough
to believe in just the signs.
We have to believe
in Jesus on his terms
as the giver
of eternal life.
And this might
seem a little
harsh at first
for Jesus to interact
with this official
in this way,
but we have to
recognize
that,
you know,
even though physical
physical death
is significant,
all men and women
are appointed
to die once.
eternal death,
however,
God intends
for us to avoid.
He wants us
to seek eternal life.
It's not
an inevitable reality.
And yet,
so many of us
spend a lifetime
denying or delaying
the inevitable certainty
of physical death
while doing nothing
to avert
the fearful prospect
of eternal death.
And so this,
Jesus is rightly
bringing this rebuke
to bring attention
to what is most important.
And in his brilliant book,
School Tape Letters,
C.S. Lewis imagines
this series of letter exchanges,
dialogues between
School Tape,
Uncle School Tape,
and his nephew,
Wormwood.
And School Tape's
a senior devil
who is advising
through these letters
this junior devil,
Wormwood,
about how to inspire
his human subject,
which they call patient,
to help,
successfully to help.
And in one revealing
interchange,
the senior devil,
Scruite,
rebukes Wormwood
for his,
what he calls
his novice
preoccupation
with physical death.
And this is what he says.
It's slightly lengthy,
but follow along with me.
It's very intriguing.
When I told you
not to fill your letters
with rubbish
about the war,
I meant, of course,
that I did not want
to have your rather
infantile rhapsodies
about the death of men
and the destruction
of cities.
Insofar as the war
really concerns
the spiritual state
of the patient,
I naturally want
full reports.
And on this aspect,
you seem singularly obtuse.
Thus, you tell me
with glee
that there is reason
to expect heavy air raids
on the town
where the creature lives.
This is a crying example
of something
I have complained
about already,
your readiness
to forget the main point
in your immediate
enjoyment of human suffering.
Do you not know
that bombs kill men?
Or do you not realize
that the patient's death
at this moment
is precisely
what we want to avoid?
He has escaped
the worldly friends
with whom you try
to entangle him.
He has fallen in love
with the very Christian woman
and is temporarily immune
from your attacks
on his chastity.
And the various methods
of corrupting
his spiritual life,
which we have been trying,
are so far unsuccessful.
At the present moment,
as the full impact
of the war draws nearer
and his worldly hopes
take a proportionally
lower place in his mind,
full of his defense work,
full of the girl,
forced to attend
to his neighbors
more than he has
ever done before
and liken it
more than he expected,
taken out of himself,
as the humans say,
and daily increasing
in conscious dependence
on the enemy,
that's God,
he will almost certainly
be lost to us
if he is killed tonight.
This is so obvious
that I'm ashamed to write it.
I sometimes wonder
if you young fiends
are not kept out
on temptation duty
too long at a time,
if you are not
in some danger
of becoming infected
by the sentiments
and values of the humans
among whom you work.
They, of course,
do tend to regard death
as the prime evil
and survival
as the greatest good,
but that is because
we have taught them
to do so.
Do not let us
be infected
by our own propaganda.
Like a dumb eagle
fluttering about
among the chickens,
not knowing
that it can soar
into the sky
and fly,
often we are living
creatures made
for eternity
but living
as if this life
were all there is.
What are your daily
and weekly preoccupations?
What are you living for?
Let us not be so consumed
with finding our niche
here in this world,
finding our place
in this life
that we forget
the fact that this world
is not our home.
Are you suffering?
Are you disappointed
or depressed
with the way things
have turned out
in your life?
Then remember
that our suffering
here in this life
is light
and momentary
compared
to the eternal glory
that we will experience
in God.
Place your hope
there and not here.
Are you happy
with your lot
on earth?
You enjoy
a good reputation
in a wide
circle of friends
and admirers.
You have a meaningful
job that keeps you
useful
and productive.
don't forget
that this life
is short
and inconsequential
compared to the
eternal life
that awaits you.
Where does the weight
of your priorities
lie?
Are your thoughts,
words,
and actions
governed by
and constrained
by the concerns
for this life
or eternal life?
Brothers and sisters,
let's not cheapen
Christ to be
some wonder worker
and settle
for the trinkets
of this life
when we can
believe in Him
as a Savior
of the world
and a giver
of eternal life
and we can devote
all our heart,
soul, mind,
and strength
to Him.
And now,
if we're honest
with ourselves
at this point,
you admit
that this is
difficult to do.
Because most of the time
this life feels
so real
and eternal life
seems so hypothetical.
This life
is all too close
and eternal life
seems all too distant.
The material
seems more significant.
The immaterial
seems insignificant.
But the only way
we can come to grips
with the reality
and value
of eternal life
is by looking
at the costly
price
God the Father
paid
to be able
to offer
eternal life
to us.
You see,
Jesus here
can declare
to this official,
your son
will live.
Because,
ultimately,
God the Father
had decreed,
my son
will die.
All of us
have sinned
against the Holy God
and by doing so
we have become
separated from Him
alienated from Him
who is the source
of life
and that naturally
and appropriately
leads to death.
Eternal death.
Yet,
instead of
leaving us there
without any recourse,
God the Father
sends His
perfect,
sinless
Son
to die
in our stead
so that we
sinful men and women
can live.
eternal life.
That's
the price
God pays
for eternal life.
And if you have
not yet
believed in
Jesus Himself,
then I urge you
that Jesus
is the only one
who can grant
this eternal life
because He won it
for us by dying
and our stead.
And eternal life,
Jesus is not a means
to an end.
Eternal life
is union with Christ.
Eternal life
is fellowship
with God the Father.
Eternal life
is being filled
with the Spirit of God.
Eternal life
is that life
in the triune God.
It's union with Him.
So,
Jesus is not a means
to an end.
Jesus is the end.
He is the source
of eternal life.
So,
come to Him.
And if you already
believe in Jesus,
then I urge you
with us
together,
fight
every day
to believe
the good news
of Jesus Christ.
Every morning
when you wake up
and every night
when you go to bed
and throughout the day,
believe in Jesus
as the giver
of eternal life
on His terms.
Remember the price
He paid
because it's only
by remembering
how costly
eternal life was
we can know
how precious it is.
And then the weight
of our priorities
shifts,
reorients us,
and enables us
to live
in light
of eternal life,
in obedience.
Let me
read
a verse
out of my
one of my favorite
hymns
that captures
this
complete devotion
to God,
coming to Jesus
on His terms.
The song is called
Jesus,
I my cross have taken.
It goes,
verse,
Jesus,
I my cross
have taken
all to leave
and follow Thee.
Destitute,
despised,
forsaken,
thou from hence
my all
shall be.
Perish
every fond
ambition,
all I've sought
or hoped
or known,
yet how rich
is my condition.
God and heaven
are still
my own.
that's
the life,
the Christian life
that Jesus calls us to.
Give all
to follow Him,
come to Him
as the giver
of eternal life today.
Let's pray.
Amen.