John Series Sermon 23 The Evidence of Faith John 4:43–45
(4:43–45) Introduction: this passage is very simple, yet it pictures one of the great lessons of the gospel—the evidence of faith.
1. The setting: Jesus entered Galilee (v.43).
2. The first evidence of faith: honoring Jesus (v.44).
3. The second evidence of faith: welcoming and receiving Jesus (v.45).
1 (4:43) Jesus, Ministry: Jesus entered Galilee. He had spent two days with the Samaritans and had experienced great success. However, Galilee was the area especially prepared by God for the Lord’s ministry, so Jesus returned to the area where most of His ministry was to be conducted. (
DEEPER STUDY
(4:43) Galilee: the district of Galilee was the northernmost part of Palestine. Palestine was divided into three districts: Judaea in the far south, Samaria in the middle, and Galilee in the north. God had prepared Galilee down through history for the coming of His Son’s ministry. Several facts show this
1. Throughout history Galilee had been invaded and repopulated again and again with different people and cultures from all over the world. Over the years such an influx of differing people had created an atmosphere susceptible to new personalities and ideas.
2. Galilee was strategically located. The world’s leading roads passed right through its borders. Merchants from all over the world passed through and boarded in the inns of the cities.
3. Galilee was heavily populated. It was also surrounded by the Samaritans, Phoenicians, and Syrians, making it an open door for world evangelization. It was one of the most fertile lands in that part of the world. This fact, plus the travelling trade, led numbers of people to settle within its borders. There were within the district over two hundred cities with a population of fifteen thousand people or more.1 There were multitudes for Jesus to reach.
4. Galilee was open to new and fresh ideas. Its people, having come from all over the world, were liberal minded, always looking for new and fresh ideas to stimulate and challenge their thinking.
It was for these reasons that Jesus chose Galilee to begin His ministry. The area was an open door for people to spread the news that the Messiah had come and that the Kingdom of Heaven was being ushered in.
2 (4:44) Honor—Jesus Christ, Honored—Belief: the first evidence of faith is honoring Jesus. When Jesus went into Galilee, He stayed away from His hometown of Nazareth. His neighbors and fellow citizens had rejected Him and had attempted to kill Him (Lu. 4:29). As a result Jesus had declared, “No prophet is accepted in his own country” (Lu. 4:24).
? Joseph was not honored by his brothers (Ge. 37:23–36).
? David was not honored by his brother (1 S. 17:28).
? Jeremiah was not honored by his hometown, Anathoth (Je. 11:21; see Je. 1:1).
? Paul was not honored by his countrymen (Ac. 9:23–24; see note—2 Co. 1:12–22).
? Jesus was not honored by His hometown (Mk. 6:1–6).
Now as Jesus returned to Galilee, bypassing the city of Nazareth, He again referred to the fact that a prophet has no honor in His own country.
A question needs to be asked. Why did Jesus make the declaration about dishonor here? It seems out of place. Glance at the three verses again (vv.43–45). There are at least two reasons.
1. Jesus’ heart was broken over His hometown. They were a special people to Him: He had played with some of them as a child, grown up with them, lived as a friend with them; and had fellowshipped, worked, eaten, and moved among them day in and day out. The thought of their rejection and hostility toward Him often preyed upon His mind. (See outline and notes—Mk. 6:1–6 for discussion of their rejection.)
2. Jesus had to prepare the disciples for persecution. They were to be severely persecuted by their fellow countrymen. He repeated the fact time and again to drive it into their minds. He wanted them prepared and not caught off guard when persecution came.
Now, note the point: the first evidence that a person has faith is that he honors Jesus. A sharp contrast is being drawn between the refusal of Nazareth to honor Jesus and the receiving of Him by other Galilaeans. Several things need to be considered.
a. Jesus is due honor. He is due all the honor and glory in the universe.
1) He is the Son of God who brought God’s presence among men.
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us” (Mt. 1:23).
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14).
2) He is the Savior of the world who came to save men from perishing and made it possible for them to live forever
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins” (Ac. 5:30–31).
3) He is the Son of Man who came to earth to experience all the trials of life that He might feel and be touched by man’s infirmities and thereby become qualified to help man in all his suffering.
“Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Mt. 20:28).
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (He. 4:15–16).
b. People who believe in Jesus honor Him. Honoring Jesus is a clear evidence of faith. The word honor (timen) means to value, esteem, respect. It has three ideas that are significant.
1) The idea of superior standing, exaltation, distinction, homage, reverence, and, of course, worship when referring to the Son of God.
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Ph. 2:9–11).
2) The idea of a price paid or received, of credit due, of counting something of extreme value. Jesus is due the payment of man’s life. True honor pays the price due to the Lord: the man who honors the Lord gives his life to the Lord (see note, Self-denial—Lu. 9:23).
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Co. 6:19–20).
“Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it” (Mt. 13:46).
“Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Th. 1:11–12).
3) The idea of preciousness. The Greek word for precious (time) means to be due honor, to be of precious value.
“Unto you therefore which believe He is precious” (1 Pe. 2:7).
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Ph. 3:8).
c. People who do not believe in Jesus do not honor Him. This is particularly seen in the dishonor of Jesus by His fellow citizens and the religionists
An unbeliever …
• does not give Christ the worship, exaltation, or reverence due His name
• does not pay the price of surrendering his life to Christ as Lord
• does not count Christ as precious (due honor). Jesus’ fellow citizens demonstrated this fact. He, the very Prophet of God Himself, had no honor in His own country
“For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Mt. 13:15).
“I am come in my father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?” (Jn. 5:43–44).
“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jn. 12:48).
“And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Ti. 4:4).
“Men shall clap their hands at him, and shall hiss him out of his place” (Job 27:23).
“To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it” (Je. 6:10).
“Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house” (Eze. 12:2).
“But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear” (Zec. 7:11).
3 (4:45) Faith, Evidence—Receiving, Jesus Christ: the second evidence of faith is welcoming and receiving Jesus.
The only way to be saved and to receive the benefits of Jesus’ presence is to welcome and receive Him. Common sense tells us that a person who does not have the presence of Jesus Christ does not have the blessings of Jesus’ presence. Jesus is just not there to bless and care for the person. However, this was not the case with the Galilaeans. They were receiving the benefits of Jesus’ life and ministry, and they were receiving His blessings for three very specific reasons.
a. They had heard the Lord preach and seen His marvelous works in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast. They had not been the target of Jesus’ ministry there; the citizens of Jerusalem had been the people upon whom Jesus had focused in Jerusalem. However, the Galilaeans had not felt slighted, not to the point that they shut Him out and refused to listen. They were attracted to Him, for their souls were reaching out for God. Therefore, they attended His preaching and observed His ministry. They opened their hearts to what He was saying about repentance and receiving the Kingdom of God.
Thought 1. A man can never be led to believe in Christ until he is receptive to Christ. He must be willing to listen to the message of Christ.
“But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear” (Mt. 13:16).
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so” (Ac. 17:11).
“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Th. 2:13).
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (Js. 1:19).
“Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors” (Pr. 8:34).
“The ear that heareth the reproof of life abideth among the wise” (Pr. 15:31).
“Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil” (Ec. 5:1).
b. They were a people seeking and worshipping God. Note why they had been to Jerusalem. They had gone to seek and worship God at the Passover, and it had cost them. The journey was long and difficult, for they were in the northernmost part of Palestine, whereas the temple was in Jerusalem which was in the south. Also, they had to take a circular route because Samaria lay between Galilee and Jerusalem, and the Samaritans considered them enemies, posing a threat to their safety.
The point is this: these Galileans had a hunger for God; therefore, their hearts were better prepared and willing to receive Christ.
Thought 1. A man who sincerely seeks God is better prepared to receive Christ. For this reason, men should be constantly seeking after God. Seeking God and receiving Christ are evidences of true faith (He. 11:6).
“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Mt. 5:6).
“But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (De. 4:29).
“Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near” (Is. 55:6).
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (He. 11:6).
c. The idea being conveyed is that the Galilaeans welcomed and received Christ. They wanted to experience Christ for themselves. They had seen Him preach and minister in Jerusalem, and they wanted the same experience for themselves and for the rest of their people. Of course, some Galilaeans did not receive Him into their lives and hearts. They deserted Him (see Jn. 6:66). But “as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”
Thought 1. Welcoming, receiving, and experiencing Christ for oneself is the greatest evidence of genuine faith.
“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit to perfection” (Lu. 8:15).
“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Re. 3:20).
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. (2004). The Gospel according to John Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
