Your Son Will Live

John 4:43-54

Jesus spent two very successful days in Samaria which started with the woman at the well. It was so spectacularly successful that it seemed as if the whole town of Sychar was turning to Jesus as Messiah and Savior of the World. It is strange that such success was found in Samaria and not His own Jewish people. After spending two days in Samaria, Jesus departed for His hometown of Galilee.

Joh 4:43                After the two days he departed for Galilee.

Joh 4:44                (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.)

The word “For” is important here because it implies that Jesus is going to Galilee because He has no honor there. We find Jesus again being purposefully intentional to a place that would show Him less honor than Samaria. He is going back to this place knowing that they don’t understand Him and they don’t honor Him. He intends to keep offering Himself to this Galilee knowing in the end this will eventually get Him killed.

Joh 4:45                So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

What’s important to notice here is that this verse is not conflicting with verse 44. Yes, Galilee welcomed Him but they still do not honor Him as the Messiah. They welcomed Him “having seen all that He had done in Jerusalem at the feast”. They welcomed Him because they were in love with His miracles, not Him as the Messiah and Savior of the world. The Galileans were in fact sign seekers and wonder worshipers, not Christ followers. Jesus knew this. Unbelievers don’t love God, they use God.

Joh 4:46                So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill.

Joh 4:47                When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

Joh 4:48                So Jesus said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."

Jesus is being greeted in a crowd of these sign seekers when an official enters the scene. Is the official the same as the rest of Galilee? Is he only here because he wants to see Jesus perform a miracle, or is he here for the love of The Son of God?

Verse 48 is further indictment on Galilee. Jesus says, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” It seems that Jesus is testing this man by grouping him with the rest of Galilee. “You’re just like the rest of them. You only believe in what you see.” The official’s response is going to reveal his heart to us. 

Joh 4:49                The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

Joh 4:50                Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

The official wants Jesus to come with him to heal his son. He is coming to Jesus with a sense of urgency. His son is about to die. His life is coming to Jesus on the brink of tragedy. When Jesus says, "Go; your son will live," the man says nothing else but obeys the command of Jesus and believes Him. This man is not sign seeking but seeking out of desperation The Son of God; the One Who made all things and is the master of all life. This is interesting because it took the presence of inevitable tragedy to open this man’s eyes to Christ as savior and not just miracle worker. He’s a Galilean but he sees Christ as salvation from tragedy. Jesus gives this man a gift out of love and mercy and the knowledge that He is growing the belief of the official and starting the belief of the official’s family.  

Joh 4:51                As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering.

Joh 4:52                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."

Joh 4:53                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.

Joh 4:54                This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

Leaving Jesus, the official is brought glorious, confirming news on his way home. His son is well and Jesus left no room for doubt of the reason of his son’s healing.

The Son of God brought life to a situation of certain death and in that kindled the flame of belief in this families life.

There are a few things that we can really meditate on from this section of scripture. The first takes a lot of soul searching but will yield fruitful results. Are you in love with what Jesus does only, or are you in love with the Son of God because of who He is? 

It is easy to get caught up in what we do at Casas. We provide families with homes, we connect families with the church community, we bring hope to dark situations, and we inspire Americans and Mexicans to live a life that is against how the world teaches us to live. But if we are only in love with what we do, only in love with what Jesus is doing…it is not enough. These things are meant to stir our affections for the person of Christ, not just the signs and wonders He is still doing in our lives and in our ministry. 

Jesus is supposed to be our joy. If we only find love in what He does, this love will soon burn out and become stale. Do you see the difference? Do you think that loving His works and loving Him are the same? What are your beliefs about this? Could you be missing out on the everlasting well of joy that is Christ? Do you really love Jesus for who He is, or just what He can do for you?

Second, do we welcome Jesus only to be around His works, or do we welcome Him because he is our Savior and our King? It is not enough to be around Christ and not welcome Him as Messiah, as King, as Savior, and as Lord. He must be our lives. He must be what we live for.

Finally, do you believe Christ at His word? When He says He has done something, do you believe Him? When Christ speaks to you in scripture, do you trust Him? Do you believe you are forgiven? Do you feel forgiven? Do you believe He has sent the Spirit to you to guide, counsel, comfort, and sanctify you? Do you believe that He will provide for you everything you need? Do you know and feel that He is enough? Do you trust Him at His word? Do you trust that He will never leave or forsake you? 

Trust Him. He is more faithful than anything or anyone. He is faithful even when you are not.