No Place Like Home

handsome guys. If you would take
your Bibles and turn to the Gospel of John. Gospel of John, and we find ourselves
once again in John chapter 4. Just to set the context, we have turned the corner from
Samaria. Remember, there was a purpose,
a God-given purpose, a divine purpose, even for Jesus going
into Samaria. But there was a reason that Jesus
was withdrawing from Judea, and that was essentially the sudden
popularity, the attention that He was experiencing. And so because of that, We saw
in the beginning of chapter four that he was withdrawing from
Judea and purposing to get to Galilee. And essentially we pick
up that context here in following through on the intention that
took him through Samaria and to the city of Sychar. if you
would go back to chapter 4 and look at verse 1 and you’ll be
reminded of the context. Therefore when the Lord knew
that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing
more disciples than John, although Jesus himself was not baptizing
but his disciples were, he left Judea and went away again into
Galilee. He had to pass through Samaria.
Now we know that there was a lengthy narrative that is inserted there
after verse 4. The whole issue of Jesus dealing
not only with the woman at the well, but ultimately and gloriously
with the Samaritans all the way down through verse 42. Well,
essentially, John wants to reset that context and remind us that
Jesus’ purpose is to get to Galilee, and even that has a purpose. And we pick up John’s gospel
here in verse 43. These are, in a sense, transitional
verses, but I think God’s people will find a rich meal, a spiritual
meal meal here in these transitional verses, verses 43 through 54. After the two days, he went forth
from there into Galilee, where Jesus himself testified that
a prophet has no honor in his own country. So, when he came
to Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things
that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they themselves also
went to the feast. Therefore, he came again to Cana
of Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And there was
a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. And when he
heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went
to him and was imploring him to come down and heal his son,
for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, unless
you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe. The royal official said to him,
sir, come down before my child dies. Jesus said to him, go,
your son lives. The man believed the word that
Jesus spoke to him and started off. As he was now going down,
his slaves met him saying that his son was living. So he inquired
of them. The hour when he began to get
better, Then they said to him, yesterday at the seventh hour
the fever left him. So the father knew that it was
at that hour in which Jesus said to him, your son lives and he
himself believed and his whole household. This is again a second
sign that Jesus performed when he had come out of Judea into
Galilee. This begins the great Galilean
ministry. And if you are familiar with
the synoptics, it is a massive section of scripture. Here in
John’s gospel, it is a very brief tour through Galilee. Matthew
sets the tone in chapter 4 that leaving for Nazareth, he came
and settled in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of
Zebulun and Naphtali. Ultimately he begins his preaching
ministry by, and this is just an amazing note here, from that
time Jesus began to preach and say repent for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. His ministry was one of repentance
and calling people to an account for their sin. Luke adds some
fascinating detail here, he says that Jesus returned to Galilee
in the power of the Spirit and news about him spread through
all the surrounding district. That’s important for our particular
context because this nobleman, this king’s official, and we’ll
talk more about him in a moment, had heard from him some 20 plus
miles away. So news was spreading about Christ
near and far. Luke adds in chapter four, verse
15, that he began teaching in their synagogue and was praised
by all. So there was a relative reception
of him in Galilee. But the great Galilean ministry
begins this very moment, and it will culminate in about 16
months of Jesus’ ministry. We know that if Christ’s ministry
was roughly three years on the face of the earth, then this
is about half of his time spent in ministry was spent here in
the region of Galilee. As I already said, it’s a large
portion of the gospels of Matthew and Mark, and a pretty considerable
portion of Luke’s gospel. And it’s not surprising that
John, for his purpose, limits his treatment of the Galilean
ministry really to just a couple of different episodes. When you
think of the synoptic gospels, think of what all John essentially
entrusts to them, their faithful accounts to cover so that he
doesn’t need to cover any of it. His rejections, his lengthy
ministry in Capernaum, the calling, the beginning of the call of
the apostles, multiple healings. Ultimately, Jesus, in one dramatic
episode, reclaims the Sabbath. All three gospel writers recount
that. He departs, and the apostles
are appointed. He preaches the Sermon on the
Mount, recorded largely in Matthew’s gospel, but also in Luke. He
has just an incredible list of what I would call ministry moments.
He heals the centurion’s son, which we’ll see again in a moment.
He deals with the ministry of John the Baptist. There is that
poignant moment of the anointing of Christ’s feet. One of the
other remarkable features of this amazing time of ministry
in Galilee are the sheer number of parables that Jesus taught.
Here in this community where there was a relative reception
of the word, he preaches the parable of the soils, the parable
of the lamp, the parable of the tares, the parable of the leaven,
The parable of the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the
dragnet, the householder, all of these parables, most of which
we know so well, were preached in the context of this Galilean
ministry. As he begins to close out that
ministry, more moments that John entrusts into the faithful hand
of these gospel writers, the calming of the storm at sea.
the healing of the Gerasene demoniac, the healings throughout Nazareth,
and ultimately a farewell that closes with this very touching
moment where Jesus appeals because of the sparseness of the workers.
Well, all of that, all of that ministry, John entrusts to these
faithful gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, And he essentially
says, I’m going to deal with some of the things that haven’t
even been noted yet, and I’m going to entrust all of that
data, having already been faithfully covered. Now, one of the questions
that arises, if you’re familiar with not only this account, but
there’s a similar account, as I just acknowledged, in Matthew’s
Gospel, and I want you to turn for just a moment, Matthew chapter
8. It’s an important consideration because it’s so strikingly similar
to the passage at hand that throughout Church history, there have been
those that wondered if it is the same thing just treated with
some very casual approach to detail, almost flippant, you
would have to say, because it certainly seems that they are
recounting different episodes. There are some resemblances But
the bottom line is, in essence, they’re very different accounts.
Look at verse 5 of Matthew chapter 8, and just a few verses here. When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion came to him, imploring him and saying, Lord, my servant
is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented. And so there, pretty
much ends the similarities. You have somebody coming to Christ
appealing on behalf of another because of some malady. Jesus
said to him, I will come and heal him. But the centurion said,
Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, but just
say the word and my servant will be healed. where I am also a
man under authority with soldiers under me, and I say to this one,
go, and he goes, and to another one, come, and he comes, and
to my slave, do this, and he does it.” Now, when Jesus heard
this, he marveled and said to those who were following, truly,
I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone
in Israel. I say to you, that many will
come from east and west and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will
be cast into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth. And Jesus said to the centurion,
go, it shall be done for you as you have believed. And the
servant was healed that very moment.” Luke records briefly
the same treatment. It was amazing to me in reading
some of the history of the commentaries on this passage, whether these
are the same accounts. One commentator made this astonishing
statement. Despite the differences, they
probably recall the same incident. Now that is absolutely absurd,
and what it starts from is a point where Jesus couldn’t possibly
have done a miracle like this twice. That’s the starting place
on such doubt that is cast upon these two miracles. Here are
the similarities. Both of the miracles were worked
in Capernaum. Both of them ultimately were
worked in the same manner. They were worked at a distance
where Jesus spoke the word and the individual was healed. And
that is the end of the similarities. Note the differences. In this particular passage before
us in John chapter nine, it’s the man’s own son In Matthew
and Luke’s account, it’s a slave that the man comes. With regards
to time, Jesus had just returned to Galilee in this particular
incident, but in Matthew’s gospel, he’s been there for some time. Here, if you note, as we read
through, the father’s faith is very weak, isn’t it? He doesn’t
know that Jesus can heal from afar. He wants him to come, stand
bedside, and he just is praying for a miracle that would allow
this young man, slowly, to begin to turn the corner and to be
healed. But in the faith of the centurion,
it’s It’s strong from the very start is his faith. He asks that
Jesus not even displace himself. He’s not even worthy to have
him into his home. All you have to do, Jesus, is
say the word and my son will be healed. That’s great faith.
In this particular passage, this whole thing takes place in Cana,
whereas in Matthew’s gospel it takes place specifically in Capernaum. In this particular passage, Jesus
grants essentially what the man didn’t ask for, and yet in Matthew’s
gospel, he grants exactly what the man requests. They’re not
the same incidents. Jesus worked a similar miracle
on two different occasions. The resemblances are only on
the surface. The differences are significant
or profound. They’re two different miracles.
They compliment one another, and I think we learn different
lessons from each. But there are some incredible
lessons to be learned with regards to this particular miracle. I’ve entitled it, No Place Like
Home. Jesus is returning to Galilee, which is his home. And what he
does here is discover faith in a very unlikely individual. That
should be an encouragement to us. God can find faith, God can
enjoy the faith of believers in a variety of places and we’re
thankful for that because it ultimately touched you and I.
This was indeed an unlikely individual. He had a variety of what I would
call insulating elements that would, if not for the grace of
God, insulated him from the gospel in this particular man’s life.
First of all, note his familiarity with Jesus. That is often a very
insulating element. Look at verse 43. After two days,
he went forth from there into Galilee, where Jesus himself
testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. We know from verses 43 through
45, they’re kind of a brief introduction into this section. essentially proverb that Jesus
cites, he had cited on a number of different occasions. With
regards to his hometown or his home region of Galilee, specifically
his hometown of Nazareth, Matthew 13, 57, they took offense at
him, but Jesus said to them, a prophet is not without honor
except in his hometown and in his own household. There’s that
element of disbelief that is just resident there, Mark 6,
4 echoes the same thing. In these particular passages,
his home, his homeland, his place, his fatherland, if you will,
was Nazareth, Galilee. And he was teaching and his friends
and relatives, they were relatively amazed that this carpenter, this
guy, had such wisdom? He was just,
you know, the carpenter’s son. How is it that he, of all people,
is having this kind of a ministry? And that proverb is still true
even today, isn’t it? For some of you who have been
saved, to return home is a rather remarkable experience, isn’t
it? People look at you funny, they treat you just the same
as you always were. You’re not the same. You’ve been
transformed. You’ve been changed by the grace
of God. You’re not the same person anymore
and yet they hold you to that same standard. They’ve got you
in a mold. They speak to you and treat you and consider you
as the same person you’ve always been. I found it particularly
difficult to break out of the mold that my own family has of
me. J.C. Ryle said the lesson of
the proverb is a very instructive one. It is one of the most melancholy
proofs of man’s fallen and corrupt state. That he never values what
he’s familiar with, that familiarity breeds contempt. The nearer the
church, the further from God. What a frightening truth that
is. In this particular man’s case,
he was part of the same region He likely knew who Jesus was,
and he likely fell into the same trap that all of the other townspeople
fell into, that, oh, that’s Jesus. He grew up here. They treated
him as really nothing special. Now, there’s a particular difficulty,
and I’m gonna really blitz through this. There’s a particular difficulty
that it seems out of sync that Jesus would quote this proverb
of Galilee and then in the following verses show a relative measure
of reception. And that led some people to say
that Jesus is speaking here about Judea, not Galilee. And that
would explain the lack of reception that he had at Jerusalem and
so his desire to get out of there and go to Galilee The only problem
is Judea, Jerusalem is not his own country, not in the literal
sense. He was born and ultimately, he
was born there but ultimately raised in Nazareth. And so you
have here a conundrum that doesn’t need to be a conundrum. Here’s
how one described it. In the Synoptics, Jesus is reported
as quoting against the people of his own city who rejected
him. We just looked at those verses. The appropriateness of
the remark here is obvious. Christ was not received in Samaria
even though he was a Jew, or pardon me, Christ was received
in Samaria even though he was a Jew. And there is a stark contrast
even there. He was rejected in Jerusalem,
received in Samaria, and now he goes to his own hometown where
he’s not expecting a warm welcome. Galilee, he’s received only because
he is a Jew. He had worked miracles in Jerusalem
and that added to his reception. But it was only because
of those things and not inherently because of who Christ was. Jesus went to Galilee because
he knew that it would be a good place to let things calm down. Remember, it had stirred quite
a in Jerusalem, and that’s why he departed from Jerusalem, because
he was already experiencing conflict, and it was coming to a head.
And in order to calm that down, Jesus departs, ultimately heading
for Galilee. He takes that sidetrack through
Samaria and through that incredible period of ministry that ultimately
his goal is Galilee. And it tells us that he’s going
to Galilee because a prophet has no honor. He knew that he
would go there and it would be ho-hum. No big deal. It’s just Jesus. By coming to Galilee, Jesus would
avoid that kind of honor that was already generating. It would
prevent any further conflict with the Jews. And so Jesus goes
to Galilee, his own hometown, and they receive
him in relative measure. Look at verse 43. We’re looking
at an unlikely individual. genuine faith in an unlikely
individual. And first I want to show you
again this unlikely individual and the insulating elements in
this man’s faith. Not only his familiarity with
Jesus, but this sudden popularity. That’s what prompts the response
even of this man. Look at verse 43. After two days,
he, that is Jesus, went forth from there into Galilee, for
Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his
own country. So when he came into Galilee,
the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did
at Jerusalem at the feast, for they themselves also went to
the feast.” There was an excitement about Jesus, but it was temporary,
and it would be temporary. It would be temporary not only
in the greater measure of the Jews, but temporary specifically
in Galilee. He would have a season of ministry
there, and there would be those saved, but by and large, his
own hometown didn’t even really receive him. We know even members
of his own household who didn’t receive him. If you would, turn back. Just
to review the context, turn back to chapter 2, verse 13. Actually, chapter 2, verse 12. Went down to Capernaum, his mother,
his brothers, his disciples. They stayed there a few days.
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
and he found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep.
And remember that whole episode. And it is viewed as a sign, it’s
viewed as a miracle that Jesus did this as a sign that he was
doing his father’s work. Zeal for your house will consume
me, John concludes. Jump down though to verse 23.
These verses we’ve looked at at length, but I want you to
just review the context. Now when he was in Jerusalem
at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name. And we said at the time, well
that’s great news, isn’t it? Except that this faith was a
feeble faith. It was kind of a, it was a popularity
kind of faith. It wasn’t legitimate, it wasn’t
genuine, it wasn’t heartfelt, it wasn’t a life-altering faith. They were intrigued with Jesus.
They were fascinated with him. They were smitten with Jesus
for a moment. When he was in Jerusalem at the
Passover, during the feast, many believed in his name, observing
his signs, which he was doing. That was the motivating factor.
This guy’s really cool. That was their sentiment. But
Jesus on his part was not entrusting himself to them for he knew all
men. He knew that their hearts were
feeble. He knew that their faith wasn’t legit. He knew that they
were only interested, fascinated in him because of these works
that he was doing. And because he did not need anyone
to testify concerning a man for he himself knew what was in a
man. He knew the hearts of these people. He knew where they were
spiritually speaking. And likewise, turning back now
into John chapter 4, Jesus knows exactly where this man is coming
from. He’s interested in Jesus only
because he’s heard and perhaps seen some of these works, some
of these miracles, some of these things that Jesus was doing.
He’s insulated. He’s insulated not only by his
familiarity with Jesus, he’s insulated by his sudden popularity. He’s caught up in it, but it’s
not legitimate. And we see that the Galileans
received him. It was a measure of reception.
They didn’t reject him outright, but they didn’t receive him heartily
in faith. They’d seen the miracles, the
popularity was growing. And they gave him a welcome,
they received him, but it wasn’t a deep, warm reverence. There’s no justification for
thinking that they all came to Christ that day as he walked
into town. The man’s insulated. He’s an
unlikely individual to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He’s insulated by his familiarity with Jesus. He grew up in the
same town. He’s insulated by this sudden
popularity of Jesus, and he’s insulated because of his position. Look at verse 46. Therefore he came again into
Cana of Galilee, where he had made water into wine, and there
was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. Now, we
don’t know what his position was, In that time period, they
would use this word to speak of someone who was either a soldier,
it could be a servant of the king in some capacity, it could
possibly even speak of someone of royal blood, someone with
rank and dignity. The king that he likely served
under was none other than Herod Antipas. And so to be of his
household, to be a servant, whether it was civil or military, in
his household was a remarkable thing for a Jew. And he is almost
certainly a Jew. But this officer, who was a servant
likely of Herod Antipas, who had a palace at Tiberias, comes
to Christ. He’s insulated in so many different
ways, and even though his name is not given, here is this individual, insulated
in so many ways, drawing near to the Savior. We don’t even know the age of
this man’s son. He refers to him as his son,
and it could have been an older gentleman with an older son.
But the word used here is one that speaks of a very young child,
and it’s a delicate term. It’s an endearing term. It has
that ring in it, the sense of little one. We might say my little guy. It
has that endearing term to it. This is an unlikely individual. There were some insulating elements
in his life, and I’ll give you a fourth. Not only his familiarity
with Jesus, his sudden popularity, he was a royal official. He had
everything he needed. But the fourth insulating element
in his life was the fact that he was a Jew. He had seen Jesus
at work. He had heard about Jesus. He
knew all about Jesus. The Jews knew about him. And
in large measure, they rejected him. Look at verse 47. When he heard that Jesus had
come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him and was imploring
him to come down and heal his son for he was at the point of
death. You notice an interesting feature there. Jesus didn’t come
directly from Judea. He came directly from Samaria.
And in his mind, he can’t even, he can’t even acknowledge that. That’s how much of a Jew he is.
He can’t even acknowledge that. And he, Jesus puts the man among
those who were clamoring for signs, namely the Jews. This man is insulated in so many
different ways. He’s inoculated almost to the
gospel. But I have already told you,
that Jesus finds genuine faith in an unlikely individual. We’ve
seen how unlikely it is. He’s insulated in four different
ways at least. Familiarity with Jesus, this
sudden popularity, the fact that he was a royal official and a
Jew. How is it that this man comes
to faith in Jesus Christ? Well, we need to look. at how
this unlikely individual comes to saving faith. We pick it up in verse 46. Therefore he came again to Cana
of Galilee, where he had made the water wine, and there was
a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard
that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him
and was imploring him to come down and heal his son, for he
was at the point of death. What is a mark of genuine faith? He came. He came to Jesus. He came to the only one, and
it was out of an act of desperation, we’ll admit, but he came. He
came to ask. and he had enough faith to come
to the Lord Jesus Christ and to appeal to him for assistance. It’s at least, on the face of
it, a commendable act. At least he didn’t stay home.
At least he didn’t send someone else. At least he didn’t go to
any one of a number of other faith healers. At least he didn’t
appeal and apply to an idol, a demon god. And look at the
faith that he has. If there’s ever a difficult thing
to do, it’s to leave your child’s bedside in such a case, but he
leaves. He picks up in his desperation,
in his eagerness to come to the Lord and to ask for his help. And granted, it’s not perfect faith. He assumes
that Jesus is going to have to leave what he’s doing and come
all the way back to his son, to Capernaum, and to the bedside
of the boy. He doesn’t understand Jesus fully,
but he came. It’s a start. And it’s an interesting
thing, the form of the verbs. Leaving his son was a decisive
single act. He left his son. But this request,
It was ongoing. It’s continuous. It was a pleading.
He was pleading with Christ, begging him to come. This is an unlikely individual,
but he is already showing the signs of genuine faith. I’m going
to ask you, where do you turn? When trouble strikes, when difficulty
comes, where do you go first? Most of us whip out visa, right?
It’s everywhere you want to be. Membership has its privileges,
right? As long as you’ve got a visa
with you, as long as you’ve got some kind of credit card, even
if it’s a debit card and you’ve got some money in there, you’re
insulated from the troubles of the world a little bit, aren’t
you? Or we turn to friends, we begin
to lament. We begin to cry aloud, oh, woe
is me. So that someone, hopefully someone
with means, hears our plea and responds to our need and comes
alongside and helps. And we call it a miracle. If
you want to see a miracle, tell no one but God and watch God
work. Watch God stir the heart of your
friend who doesn’t even know your need. Where do you go first? You go
to Christ? Second mark of genuine faith
in the heart of this unlikely individual. We see in verses
48, he persevered. He just does. When Jesus heard that he’d come
out of, or when he, rather this man had heard that Jesus had
come out of Judea into Galilee. He went to him. He was imploring
him to come down and heal his son for he’s at the point of
death. And you just are, you’re almost at a point of assuming,
oh sure, where is he? Let’s go. Let’s get on the road.
It’s 20 plus miles away. We better get busy. This response is shocking, isn’t
it? So Jesus said to him, unless
you people And to me, that tells me that this man was a Jew. He
was a Galilean, a Jew. He was a Canaanite. And it was an earmark of their
spiritual nature that they demanded signs. They constantly wanted
to see signs. Signs upon signs. So that not
only would their faith be stirred, but it would constantly be refreshed. Unless you people see signs and
wonders you simply will not believe. And it had to be piercing to
the heart of this man. There was truth in it. He was
part of that crowd. He was part of the crowd that
needed, constantly needed these signs. And when Jesus says, unless
you see, you will not believe, those are strong words. It’s
impossible. And even though the words are
addressed to Him, He’s talking about Him as a representative
of a greater mix of people, the Jews. Jesus doesn’t reject this
initial kind of faith. It’s weaker faith. It’s faith
that’s demanding. Faith like that of a bratty little
child that demands, you’ve got to show me something, Jesus,
or I just can’t press forward. Well, by God’s grace, sometimes that
faith grows. Jesus wasn’t functioning as a
prophet here saying that there’s no possible way that he would
ever come to faith. But generally speaking, Jesus
had just seen all these Samaritans flock to him without seeing a
single miracle that was recorded. And here, the Galileans, the
Jews, wouldn’t budge. Wouldn’t budge a bit. Sometimes
even in the face of miracles. It was a great contrast. And all these townspeople characterized
by this clamoring for signs constantly. This man just pops up as one
among many. Jesus knew. The problem that
Jesus is addressing is that Jesus knew that faith of this kind
is fleeting in most cases. It rarely grows. Those who followed
him just because of miracles would soon fade away. Jesus says, unless you see signs
and wonders. There’s a difference between,
they’re often associated with one another, they’re often spoken
of in union with one another. But they refer to two different
things. One speaks of the sign element,
speaks of the spiritual element of the miracle. That it points
ultimately to God and that we’re supposed to see it as such. That it points to deeper truth,
that there’s something beyond just the physical realm that
we operate in. The word wonder. Those are the ones that, that’s
the element that is meant to stir our hearts and excite profound
astonishment. That’s the element that drops
our jaw, so to speak. One pastor said it this way,
when Jesus spoke of signs and wonders, he was not referring
to two kinds of supernatural works. Rather, the same deed
of power is a sign when it is viewed one way, a wonder when
it is viewed another. A wonder is something startling. The term, this term views the
mighty deed not from the point of view of the light which it
sheds upon the person and work of the Lord, but from the effect
that it has on the spectators. And that’s the buzz. That was
the attractive buzz that the Jews clamored for. You know, I’ll tell you, if it’s
me, I’m gone. I’m sorry, Jesus, for barging
in on your day. I’m out. That’s not what he does. That’s not what this royal official
does. If Jesus rebukes me like this, my faith probably shrivels
and has to be completely regenerated
at a later date, doesn’t it? But this man, caring for his
son, loving of his son, his faith already now growing, stands firm
in his request, perseveres in it, and says to him, sir, come
down before my child dies. And there is a relative degree
of A lack of faith in that isn’t. Because he thinks that Jesus
can’t possibly raise the dead. He’s got to come to the child’s
bedside. But there is faith in it and
the faith is growing because he will not be dissuaded. He
will not be brushed aside. He knows that Jesus Christ is
the only hope for his son. His faith is legitimate. We’re seeing it. that not only
did he come to Jesus, but he began to persevere in his faith,
in his request. But we see a third sign of genuine
faith in this royal official, beginning in verse 50. He had
just pleaded with him. Sir, come down before my child
dies. Jesus said to him, go. Your son lives. Go? And here’s how it goes, right?
Jesus, I hate to bother you, but can you give me some assurance? Why do you say it that way? How
are you so sure? Do you know of a virus that’s
been going around that, you know, just a 24-hour thing? Is that
what you’re suggesting? Or, you know, how are you able
to diagnose his condition and speak with such assurance? Go? There’s no argument here at all. Jesus said to him, go, your son
lives. It says the man believed the
word that Jesus spoke and started off. Jesus said, go, and he went. Jesus wasn’t being flippant or
rude in the least. He was basically telling the
man that I have just now worked a miracle in your son’s life.
Go, he lives. What a test of faith. And I would
say, likely, many of us would fail that test. Jesus, please,
can you give me some more information on this deal? When the father left the son,
he was almost near death. And now Jesus says, go, and the
man takes it in faith. He didn’t see any deed, he didn’t
see, all he had was this word, this simple sentence, go, your
son lives. And you can’t possibly reduce
that statement that Jesus makes. There were several attempts to
kind of explain it away, like he’s going to live, or he’s going
to get better, He’s already on the mend, you better hurry. You see, even the father, wouldn’t
he? He would have been content with a little improvement. Can
you help him beat this bug and then we’ll sit bedside while
he recuperates for the next few days? That’s not what happened
at all. The father almost expects the
cure to be gradual. We would. And he still doesn’t know the
nature of the God with whom he’s dealing. And it says the slaves
come and they meet the father. And they inform the father that his
son is living. And he inquired of them the hour
when he began to get better and they said yesterday at the seventh
hour the fever left him. It was instantaneous. It was
a complete healing. And this man lays hold of that
miracle immediately. This man’s faith is genuine,
it’s growing. It started quite feebly, didn’t
it? Just coming to Christ, even in the face of so much insulation
to the Gospel, and yet he comes. And he comes to Christ and he
will not be turned away, not even by the Lord Jesus Christ
and he perseveres. And when Jesus says the most
remarkable thing, go for your son lives, he took it by faith.
This faith now is growing and vigorous and firm. But the fourth mark of his genuine
faith we see in verse 53. Following verse 52, he inquired
of them the hour when he began to get better. They said to him,
yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him. So the father
knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, your
son lives. He knew immediately. His heart
was encouraged. His faith was bolstered. And
look at the response. He himself believed and his whole
household. Now how did that happen? He believed that Jesus Christ
was the Messiah. He placed his faith in him and
in him alone. He knew that he could forgive
sins. He knew that he was very God
in the flesh. He knew that he was the Messiah. And what he does here, the only
way that his family could come to faith, is if he gave glory
to God. the fourth mark of genuine faith.
He gave all the credit to God. He proclaimed Christ to his family. Now you talk about some likely
converts. You have this instantaneous healing. The father comes home and recounts
not only to the wife, but to the son. There’s two likely converts. Look what Jesus Christ did for
us. I went, I appealed, and without
him even coming, he spoke the word and it was so. In the seventh
hour, just as Jesus had said. What a glorious truth. What a glorious truth it is,
a privilege for us as parents. Some of you were raised in godly
homes where you had godly parents to proclaim Christ to you. And
what a privilege is ours as parents to proclaim Christ to our children,
to declare Him to them, to give glory to God. Look what God has
done in my life. We see it in Cornelius’ family,
don’t we, in Acts chapter 10? We see it in Lydia’s family.
Lydia can’t wait to get home, get the Apostle Paul home, all
of his friends, have a revival. Same thing with the Philippian
jailer, can’t wait to tell his family about Christ. As one pastor
said, what a joy was theirs. A son spared from death, a whole
house converted to Christ. What we see in this man was one
of the most unlikely converts. The unlikeliest person to come
to genuine faith, insulated by his familiarity with Christ and
all of the rest, the fact that he was a Jew, the fact that he
had seen these miracles, the fact that there was a popularity
contest already going on that we see that this man comes to
a genuine faith. The question is, how is yours?
How is your faith? Though it starts small, do you
go to Christ? Though maybe you don’t get the
answer that you desire initially, do you persevere? Do you persevere
in your prayer? Do you ask, seek, and knock? When Christ Makes it clear to
you a direction that you should go. Makes it clear to you the
answer to your particular prayer. Do you take it in faith? Do you
proceed in faith? And when it’s all said and done,
do you give Him all the glory and honor? Do you testify of
that, of Him? Let’s examine our hearts before
the Lord. O merciful King, These are not
just transitional words. To move from Samaria to Galilee
so that Christ can begin another narrative. This is the inspired
Word of God. Every line, every word is meaningful
and significant. And Father, we see that the significance
of this particular individual, this royal official, Perhaps
one of the most unlikely converts to the faith came in all genuineness to faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lord God, if there are any in
the room, young people or old, maybe they’ve begun in their
faith. They know of Jesus. You’ve begun to pray out to Him,
but you haven’t persevered in your faith. Press on. Look to Christ. Perhaps there
are those that have persevered, but they can’t quite take what Christ says by faith. That
our salvation is by grace alone, that our salvation is by faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ alone? Father God, I pray that you would
lead them to that kind of faith, that kind of genuine faith that
takes you at your word, even when it seems to us on a human
level as foolishness and absurd. Lord God, when it’s all said
and done, grant them the grace having been sealed by Your own
Holy Spirit to glorify You, to proclaim the glorious Lord Jesus
Christ and what You’ve accomplished in their life. Father, for those
of us who are in Christ, we pray, stir our hearts, remind us of
these episodes in our life, and grant us the grace to be bold
in the proclamation of our Savior. It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray.
Amen.