Scripture Introduction
I love the idea of magic. And I’m fascinated by science fiction – I think because it seems to bring magic into real life. When the situation is desperate – Captain Kirk is being choked by a Klingon while on a planet in the final convulsions before its cataclysmic explosion – “Beam me up!” he says and instantly he is rescued. My problems rarely are resolved by transporter beams, but on Star Trek they are.
It also seems to me that all children love magic. From Harry Potter to Peter Pan, there is something about the ability to overrule the rules which grips the imagination.
Jesus’ miracles seem something like the magic in children’s literature. He uses them carefully and in a limited way, and always and only for good. And his miracles capture the imaginations of the people – they are drawn by the hope of a solution to all their problems. But though his works are real, he is not always pleased with our reaction to them. A miraculous healing drives the action in our text today – but the real story is the response of faith. [Read John 4.43-54. Pray.]
Introduction
It would appear that we (as a people) do not handle miracles particularly well.
Pastor Rodney Parsley, Founder of the World Harvest Church in Columbus, Ohio, was told by God to “build one of the greatest ministries in America.” The church now has attendance in the tens of thousands and a staff of 400. He tells this story about a Pastor Smith Wigglesworth who was preaching a revival in a small town. While there, he stayed in the home of a couple, the wife attended the church, but the husband did not. As the revival meetings ended, the lady cried out to Wigglesworth, “Please don’t leave, for my husband is not yet saved!” Now you need to know that while Brother Wigglesworth stayed with them, they had let him sleep in their bed. So as he left, he yelled back to her, “Just don’t change the sheets!” [I am not making this up: http://www.breakthrough.net/nurture_room_text.asp?Id=17]
“That night as she and her husband were settling down in bed…something came upon him! He began to break out in a sweat and breathe heavy. He began fanning himself as if trying to extinguish the flames of hell itself, when all of a sudden he cried out. His wife looked at him and said nonchalantly, ‘What’s wrong?’ He cried out all the more, ‘Woman! I feel like I am fastly sinking into the bowels of eternal fire and damnation, and I don’t know what is going on! What have you done?’
“She responded, ‘Brother Wigglesworth slept here and told me, if I wanted to see you saved, I was not to change the sheets!’ That night that man bowed at the base of his bed and gave his life to Jesus! I’m here to proclaim to you today, ‘Don’t change the sheets!’”
There are countless examples of these kinds of claims. Virtually every denomination and branch of the church offers miraculous events as proof of God’s blessing on its work.
Yet in John 4.48, Jesus rebukes the dependence on signs and wonders. Then he heals the child anyway. What are we to make of all this? How do Jesus’ miracles relate to us today?
These are hard questions about emotional issues. As we begin, also be aware that this event is somewhat difficult to interpret and apply. Many Bible passages have plain and simple truths, easily understood. There are also texts more deep and subtle, even as God is complex and vast. Today requires of you some careful thought about miracles and faith. In order to begin to understand this topic…
1. We Must Honor Christ’s Mission Rather than Crave His Miracles (John 4.43-45)
There is some confusion about these events, so let me give you the three alternatives and show you what I believe to be the main point. If you look at the beginning of chapter four, Jesus was in Judea just before he left for Galilee. The road he would take wound through Samaria, and that brought about the interaction between Jesus and the woman at the well. Jesus stayed there two days, evangelizing the Samaritans, but now he resumes his journey toward Galilee, because (John tells us), “a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.”
Many pastors in the early church interpreted John’s comments to mean that Jesus was not honored in Judea (where he was at the beginning of chapter four), and so he departed for Galilee. Though this view is still held, it seems contradicted by Luke 4.24, and Jesus was not really from Judea.
A second view, more common among pastors today, is that Jesus went to Galilee precisely because he would not be honored there. On this view, Jesus goes to where the gospel is most needed. That is possible, but it does not seem to fit well with Jesus pattern of ministry.
A third view relies on John 7.1 as a clue to why Jesus goes where he is not honored. John 7.1: “After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him.” Jesus’ ministry is growing more and more popular. As a result, the Jewish authorities were growing more angry because they did not want Jesus taking their prestige. So Jesus moves into Galilee to teach and train his disciples without the distraction of the crowds and the criticisms of the Jews.
Dr. Herman Ridderbos (Professor of New Testament at the Theological School of the Reformed Churches of Netherlands) makes this point well in his commentary: “The ‘for’ in vs. 44 explains Jesus’ escape to Galilee in connection with his reason for leaving Judea, namely his own security (cf. 7.1). There, in his own country of Galilee, he did not have to fear the attendance of large crowds, which in the eyes of the Jewish authorities made him so dangerous. Being ‘held in honor’ was to run the risk of universal adoration…. People [in Galilee], by contrast with Judea, did not regard his coming as a threat to their own authority or power….”
With some clarity now about why Jesus moves into Galilee, we can get at the main point of this paragraph: the Galileans welcomed Jesus’ miracles but did not honor him as a prophet. They had seen “all that he had done in Jerusalem” and they wanted his magic.
Dr. Andreas Köstenberger (professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Seminary): “The Galileans’ ‘welcome,’ was in fact a rejection, because Jesus’ compatriots were interested only in his miracles. ‘Receiving’ Jesus is not necessarily the same as accepting him, in keeping with the Johannine pattern of initial ‘faith’ that is subsequently exposed as inadequate.” [In other words, John shows a number of instances in which a person believed for a while, but eventually gives up following Christ.]
Pastor John MacArthur notes the same: “The Galileans did not honor Him for who He really was. On the contrary, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem, they welcomed Him merely as a miracle worker. They were curiosity seekers, eagerly hoping to see Jesus perform some more sensational feats. Thus the apostle John writes with a sense of irony; the Galilean’s reception of Jesus was not genuine, but superficial and shallow.”
In a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin desperately wants snow. He demands, he begs, he whines, he throws a temper-tantrum. Finally, when no snow comes, he shouts at God: “Do you want me to become an atheist?”
Watterson understands our problem with miracles and magic. They are addictive; they leave us wanting more; and if God once does not come through, we might just abandon him.
Surely you have played the game: a genie shows up with three wishes. What do you ask for? One thing is three more wishes. The rules (of course) prohibit that, but our hearts always long for more. Before we find the genie, we may be content; but stumble upon a magic lamp, and three wishes suddenly seem insufficient. Why is that?
Because magic promises a way out of the problems in life. Jesus (on the other hand) offers a way through them. Have you ever thought about that?
Our time on earth is so short, yet most of our fantasies are for comfort and pleasure here. When people come to see me, if is usually not so much about what is the right thing to do, but about how to do what God requires and still get what I want. Whether by money, magic, miracles or medicine, we imagine that life can be fixed here and now. This is the very reason an angel with flaming sword guarded the Garden of Eden. Humanity’s answer to its problems is to go back and make it better – God’s answer is to go forward to something new. Jesus is not honored as a prophet because he pushes God’s people to set their hope in a future resurrection, rather than in miracles of bread and wine. When he speaks of suffering and sacrifice and death, their welcome becomes rejection. Soon all will fall away.
Of course we are delighted when God works miracles among us. We pray regularly for supernatural intervention into the lives of those we love. We know that God can and does heal in amazing ways. But is your hope in another miracle, or in a place and time where miracles are no longer needed? What does your heart tell you will finally make you happy: relief here or life there? Do we honor the mission of Jesus?
2. We Must Accept Jesus’ Words Rather than Demand His Signs (John 4.46-48)
Jesus is not enthusiastic about the “faith” of this official. My first reaction was to be impressed – at least he came to Jesus. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that if my kid were sick, I would be wiling to “try anything.” Yes, he comes long distance to see the Lord. But notice two other facts. First, observe that his interest is only in his son’s health and not in God’s presence. Second, notice that he thinks Jesus must physically touch in order to heal. So if we ask, “What does this fellow believe about Jesus?” our answer is: “Jesus is a first-rate magician, not the God who created the sun and stars with a mere word of power.”
I do not doubt that this man loved his son very much. And I certainly am not suggesting that I would have acted any differently. But in verse 48, Jesus confronts and challenges the crowd gathered around (the word, “you” is plural). “You [all] ought to believe in me based on the testimony of Scripture; instead you depend on miracles.”
Köstenberger: “Jesus’ words – somewhat unexpected in light of the man’s dire need – are designed to challenge this desperate, concerned father to go beyond self-interest and to recognize Jesus as more than a thaumaturge [i.e., magician], thus summoning his Galilean audience to acknowledge his true identity.”
Ridderbos: “For Jesus to make an issue of the inadequacy of miracle-oriented faith precisely vis-à-vis the father of a critically ill child shows how serious Jesus was in not wanting to be misunderstood in his miraculous power both for the sake of his mission and for the sake of this man himself. Even in the heartrending situation in which the royal official came to him, Jesus was not content simply to heal the man’s son: his seeming harshness was aimed at not letting the man (and his entire household) remain stuck halfway on the road of faith…. In other words, Jesus did not only want to give the son back to his father, he wanted to give himself.”
We are planning a prayer service on the evening before H___ goes in for a bone marrow transplant. As T____ and I discussed the event, he pointed out that one of the reasons for H________ sickness is to bring us together as a church and for us to witness to friends and family and even the watching world how we love and care for one another even while we believe in God. I hope when I have trouble I can believe and say it so well. It is hard, but T____ is exactly correct – there are bigger issues to address and more glory to be had in this trouble than simply H_________ healing. I believe God is restoring her and she will live a long and happy life. But I am going to let you in on a little secret that may give us some perspective. This boy whom Jesus heals, this son of an official, this kid who was so ill – he died a few years later.
Healing here is only temporary. We long for a return the Garden of Eden, to a place without pain and problems. But (listen carefully): Jesus’ mission is not to alleviate suffering; he came to solve the problem of sin, through suffering and the cross. Rather than eliminate pain and suffering here, he is preparing a place with joy so great that we will say (with the apostle Paul): “The sufferings of this present time [are] not worthy of comparing with the glory that is to be revealed…” (Romans 8.18).
Listen to Jesus: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14.1-3). Miracles push us back toward Eden; Jesus pushes us forward to a new heaven and new earth. “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16.33).
Miracles are not the answer. Yet Jesus heals this boy.
3. We Must Believe in Jesus’ Person and Power Because of His Signs and Miracles (John 4.49-54)
As Jesus moves this man from hope in mere magic to true faith in God, observe, please, several facts:
First, the man is not deterred by Jesus’ correction. “If this is the one who can heal, then this is the one I will entreat.” If we are going to come to God, then we are going to be challenged. (If you are not, either your church is dead or you are.) Wake up! Arise and go to Jesus!
Second, he continues to plead with Jesus. Those who have faith in God are not put off by an initial, “No.” The Bible often commends to us persistence and passion in calling for God’s presence and power.
Third, the man is forced to trust the bare word of Jesus: “Go, your son will live.” He is given no sign to encourage his faith. Simply, “Your son will live.” Belief depends, centrally, on accepting God’s word.
Fourth, the result of this event is belief in Jesus. Jesus heals the boy, but not simply so that he will die another day. Jesus heals the boy so that he and his family will live forever. This is not the story of a sick boy made well; it is the account of salvation granted through faith in Jesus.
Ridderbos: “Miracle belongs inseparably to Jesus’ mission, as his witness to the Father, as the sign of the salvation represented by him, and hence as a means of leading people to faith. But Jesus is more than the miracles he performs, more than the bread he distributes, and more than the child he restores to its father (and mother and whole family). He is himself the miracle from above; it is therefore also himself he imparts in his miracles, the bread of life, the resurrection and the life, the light of the world. The faith he demands is therefore more than faith in (his power to do) miracles; it is faith in him as the gift of God come down from heaven. For that reason the mere fact of being allowed to participate in a miracle does not yet by itself mean that the recipients have participated in the gift of God in Jesus. The opposite rather is the case: only one who believes in him participates in the miracle he grants and is. Miracles not only precede faith as a means of coming to Jesus; they also come after as the ever-remaining ‘benefit’ of faith in him.”
Oswald Chambers: “Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only learned in a fiery furnace.”
4. Conclusion
Hebrews 5.7-8: “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.”
God did not deliver in the way we expect. But God heard and healed, and Christ was raised up. And this meal is the seal and surety that God hears and will heal all your diseases. Not necessarily at the time or in the way we expect – it may be through suffering, and it will be through the river of death. But a day is coming when we will see him face-to-face and we will say, “O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.” For he will heal all our diseases, wipe away every tear, and make all things new.
C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” (Bk. III, chap. 10, "Hope").
You were, you know (made for another world). Will you put your hope there? Will you believe in Jesus’ promise to take you there, rather than relieve you here? Will you stick to your belief that God is love – even in the fiery furnace? Do you believe in Jesus the prophet, or simply receive the miracle worker as long as he will make things better? You think about that question, Amen.
