A HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS

XXVIII. Christ’s Call For Faith In His Person As God Incarnate

(John 4:43-54)

I. Introduction

A. One is justified by faith in Christ’s Person as God Incarnate, not by faith that He might perform some miracle.

B. This truth was seen in Christ’s initial ministry in Galilee where He was thought to be just a miracle worker who had grown up in the area and not the Messiah and God Incarnate that His miracles were meant to prove.

C. John 4:43-54 shows Jesus countering this Galilean misconception, what we view for our edification:

II. Christ’s Call For Faith In His Person As God Incarnate, John 4:43-54.

A. After spending two days in Samaria, Jesus went north into Galilee where He had grown up into adulthood, John 4:43. However, He told His disciples that a prophet had no honor in His own country, signaling His awareness that regardless of outward appearances, what reception He received by His Galilean neighbors would generally be superficial, not an exhibition of faith in His Person as Messiah and God Incarnate, v. 44.

B. Thus, when Jesus came into Galilee, the Galileans received Him based upon the fact that many of them had made the journey to Jerusalem during Passover and had there seen Him perform miracles, John 2:23 with 4:45. However, Jesus’ Galilean neighbors were impressed by His performance of miracles, not with the fact that those miracles Scripturally proved that He was Israel’s Messiah and God Incarnate! (cf. Isaiah 35:4-6a)

C. Christ’s awareness and critique of this viewpoint surfaced in His conversation with a royal official He met when He arrived in Cana of Galilee where He had turned water into wine (as follows), John 4:46-48:

1. Upon entering Cana of the region of Galilee, a “certain nobleman” (KJV), better, “royal official” (Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 288) was there whose son was ill in Capernaum, 20-25 miles away, John 4:46; Ibid.

2. This official had heard that Jesus had come north from Judaea into Galilee, so he had traveled from Capernaum to Cana to ask Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son who was near death, John 4:47.

3. Christ responded by saying, and we translate His words from the Greek text, “Except you (people = plural, idete, second person plural aorist subjunctive of horao, “see, behold,” U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1966, p. 336; The Analyt. Grk. Lex. (Zon.), 1972, p. 199, 291) might behold miraculous signs (semeia) and wonders (terata), you (people = plural, pisteusete, second person plural aorist subjunctive, Ibid., p. 326) will not believe,” John 4:48. Jesus was referring to this royal official as a typical Galilean who was enthralled with Jesus’ production of miracles rather than believing in Him as Israel’s Messiah and God Incarnate, what His miracles were meant to reveal to Israel as taught in passages like Isaiah 35:4-6a.

D. However, this critique by Jesus was also designed to elicit faith in His Person as it was directed toward a man who was desperate to save his son’s life, and who was thus open to being taught the truth. This fact is seen in the royal official’s reply desperately to beg Jesus to come down to Capernaum lest his child die, John 4:49.

E. Jesus then told the official that he should go on his way back to Capernaum, for His son lived, John 4:50. This directive required the royal official to trust Jesus’ word regardless of Christ’s absence from Capernaum, and regardless of the lack of any outward miraculous sign being performed by Jesus in the man’s sight.

F. Trusting Jesus’ Person as being a truthful messenger from the Lord, and not just relying on Jesus to perform a miracle in his presence, the royal official began to return from Cana to Capernaum, John 4:50. We know from John 4:52 that this event occurred at the “seventh hour,” what would be the Roman way of reckoning time, and that time would be 7:00 p. m. (Ibid., Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 275, 288)

G. People usually did not travel by night, but this royal official was on a mission in a life-threatening crisis in his son’s life, so he walked through the night in faith in Christ and headed back downhill toward Capernaum.

H. While he was still on the way, the next day, the official was met by his servants who had rushed up along the road from Capernaum to meet him and excitedly report that the official’s son had recovered, John 4:51.

I. The official asked them at what time the boy had begun to get better, and when they replied that at 7:00 p. m. the previous night the fever had left him, the royal official realized that it was that same instant when Jesus had told him that his son lived, John 4:52-53a.

J. Accordingly, this official and his household believed in Jesus’ Person, not just His miracles, John 4:53b-54.

Lesson: Christ wanted people to understand by the miracles that He performed that He was Messiah and God Incarnate as to His Person in accord with Old Testament prophecy, not simply to be enamored by His miracles.

Application: May we not just be moved by Jesus’ miracles, but trust in His Person as Messiah and God Incarnate!