There Is More to Faith Than Meets the Eye
Introduction
The 1992 Summer Olympics featured two tremendously poignant moments. American sprinter Gail Devers, the clear leader in the 100-meter hurdles, tripped over the last barrier. She agonizingly pulled herself to her knees and crawled the last five meters, finishing fifth--but finishing.
Even more heart-rending was the 400-meter semifinal in which British runner Derek Redmond tore a hamstring and fell to the track. He struggled to his feet and began to hobble, determined to complete the race. His father ran from the stands to help him off the track, but the athlete refused to quit. He leaned on his father, and the two limped to the finish line together, to deafening applause.
SOURCE: John E. Anderson, "What Makes Olympic Champions?", Reader’s Digest, February 1994, p. 120. From Paul Fritz on Sermon Central @ https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/11149/endurance-by-paul-fritz?ref=TextIllustrationSerps
John 4:39-46
One of the lessons of Jesus' two-day excursion in Samaria on His way to Galilee is the progressive nature of faith. Faith is not a one-time event. It is a journey.
The Samaritan woman was a witness to the entire city and they believed her word. It was genuine faith, and it was perfect as it was, but faith is not static there is always more because the object of our faith is infinite.
After spending two days with Jesus they no longer believed in Jesus merely because of the testimony of the Samaritan woman. They believed based on their personal relationship with Jesus. The Samaritan woman was a witness, like John the Baptist and the author of John. She told them about her encounter with Jesus and it was sufficient to a degree. As we read John, we are reading an eye-witness account, but the intention of the author is not that we merely believe in a historical Jesus. He wants us to have a personal encounter with Jesus.
The Samaritans accept Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of the world.
Once Jesus has accomplished His goal, He finishes His journey to Galilee. The Samaritans as believers are a part of the collective bride.
Next, we hear words from Jesus that may indicate a few things.
For Jesus, Himself testified, that a prophet has no honor in His own country (v. 44).
Either this statement indicates why Jesus' visit only lasted two days: because familiarity breeds contempt. Or, it may indicate that in John's Gospel the author sees Jesus as a Judean because of His birth in Bethlehem. Either way, when Jesus arrives in Galilee the people receive Him gladly. They are some of the same people who witnessed Jesus' signs at Jerusalem earlier in the book when He cleansed the temple.
Jesus finally arrived at Cana of Galilee and this closes a unit of John. What began at Cana with the miracle of turning water into wine comes full circle as Jesus performs a second sign.
This second sign is an indicator of the nature of faith growing similar to the story of the Samaritan woman and her village. It begins with the faith of one and grows into the faith of many.
John 4:46-54
The word translated "nobleman" is literally "royal." It is used of people at the top of the hierarchy of the society of the first-century Mediterranean world. A "royal" could be the slave of a person of means, a soldier, etc. This nobleman is similar to the centurion in the synoptic Gospels. However, he comes to Jesus himself.
This is an act of faith. There are moments when our faith is motivated by and fear or a need.
He recognized the authority of Jesus. We are not told in John that Jesus has healed anyone up to this point, yet this man comes to Jesus because surely if Jesus can turn water into wine he can heal his sick son, who is at the point of death. Desperation has a way of motivating us to try anything. Sometimes the beginning of our faith is out of necessity. Jesus does not despise this. Jesus does not despise your doubt or fear if you will bring it to Him. Just as He turns water into wine, He can turn fear into faith, if you will do whatever He tells you to do.
The parallels between the two miracles are numerous.
The nobleman looks to Jesus to do something.
Depending on how we read Jesus' words they almost seem like a rebuff as He told Mary that the deficiency of wine had nothing to do with them.
Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe (v 48).
This is a statement of fact. It sounds very similar to Thomas' words:
The other disciples, therefore, said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe (.
The entire book of John is a series of signs written for the purpose of belief. God does not despise your weakness, but He does want you to grow in your trust of Him and that can only happen through obedience and relationship with Him. Remember that in John faith and obedience are inseparable.
The nobleman does not have a clever reply like the Syro-Phoenecian woman who said even the dogs eat the crumbs. He merely cries out again from desperation:
Lord, come down ere my child die.
He really believed that Jesus had the power to perform the miracle he needed by coming down to his home, but Jesus does not always perform the miracle the way that we would desire. He does it in His way, with purpose.
And so, just as Jesus told the servants to fill the waterpots with water so Jesus gives a command to the nobleman, "Go your way; your son lives."
Your miracle is in your going. Imagine if the nobleman would have stayed where He was and just listened to Jesus' words but not obeyed. He may not have experienced the miracle. It took trust in the word of Jesus for him to turn around make the 14-mile journey back to Capernaum.
Your miracle has more to it than meets the eye.
And as he was going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Your son lives.
The servants did not witness the words of Jesus as the servant's had in the first miracle at Cana. This time it was the nobleman who obeyed the word and was walking towards the miracle. He was just doing what Jesus told him to do, and He experienced the miracle. The servants confirmed that it was at the same time when Jesus had spoken the words, "Your son lives."
But his miracle did not stop there. He believed and his household. Just as the Samaritan woman went and told all those in the village and everyone believed. Just like Andrew found Philip and brought him to Jesus. This father in obedience to the measure of truth he had eventually led his entire household to faith. They were transformed.
John 5:1-14
I recently preached a message to you on the miracle of the healing of the sick man at Bethesda. I want to highlight a few points that are significant for our lesson tonight.
Jesus is now back in Jerusalem where the environment is hostile. Yet, we find him still working.
There are some people who look around at the world around us and wonder how God can work, or use us to do anything with all of the turmoil that surrounds us.
One of the keys is the way Jesus did ministry. He was not so concerned with all that was apparent to the human eye. He spent time in the Presence of the Father listening for the next step. God sees far more than we ever can.
Jesus walks into the porch at Bethesda and finds someone who has a need and speaks healing virtue into the need. He is not concerned with the political turmoil that is going on in Jerusalem between the Romans and the Jews, he is concerned about a lone sick man who needs help. Jesus lived in the present moment with an eye trained upon the eternal.
This miracle illustrates our message for this Bible study well.
The lame man had to believe Jesus enough to do something that he had not done in thirty-eight years.
Jesus merely gave the command, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." His word was enough. All the man had to do was to obey. And he did just that.
Jesus did the miracle when He did and how He did on purpose. He knows the end of the story and that it will be a result of the plotting of the Jewish leaders whose traditions he breaks continually. He tells the man to take up his bed and walk. For the Pharisees, this was a grievous transgression of their interpretation of Sabbath law.
They were upset, but the formerly sick man was healed. Because he obeyed, and he kept walking. You cannot stop walking into what God has called you to.
Later, Jesus found him and gave him further command to grow in sanctification:
Behold, you are made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you (v 14).
God has more for you.
Application
The question is whether or not you will obey.
Will you obey in spite of the present circumstances?
Will you live after Jesus' perfect example of listening deeply for the Voice of the Spirit above the voices of the world?
The enemy would love to distract you, and if he can, he may be able to steal your miracle.
This week I encourage you to take some time each day to listen deeply for what the next step of your miracle is.
Often God begins answering our prayers, but when it is our turn to participate the pressures of life cause us to shrink back or to cower down before the next phase of the miracle is fulfilled.
His command is enough to see us through. We must simply walk in it.
