THE GOSPELS: LESSON 17:

JESUS HEALS THE NOBLEMAN’S SON

TEXT: JOHN 4: 43 - 54

          After Jesus converts many Samaritans, he continues on toward Galilee. He and his disiples had been a long time returning from Judea after observing the Passover. Many think that he had spent several months in Judea. Regardless of the time elapsed, he comes again to Cana and finds that people who had also been to the Passover remembered the miracles he had done while in Judea. Here Jesus meets a nobleman from Capernaum whose son lies gravely ill.

VERSES 43 - 45: JESUS’ REPUTATION PRECEDES HIM INTO CANA.

Verse 43: “After the two days he departed to Galilee.” These were the two days that Jesus tarried with the Samaritans to teach them the “Gospel of the Kingdom.”

Verse 44: “. . . a prophet has no honor in his own country . . .” This statement by Jesus shows that he can see into the future. He is looking forward and anticipating the rejection that will come when he gets to Nazareth. From his great success in Samaria where all the people declared him to be the Messiah, Jesus seems to look sadly forward to the great disappointment which he will experience in his own home town. So, perhaps the best way to understand verses 43 and 44 is to state them in this way: “He remembered the saying, A prophet has no honor in his own country, so when he came into Galilee he did not go directly to Nazareth, his home country.” More of this in the next lesson.

Verse 45: When he first arrives in Galilee, Jesus is met with joyous welcome, for the Galileans had also been at the Passover and had seen (or heard about) the things he had done in Judea. What were those things? [The cleansing of the temple (John 2: 14 - 17) and some unspecified miracles. (See John 2: 23 and John 3: 2.)]

VERSES 46 - 54: “GO. YOUR SON WILL LIVE.” A LONG-DISTANCE HEALING.

Verse 46: Jesus went to Cana, where he had done his first miracle. There he met a nobleman who sought his aid. “Nobleman” is from the Greek, basilikos, meaning someone associated with the king (royalty). The “king” (tetrarch) of Galilee was Herod Antipas. In Luke 8: 3, it mentions Chuza, husband of Joanna, who was a basilikos, the steward of Herod Antipas. Is Chuza the one mentioned here? It very well could be. His wife Joanna became a devoted follower of Jesus, and this incident may be why.

Verse 47: The nobleman went to Jesus, obviously aware of his power to do miracles. He requested that Jesus come down to Capernaum and heal his son, who wavered on the verge of death. This man had faith, but not quite enough.

Verse 48: "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." Who is Jesus addressing? The man. But, perhaps he is speaking of all the people. None of them seem to want to believe unless they are shown a miracle.

Signs: (Greek semeion) signs or indicators, especially of divine power and presence. Attesting miracles.

Wonders: (Greek teras) wonderful things; omens; events that indicate divine influence. Marvelous or wonderful happenings that are too incredible to be normal, but which may or may not be actual miracles.

Miracle: (partially from Easton’s Bible Dictionary) an event . . . brought about by the immediate agency . . . of God . . . designed to authenticate the divine commission of a religious teacher and the truth of his message. Its effects are immediate and contrary to the normal actions of nature or human power. Examples: a birth is not a miracle, for it is the natural result of the laws of nature. The virgin birth of Jesus IS a miracle, for it could happen ONLY BY THE DIRECT POWER OF GOD.

Verse 49: "Sir, come down before my child dies." The urgency in the man’s statement is obvious. “We must do something NOW, or my son will die!”

Verse 50: "Go; your son will live." Jesus didn’t have to be there to heal the boy. (See also Luke 7: 1 - 10.) The nobleman believed what Jesus said, so he took right off without further delay or pleading. Notice how belief creates action. He believed – he went. Faith must always produce action, or it is not true faith.

Verse 51: On the way back the man’s slaves met him and told him the boy was alive.

Verses 52, 53: The nobleman inquires of his slaves just when the fever left and the child got well. “At the seventh hour!” At 1:00 p.m. And that was the very moment (Greek hora) when Jesus told him his son would live! The words were said and 20 miles away in Capernaum the child became well!

What is the result of this miracle? “. . . he himself believed, and all his household.” That is what miracles were for: to produce faith in God. This, then, was a true miracle.

          The phrase “whole household” generally means “family.” However, it can include anyone who lives at the house, including servants.

Verse 54: In other words, this was the second miracle done in Galilee, and both had been done in Cana, sort of. Here the words were spoken in Cana and the miracle was done in Capernaum, hence the language used here. Not technically the second miracle in Cana, but certainly the second in the province of Galilee. The story is exact. This is NOT the second miracle done by Jesus, for some had been done down in Judea. This was NOT the second in Cana, for it was really in Capernaum that the miracle was wrought. It was, as the scripture says, “. . . the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” God’s Word is not haphazard; it is very specific. Why do people always assume that it so casually and inexactly relates its message? Because they do not really believe that it is the inspired word of God. (See II Timothy 3: 16, 17.)

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