Healing Broken Bodies Series

Healing Broken Bodies

Remember / Share a time when a loved one’s life was hanging by a thread?

What questions do we ask ourselves?

Where is God? Is God listening? Why does God heal some and not others? Is my faith too weak? Why is God letting this happen (to me)?

Today’s message hits home for all who have had these kinds of questions, because the key person in the story has a son on his deathbed. The man has done well for himself, he has climbed the ladder of success, earned a great deal of respect - but I know he would trade it all for just one favor - God will you heal my son?

Read John 4:43-47

After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.

46 Once more he 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. 47 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.

(This is about a year later than first Miracle)

Water to wine story got around - maybe Jesus can heal? Who knows?

He was a Nobleman - yet humbled himself to beg. What does it take to be humbled?

Ask a Jew, travel to another town, be willing to obey?

He walked 17 miles (two days) from his home in Capernaum to Cana where Jesus was

My kid isn't sick, he's dying!

(show images of sick kids)

Ever been frantic because your kid was sick

This isn't about not dying, its about not dying yet - how many of our doubts are about timing?

Keep this always in mind, when Jesus heals, it is for a time, not for all time, because death is your ticket into His presence. Don’t keep death at bay forever. Jesus didn‘t heal every sick person, no sick person avoided death. While power of life over death is a sign of the Messiah, it is not our heritage on this earth. Every sick person Jesus healed - later died.

Next we are about to hear Jesus rebuke someone, listen carefully - who? Why?

John 4:48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."

What’s the point of the rebuke

Who is getting the rebuke? The Galileans who welcomed Him, they had an agenda.

The Galileans were the zealots, the terrorists of the Jews. They wanted to stir things up. It really excited them to see Jesus upset things in the Temple courts.

Worse than that - people were willing to settle for God to be a side show, performing signs and wonders. Jesus wanted to give them God Almighty, but they wanted David Blaine.

His rebuke is interrupted - we don’t have time for this sermon... Read John 4:49-54

49 The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

50 Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."

53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.

54 This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

Jesus just got done reaming out sign seekers, and Undeterred, the official makes his request

Even rich powerful people come to the end of their rope - in fact,

Most good things happen at the end of the rope, not at the top - at the bottom of the pile, not the top of the heap

The rich nobleman had a problem and a plan - solution. I will get Jesus to come to my house.

Sounds reasonable. I notice in my own life that many of my sound, reasonable plans fall flat.

But Jesus had other ideas

Jesus said - go back home - your son will live

When you come to Jesus with a problem, What do you do?

Don't just believe if you like the answer

The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

Was he a Christian? No he was a Roman - Not even a Jew