True Faith (Gospel of John Part 15)
Text: John 4:43-54
Well we’re back in John’s Gospel this morning, and we’ve got a lot to cover today, so I want us to get right into it. John 4:43 – 54 (READ).
Now remember, John ‘s Gospel account isn’t written in chronological order. It’s written in a way where John places themes together in segments, so that we can understand and see how Jesus is in-fact God, come in the flesh. John wants his readers to believe. And here in our text today, he’s bringing us full circle. Remember; John started out by telling us of Jesus’ first miracle in Cana of Galilee. That’s where Jesus turned water into wine. And now we’re back in Cana, and John is going to tell us about a second miracle that Jesus is going to do.
So really everything from John 2 all the way to the end of John 4, is to be read as one big story, or one complete lesson. It’s grouped together, because John is showing and teaching us something about Jesus. He started out with the miracle of water to wine in chapter two, then in chapter three he tells us about the encounter with Nicodemus, and then in the first section of chapter 4 he tells us about the encounter with the woman at the well, and now we’re back in Cana, and there’s another miracle. And all of these stories are intended to show us our need for Christ… they’re intended to show us that only He can satisfy our deepest longings and needs. It’s like Augustine said in his book “Confessions”, and I’ll paraphrase it for you, “God has made us for Himself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Him.”
So in this group of stories from John 2 to John 4, John has been showing us our need for Jesus, but he’s also given us kind of like word pictures to describe how we can receive Him. We do that by being born again (that’s chapter 3)… we get it by receiving that “living water” (that’s chapter 4). And now he shows us exactly how that works… it’s by faith. We come to Christ by faith, and trust in Him. And that’s what we see in our text this morning.
So think about what’s going on here… John tells us in verse 46 that there was an official in Capernaum, whose son is sick. Now Capernaum was about 20 miles away from Cana… That may not seem like a big deal to you and me, because we can hop in our truck and drive that in just a few minutes. But by horseback, or by foot, we’re talking about a significant distance. However; as soon as this guy hears that Jesus is in Cana, he heads out to meet Him.
Now let’s get what’s going on here. This man, he’s an official. That means he most likely works for Herod Antipas in some way. It also means that he’s a wealthy person. He probably doesn’t want for much, as far as material things go. And I would imagine that he’s probably got plans for his son. He’s made provision for his future. But now his son is sick; and this guy, just like Nicodemus, and the woman at the well, he realizes that the things of this world aren’t what he really and truly needs. I mean; he’s in a desperate situation. I don’t know if you’ve ever been there, but I can tell you it’s a horrible feeling, to see your kids in a life or death situation with their health, and you’re totally helpless and powerless to do anything about it. I know that for a fact…
When Leslie was about 4 years old, she became very sick. We took her to the doctor and they ran some tests, and found out that she had West Nile Virus. Now for a full grown, healthy adult, the odds are good… but for a little toddler, like Leslie was at that time, the odds were not so great. And MJ and I asked the doctor, “What can be done? What do we do?” And I’ll never forget it, he looked at me, straight forward and said, “We’ve done everything we can do. She’ll either live, or she’ll die.” But thankfully, MariJo and I did, exactly what this father in our text does… we went straight to Jesus.
And this noble man… this guy who was probably used to giving orders, and being in charge; he’s been reduced to a beggar. Because he’s reached the point where he knows, there’s nothing he can do. And no amount of money, or power, or human authority is going to help. But really; that’s what prayer is… prayer is when we come to the Lord with empty hands, and we throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus, and plead for His help, and His provision, and His aid.
Prayer is never about us coming to God saying, “God I’ve done this, and this, and this… you owe me one.” GOD OWES US NOTHING! Instead; prayer is us coming to God, and pleading for His mercy, and grace, and kindness, and goodness, and blessings – based on our standing before Him in Christ. Because if we’re not in Christ – we HAVE NO standing before Him.
Now it’s interesting what happens here… The man has come to Jesus. He’s come himself. He didn’t send one of his servants or a messenger. He’s come himself to see the Lord and ask Him to heal his son. But Jesus says in verse 48, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” A couple of things here. The word “you” in this verse is plural (both times it’s used). So Jesus; even though He’s directing His words to the man, He intends it to be for everyone who was around. Now why does He say that? Well… if you go back up to verse 45, you’ll see why. Verse 45 says, “So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Him, having SEEN all that He had done in Jerusalem at the feast.” Basically; these people wanted to be spectators. They wanted to be entertained. They wanted to see signs and wonders. Just being in the presence of Christ, and hearing His Word wasn’t enough. And it’s a direct contrast to the Samaritans that Jesus had just left. Earlier; here in chapter 4… and we looked at it last time… the Samaritans said this… “For we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the World.” In other words, all it took for those unbelieving Samaritans was just to hear Jesus Word, and to hear Him teach… but for God’s own people… the Jews of Galilee, they want to see signs and wonders.
So really; what’s happening here is a rebuke against those kinds of people. Church, please hear me. This is why I caution you so often about being careful to not to fall into that trap of those entertainment, emotionally driven churches. Because it’s in our nature to fall into that… it’s in our nature to become enamored with the spectacle. But that’s what a lot of those “churches” are… they are all spectacle, but no substance.
So the people of Cana and of Galilee; they’ve heard the reports of miracles, some of them have even seen them, but they want more… they won’t believe… they demand proof. And John is contrasting them with the Samaritans who believed because they heard the Word.
Now catch what this official does in verse 49 (READ). So he’s just been mildly rebuked, along with all the rest of the people, but he doesn’t give up. He’s taken the rebuke of the Lord, and in essence, that’s made him ready to receive what the Lord has for him. You see; sometimes God has to actually get us to the place where we’re able to receive the answer to our prayers. Sometimes He’s got to correct our motivation and our desires. He’ll take the time to teach us, and correct us, before He gives us the answer to what we’re praying for. And sometimes… what happens is people go to God, they pray, and God doesn’t answer right away, and it reveals what’s really in their heart. They get angry at God. They get apathetic toward Him. It shows who they really are deep down inside. I actually know a person, who uses that excuse. He prayed and God didn’t answer his prayer, and so that young man walked away from the Church. It showed that he was never a Christian to begin with.
Now this noble man in our text is different. He’s been humbled by Christ’s rebuke, and now he’s ready to receive. And the lesson here is that true faith… it’s a persistent faith… but it’s also a faith that is prepared to embarrass itself in order to have Jesus. This guy; he’s been brought to the point where he now understands that there’s really only one thing needful. There’s only one thing that matters… and that’s having Jesus. If you look at the text; you’ll see that there’s a slight change in his language, in his prayer requests. First he’s like, “Jesus, come and heal my son because he’s close to death.” But then he changes is a little, and says, “Jesus come, before my son dies.” Now are you catching that? In the second request… he doesn’t mention healing at all. Instead this man is saying, “Jesus, even if you don’t heal my son. Please come to him. He’s got to meet you before he dies. He needs to know you before he dies.” And that is true faith. True faith is saying, “I NEED JESUS.”
I need Him. I need Him because without Him, I’m lost. Without Him, I’m doomed. Without Him, I’m an enemy of God, separated from God.
I need Jesus, because if I don’t have Jesus, I’m lost and doomed to pay for my sin for all eternity.
So this guy gets it. And he shows himself to truly be a loving father. You know, if we took a poll and we asked all the parents in here: What do you want most for your children? I bet, or at least I hope, that every single mom and dad here today would say, “What I want most for my children is for them to have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.”
I think every parent and grandparent here would answer in that way… but then the real question is – Do our lives line up with that? Does our conduct match our confession? Do we say that with our mouths but our lives and our parenting choices teach something else?
Look with me at vs. 50 (READ).
The man believed. We know that he believed. Not only because John tells us that he believed, but because John shows us the man believed. The man believed, and went on his way. That’s faith producing works. He took Jesus at His Word, and trusted Him… and we see that trust in the fact that the man headed back home. And again; the man himself… he didn’t see the miracle happen. He just trusted that what Jesus had said was going to happen.
And I think it’s interesting because if you look back at Jesus’ first miracle in Cana… it was Mary who had faith. Remember, she had come to Jesus and Jesus also rebuked her initially… but then Mary said, “Whatever He tells you to do, do it” (That’s in John 2:5). THAT’S FAITH! True faith trusts. It obeys. And it produces corresponding works to go along with it. We believe that God’s ordained means of bringing salvation to the lost is through the preaching of the Gospel – that’s why we do it. We believe that God not only saves the lost through the preaching of His Word, but He also builds up, equips, empowers, and sanctifies His Church through the preaching of the Word – that’s why we do it. We believe that our God hears and answers prayer – that’s why we do it. If we didn’t believe it, we wouldn’t do it… What we do, and how we live our lives is the natural result of what we believe. Whether we’re Christians or not. We’re going to live our lives consistent with what we truly believe.
Let’s look at the rest of the story, because it’s awesome!
So the man heads home, and his servants meet him along the way. And they tell him, “Your son is alive and well.” And the guy does the math, and finds out, that the boy recovered at the exact same time Jesus spoke the Word. FROM 20 MILES AWAY no less! It might have been 20 billion miles; it wouldn’t have mattered. There was no need for sowing a seed of faith. No “anointed” handkerchiefs sent through the mail. No touching your hand on the TV screen. Jesus simply said the Word and it happened.
But that’s not the awesome part. I mean… yes, it’s cool that the man’s son was healed. But that’s nothing really. What’s really awesome is the last part of verse 53. It says, “And he himself believed, and all his household.” This man, and his entire family are with the Lord in heaven right now at this very instant. What an amazing thing that is… What a legacy. And it started with trusting in Jesus.
So let me ask you – do you have that kind of faith that’s willing to take Jesus at His Word, and trust Him? Do you trust that He has done all that needed to be done in order to pay the price for your sin and save you from the wrath of God that is to come?
CLOSING
