grace and peace to all of you who are watching or listening today.
After another long week of social distancing,
I hope and I pray that God has been working in your heart
and reminding you of just how he has made you for relationship,
not only with other people, but with him.
Today, we continue on through the story of Jesus
as told by the Apostle John.
If you have your Bible with you,
would you open it up to John chapter 4?
Last Sunday, we saw how Jesus was on his way from Judea to Galilee,
and he made a bit of a pit stop in Samaria.
It was there near the town of Sychar that he met the woman at the well
and had that conversation with her,
and the Samaritans invited Jesus to stay with them for two days.
And Jesus agreed.
He stayed with them for two days.
Well, now Jesus is on the move again,
and he's headed back, according to his original course, into Galilee.
So we pick up the story in John chapter 4, verse 43.
After the two days, Jesus left for Galilee.
Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him.
They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover festival,
for they also had been there.
So the first thing that we notice from John is that Jesus is now going back into his own country.
There's a signaled shift here.
He's been with the Samaritans in Samaria,
and now he's going back into his own country,
back into the territory of the Jews.
But even more than that, he's going back into his own kind of home region,
his own neck of the woods.
It's Galilee is where he has lived.
That's where the town of Nazareth, his hometown, is.
And what John says here, right at the beginning in verse 44,
kind of casts a bit of a shadow over the rest of what we're about to read.
He says,
Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country or his own region.
What does he mean by that?
Well, I think the best place to go to understand that is to some of the other gospel records,
which record Jesus saying a very similar thing.
My mind goes to Mark chapter 6,
where we read about Jesus visiting his hometown of Nazareth,
and it probably happened around the time that we're reading of here in John.
Now, when Jesus went to Nazareth, the initial response was a good one.
The people welcomed him.
They were kind of excited.
They kind of wondered,
what are all these miracles that you've been doing?
But it wasn't long before that initial excitement wore off,
and they began to say some things to Jesus,
which were rather dishonoring.
Isn't this the carpenter?
Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James,
Joseph, Judas, and Simon?
Aren't his sisters here with us?
And they took offense at him.
Jesus said to them,
A prophet is not without honor except in his own town,
among his relatives, and in his own home.
So what's going on there?
Well, it seems that the people in Jesus' hometown,
they have kind of come to this attitude of,
well, what makes you think that you're special?
Aren't you, after all, just the village carpenter?
And we know you.
I mean, look at your families right here with us.
If you were someone special, I think we'd have known about it.
You're just one of us.
What makes you think that you're so good?
They took offense at him.
So the initial welcome turned into dishonor.
And I think that's kind of what Jesus is referring to here back in John,
when he says,
Now, he says,
A prophet has no honor in his own country,
or in his own neck of the woods.
Just like with the prophets long ago,
there was this sense in which pride kind of mixes together with familiarity,
and we just,
we can't really accept that you,
I mean, you're one of us.
We know you,
that you have been chosen by God for a special purpose,
to be a prophet,
God's spokesperson.
I don't think so.
The pattern is repeating itself,
or John is hinting that it's about to repeat itself again.
Verse 45,
When Jesus arrived in Galilee,
the Galileans welcomed him.
So initially,
the response is much like it was in Nazareth.
The response is good.
Jesus is back in his neck of the woods,
and the people there are kind of,
they're eager to have him.
They're excited.
But John tells us why.
They're excited.
Why they welcome him.
He adds a little clause onto that.
The Galileans welcomed him,
having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover festival,
for they also had been there.
Literally,
having seen all things,
as many as he did in Jerusalem.
Okay,
so this is part of the reason for the excitement,
and for the big welcome,
because not too long ago,
we read in a previous message,
that back in chapter 2,
Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Passover festival.
You'll remember there.
He flipped the tables in the temple courts.
He drove out the animals and the cellars.
And John tells us back there in chapter 2,
while he was in Jerusalem at the festival,
many people saw the signs he was performing,
and believed in his name.
But Jesus would not entrust himself to them,
for he knew all people.
He did not need any testimony about men,
for he knew what was in each person.
So,
some of these Galileans had been there.
They were among those who had seen the many signs,
which Jesus had performed.
Back in chapter 2,
John tells us that they believed in his name.
And yet,
when we looked at this in a previous message,
we kind of wondered,
did they really believe?
Jesus,
it says,
would not entrust himself to them,
because he knew them.
He knew what was going on in their thoughts,
and in their hearts.
And so,
we kind of wondered,
is their faith superficial?
Is it flawed in some way?
Nicodemus kind of became an example of that.
He believed that Jesus was a teacher,
who had come from God.
And yet,
he did not receive,
the testimony of Jesus.
He did not believe the earthly things,
that Jesus was telling him.
And so,
Jesus said,
how can you believe the heavenly things,
if I was to tell you about them?
There was a superficiality to his faith.
There was a flawedness to it.
It was incomplete.
It only came part way.
And so,
when we come back to the Galileans,
we're kind of expecting to see
something of attention unfold here.
There's welcome,
there's excitement,
but Jesus has also said,
the reception here,
in Galilee,
in home territory,
it's not going to be,
the same as it was,
among the Samaritans,
where they just kind of said,
we believe that you're the savior of the world.
It's not going to go like that.
So,
once more,
in verse 46,
John tells us,
once more,
Jesus 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.
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.
Unless you people see signs and wonders,
Jesus told him,
you will never believe.
So,
Jesus is in Cana,
the place where he had already done,
a great sign,
turning the water into wine.
We're not sure,
just how many people,
ended up knowing about that,
because he kind of did it on the down low.
But as he's there in Cana,
there's a certain unnamed,
royal official,
presumably from Capernaum,
who gets word that he's arrived.
And so he comes,
to pay Jesus a visit in Cana.
And the reason why,
is because his son,
is lying sick,
in Capernaum.
John tells us,
that his son,
was close to death,
verse 47.
We find out a little bit further down,
in verse 52,
that he has a fever,
and we presume,
it's a severe one,
if he's close to death.
And so,
this man comes,
to Jesus,
and it says,
he begged him,
to come and heal his son.
Let's get into the,
the headspace,
of this official,
for a moment.
Can you imagine,
what he must be feeling?
He's a royal official,
and so we imagine,
he's probably a person,
with some wealth,
with some means.
He's probably,
already,
tried,
all the doctors.
He's probably,
already tried,
a bunch of different,
medications,
and treatments.
And yet,
his son,
he refers to him,
in verse 49,
as my child.
His,
his son,
lies sick,
in bed,
and he continues,
to get worse,
and worse,
as the days go by.
He doesn't look so good.
We imagine,
you know,
perhaps his,
skin color's not looking,
so good anymore.
And his,
fever is high,
he's just burning up,
and things are getting,
worse and worse,
and they've tried,
everything.
And he's desperate.
So desperate,
that he,
makes the 17 mile trek,
as soon as he hears,
that Jesus,
has come to Cana,
to come to Jesus,
this guy who he's heard,
has done miracles,
or signs,
maybe he can help.
Those of you who are parents,
you can imagine,
just maybe what this man,
might be feeling,
just thinking of your own child,
in this kind of situation,
lying sick,
in the bed at home,
for weeks,
and still not improving,
but getting worse.
This man,
is desperate.
He comes,
to Jesus,
and begs him,
come,
heal my son,
come with me,
back to Capernaum.
And Jesus responds,
in verse 48,
with this,
unless you people,
see signs and wonders,
Jesus told him,
you will never believe.
What kind of a response,
is that?
I mean,
it's not the one,
that we're expecting here.
It kind of seems insensitive,
perhaps a little cold,
don't you think?
This man has just come,
and begged Jesus,
to help heal his son,
and Jesus,
seems to be,
rebuking him,
about his,
lack of faith.
Unless,
unless,
you people,
see,
signs and wonders,
you will never believe.
So what's going on here?
Is Jesus insensitive?
Well,
I think the first thing,
to,
take into consideration,
is,
is the context here.
Notice that Jesus,
says these words,
both to,
to the man,
and,
to a larger group.
He says,
unless you people,
unless you plural,
see,
signs and wonders,
you,
plural,
will never believe.
So he's,
he's having a bigger group conversation here.
But he also does speak to the man.
It says,
unless you people,
see signs and wonders,
Jesus told him,
you will never believe.
And so what's going on here?
Well,
I think that,
if we just,
go off of,
what's there in Jesus' words,
words,
we can,
we can get a bit of a picture.
He's,
he's having a conversation with the larger group here.
And why would Jesus be saying this?
Probably,
and it's kind of implied from his words,
they're,
they're pressing him
to show them a sign,
to do a miracle for them.
And the sense of it,
you almost get is,
you know,
give us some proof
that what you're saying is right.
And give us a sign that we should listen to you.
And this coming from many people
who had already seen the signs that he had done
back in Jerusalem.
And so that's the first thing to keep in mind.
There's a larger group conversation going here,
but Jesus also speaks to the man as well.
So,
so what's going on here?
I think it's good for us to remember those words
that we heard back in John chapter two,
which I read earlier.
Those words were,
Jesus would not entrust himself
to the people up in Jerusalem.
Why?
Because he knew all people.
He was not needing any testimony about men,
for he was knowing
what was in each person.
So Jesus knows what they're thinking.
He knows what's going on in their hearts.
And I think if we,
if we remember that,
then suddenly we start to see this phrase,
this,
this reply a little bit differently.
Is Jesus being insensitive and cold?
Or,
is he perhaps
telling them
what he really knows
about what's going on in their hearts?
I don't think that Jesus is just kind of
writing them off
with a,
with kind of a,
you know,
passing judgment kind of comment.
I think what he's doing
is holding the mirror up to these people
and saying,
do you see just how,
how,
how hard your hearts are?
How stubborn and skeptical
and unbelieving they are?
You've already seen signs.
Believe me now,
listen to the words that I'm saying.
As it pertains to this particular man
who now enters into this,
to the midst of this
and begs for Jesus to come heal his son.
And I think Jesus knows
what's going on
in this particular man's heart as well.
And maybe it's a little bit different
than the larger group.
We don't know for sure
what Jesus knew about him.
But perhaps it was,
perhaps Jesus knew
that this man
was,
was not really thinking
about who Jesus was.
He just saw him as,
as a healer,
as a miracle worker.
I'm here to get my healing,
my miracle worker,
almost treating him like a doctor.
I've come for my,
for the,
the service of healing.
And so come with me
and,
and do it.
Please.
But I think Jesus knows
that even though this man
believes he's able to heal,
it would seem so,
that his faith is still
not at the place
that it needs to be,
that it should be.
That,
that real kind of deep
trust
and recognition
of just who it is
that he is asking
is not there.
It's almost as if he's maybe
just looking for the,
for,
for his miracle
and,
and then he can go his way.
But,
Jesus longs for this man
and all of these people
to,
to truly,
sincerely,
from the heart,
believe him,
believe his words,
trust,
trust the truth
of,
of who he is.
That's what I think
is going on here
in this situation.
The conversation goes on.
Jesus drops this bomb
on them.
I think he really
holds the mirror up to them.
Do you see how
you guys
do not believe?
You guys are
stubborn hearted.
Imagine that
there was some silence
there,
maybe,
perhaps,
a pause.
And the royal official
says to Jesus
in verse 49,
Sir,
come down
before my child dies.
So he,
he asks again.
It doesn't mean
that he,
he hasn't heard Jesus
or taken
Jesus' words seriously,
but,
but he asks again.
And the real test
as to whether
he is listening,
whether he
will believe,
comes in what
Jesus says to him
next.
Jesus,
I imagine,
looks him straight
in the eyes
and says,
go.
Your son lives
or your son
will live.
The original,
it's present tense.
Your son lives.
And it's not
in the sense of
he's,
his life is hanging
on by a thread
right now
and one day
he'll recover.
It's not just a prophecy.
The sense of it is,
go,
your son lives.
He's recovering.
As we speak,
he is right now
starting to,
beginning to,
and will continue
to get better.
This is the moment
of testing
for this man.
It's here that,
that what Jesus
has said earlier,
you don't believe
as you ought,
as you should.
It's here that
Jesus will,
in a sense,
give this man
the personal invitation
to believe
as he ought.
To accept
the words of Jesus
as the truth,
even without
being able
to see
whether,
and confirm
whether,
what Jesus
has said
is happened
in reality.
it's quite a moment.
And I would have loved
to have been there
to just see
how
this man
was processing
all of this.
The question
that probably
everybody in the crowd
is wondering
is,
so,
is he going
to go?
Does he believe
Jesus?
Does he believe
this?
or is he going
to continue
asking Jesus
to come with him?
Notice that
Jesus both
grants and denies
at the same time.
He grants
his request
to heal,
but he denies
his request
to come with him.
No,
go.
You go your way.
Your son
lives.
And so,
this is the moment
of testing
for this man,
faith
looks like
not asking
Jesus again
and leaving
Jesus.
Will he?
John tells us
in verse 50,
the man
took Jesus
at his word
and departed.
Literally,
the man believed
the word
that Jesus said
to him
and left.
So,
yes,
he did.
he came
all this way,
about 17
or so miles
and he left
empty-handed,
trusting
that Jesus'
words
were true
and that his son
was recovering.
The story
goes on
in verse 51.
While Jesus
was still,
or sorry,
while the servant
was still
on the way,
while the official
was still
on the way,
his servants
met him
with the news
that his boy
was living.
When he inquired
as to the time
when his son
got better,
they said to him,
yesterday at one
in the afternoon,
the fever left him.
Then,
the father realized
that this was
the exact time
at which Jesus
had said to him,
your son
lives.
So,
he and his
whole household
believed.
Can you imagine
that moment
as the official
is on his way
back to Capernaum
and he sees
his servants
coming in the distance?
What's going on
in his mind?
They're either
coming to bring
news
of
death
or life.
Can you imagine
how he must have felt
as they got near
and he saw
the expressions
on their faces
and then as he
finally heard
the news
from their own
lips?
He's getting
better.
He's better.
Oh,
how that must have
just made this
father rejoice
in his heart.
He does
what probably
many of us
would do
and inquires
about the time.
I don't think
we should read
into that
that he was
doubting
that Jesus'
word had
anything to do
with it.
But he inquires
as to the time.
They tell him
and the father,
it says,
realized that
this was
the exact
time
at which
Jesus had
said,
your son
lives.
The end
result,
so he
and his
whole household
believed.
And I think
by now
in this account
as we come
to this moment,
we realize
that believed
here does
not mean
in just
the superficial
sense
or in the
flawed sense.
It means
in the full
sense
that he
is
the Messiah.
I mean,
ironically,
Jesus said,
unless you see
a sign,
you will never
believe.
And yet,
Jesus gave
him a sign
and he did
believe.
he did
come to
believe
in the
true
deep
sense,
to trust
this one
and his
words.
So what's
here in
this account
for us
today?
Well,
I think the
first thing
that we
don't want
to miss
is how
we see
the glory
of Jesus
in this
account.
We've been
talking about
that through
this whole
series,
looking for
those moments
which reveal
the glory
of Jesus.
That's what
John said
that he
saw of
Jesus,
his glory,
how he
was full
of grace
and truth.
Well,
how do we
see that
in this
account?
I think
first of
all,
we have
an easy
time seeing
how Jesus
is full
of truth.
At the
critical
moment in
the conversation
as this
man is
begging
Jesus to
come and
heal his
son,
Jesus,
in one
sense,
it doesn't
seem
speak
speaks out
of grace,
but he
speaks the
truth.
He holds
up the
mirror of
truth of
what he
knows to
be true
in their
hearts and
minds.
You people
are stubborn
hearted and
you don't
believe,
even though
you've seen
signs,
many of
you.
so the
truth,
we see
that all
through
this.
But what
about the
grace of
Jesus?
How do
we see
that Jesus
is full
of grace
in this
account?
Especially
when it
comes to
that moment
where Jesus
kind of
rebukes
the man
while he's
begging for
him to
come and
heal his
son.
Well, I
think as we
reflect on
that moment,
one of the
lessons that
we see
there is
that God's
grace doesn't
always come
to us in
the way
that we
expect,
especially
as it
pertains to
Jesus and
his words.
Jesus knows
what's going
on, not
just in their
hearts and
in this man's
heart, but
in my
heart, in
your heart,
in our
thoughts.
love.
And
sometimes
it's a
gift of
grace, it's
a thing of
love for
him to
tell us not
just what we
want to
hear, but
what he
knows we
need to
hear.
I often
think of
as an
example, you
know those
moments when
you were
eating
something and
maybe you
got a little
bit of
sauce on
your face
and you
missed
cleaning it
off and
you end
up going
for two
hours and
bumping into
all kinds
of people and
you've got
the sauce on
your face and
you don't
even know it
and none of
them even
says anything
to you.
Finally,
someone has
the guts and
isn't worried
about offending
you or the
awkwardness of
it and they
care enough
about you to
point out the
truth of how
you got sauce
on your face.
And even
though you
don't want to
hear that because
of all that that
represents over the
past two
hours,
you're thankful
for it because
they're telling
you that truth
holding up the
mirror to you
means that you
don't have to
go the next
two hours with
all these people
that you're going
to bump into
embarrassing
yourself.
And so,
yes,
sometimes it's
a gift of
grace to
hear not
just what we
want to hear,
but to hear
what we need
to hear.
Sometimes those
hard truths,
those words of
correction,
of feedback,
those things that
expose what's
not good in
us.
And I believe
that it is a
gift of grace
and Jesus was
full of grace
even as he
said these words
to the man.
Maybe he was
thinking the
moment was
something like
you're here
for a miracle,
but as a
gift of grace,
I want to
help you to
see the
bigger picture
of what's
really going
on here.
It was a
gift of grace
that Jesus
did the
miracle for
him and
granted his
request.
But I think
in some
ways,
an even
bigger gift
of grace
came in
the fact
or in
the way
that Jesus
did it.
With that
initial word
of rebuke
or correction
followed by
granting this
miracle in
a way that
would force
this man to
make that
decision,
am I going
to really
trust you
and really
believe
or not?
as a
result,
a bigger
gift of
God came
to this
man and
his son
got not
just life
for a few
more years,
but life
forever,
eternal life.
That's what
Jesus has been
promising to
those who
believe.
Another way
that we see
the glory of
Christ is
in the
authority
and the
power that
Jesus wields
in this
situation.
Think of
this from
the perspective
of the
official.
This man
in front
of him
speaks
and 17
miles or
so down
the road
his son
begins
to heal
and get
better and
recover and
the fever
leaves him.
This is
amazing.
I mean,
who can
do
something
like that?
This
Jesus
speaks
and
the
power
of
God
to
heal
and
give
life
is
unleashed
17
miles
down
the
road.
This is
something
that no
mere man
can do.
It's
evidence
that Jesus
really is
the son
of God,
the Messiah,
that he
has
the
authority
of his
father
and the
power
of God
himself.
Finally,
this
story
leaves us
with a
big question.
and I
think the
question
comes from
Jesus'
words in
verse 48.
Unless you
people see
signs and
wonders,
you will
never
believe.
That last
word,
believe,
is
critical.
What does
Jesus want
from these
people,
from this
man?
He wants
them to
trust him,
to listen
to his
words and
believe
them,
to come
to see
the truth
of what's
really going
on,
of who
he is
and what
he has
come to
do for
them.
Do you
believe?
Put yourself
in the crowd
there that
day.
Do you
believe that
Jesus is
the Messiah?
Do you
believe that
he's the
son of
God?
Do you
believe that
the words
he speaks
are the
very words
of God
and are
true?
And do
you believe
them not
just superficially
up here,
agree with
them,
recognize that
they're from
God,
but do you
believe them
in here?
Do you
embrace them
as reality?
Do you
embrace him
as that
one whom
God has
sent into
the world?
This is the
big question
and the
response of
the people
that day
is
unbelief.
It's
stubbornness.
It's
skepticism.
They want
Jesus to
do another
sign,
another
miracle,
and they've
already seen
some signs
and some
miracles.
Jesus is
saying,
I've given
you enough.
Now,
listen to
my words.
Accept
them.
Believe.
see that
this
stubbornness
and skepticism
is there
in your
own heart.
I think
Jesus
wants the
same of
us.
Do you
believe?
Do you
believe my
words?
Do you
believe the
words of
Jesus?
Do you
believe that
he is the
son of
God?
were you
waiting for
a sign?
Perhaps a
personal
miracle of
some sort?
Jesus is
not just
an
entertainer
or a
performer.
He's not
just come
into this
world to
give us
whatever we
want.
The reality
is Jesus
has come
to give
us something
even better.
He has
come to
give
true
life,
eternal
life.
He has
come to
give
forgiveness
from God.
He has
come to
give
salvation,
deliverance
from the
justice of
God that
is coming
upon our
world because
of our
sins against
God.
He has
come to
offer you
peace
between you
and God
restored
relationship
with him.
The key
to receiving
all of
this is
faith,
it's
belief.
And it
very much
oftentimes
looks like
the kind
of faith
that he
was calling
the official
to have,
the kind
that is
going to
trust
his words
and believe
even though
we may not
be able to
see with
our eyes
just what
he has
promised
yet.
Jesus
is not
a miracle
dispensing
machine.
Jesus
has come
to call
you,
to call
me,
to put
our
trust
in him,
to put
our trust
in God,
to a
trust
kind of
relationship
with God.
So the
question his
words leave
us with is,
do you
believe?
do you
believe?
Let's
pray.
Father in
heaven,
we thank
you for
these words
which you
have given
us.
We thank
you that
we get
to see
what
happened
a little
bit and
what was
said that
day.
Oh God,
I pray and
ask that you
would give
all of us
who are
listening and
watching ears
to hear,
ears to hear
what you
said to
the people
that day
and what
you are
saying to
us.
We ask
that you
would help
us to
trust you
more and
to believe
you for
the things
which you
have said
as great
or as
impossible
as they
may seem
or feel
to us.
We thank
you that
you are
a gracious
and
honest
savior.
We love
you.
We pray
this in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.