By James R. Strange, Ph.D.
Professor of Biblical and Religious studies, Samford University
THE SIGN OF HIS GRACE
John 4:46–54
In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes four trips to Jerusalem (2:13; 5:1; 7:10; 10:22). In our second lesson on signs, Jesus is back in Cana of Galilee after His first visit to Jerusalem, with a stop in Samaria on the way back (4:3–4). He will head back to Jerusalem immediately afterward (5:1). Today’s story also appears in Matthew 8:5–13 and Luke 7:1–10, in which a Centurion asks Jesus to heal his sick slave. In all three accounts, Jesus heals remotely.
Take your needs to Jesus. (46–47)
In John, rather than being a commander of an army, the man is “royal,” which means he is a magistrate appointed by Herod Antipas, one of the sons of Herod the Great and tetrarch of the region.
To meet Jesus in Cana, this man walked 19 miles and ascended 1,247 feet from Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, a steep climb that would have taken more than a day.
He had probably heard about Jesus from other Galileans who were in Jerusalem while Jesus was there for the Passover festival (4:45). His exertion, along with the fact that he travels to plead with Jesus rather than sending a slave, speak of his desperation. His son is at the point of death.
Belief is taking God at His Word. (48–50)
Jesus’ words sound odd, for the man has traveled long and far to ask Jesus to heal his son. Their exchange reminds us of Jesus and His mother at the wedding feast. The man’s words don’t show that he reacts to the seeming harshness of Jesus’ words. Instead, the man repeats his request. And as Jesus had done before in Cana, He does as the man asks. We are told that the man believed.
The power of Jesus is not limited by location or time. (51–54)
Imagine the man’s relief and joy to hear the good news of his son’s recovery before he arrived home. We learn that as a result of this sign, the man and his household believed.
On the surface, it looks as if Jesus’ accusation in verse 48 is confirmed. There is, however, a deeper meaning.
First, the two uses of “you” are plural. Jesus is speaking beyond the man to all who will not see Jesus’ signs and wonders directly but will instead read about them. (Compare 20:29.) That is, Jesus is speaking to us.
Second, in verse 50, we are told that the man believed what Jesus said would happen. This matches his behavior in coming to Jesus; He believed that Jesus could heal his son. The urgent question was whether He would do so. This is not the faith mentioned in verse 53.
Third, in John’s Gospel, true faith is to believe that Jesus “really is the Savior of the world” (4:42; compare 1:29) and that He is the Son whom the Father sent to reveal Himself (10:30–38; 14:9). This is what the man and his household believe.
In John, whether Jesus can perform “signs and wonders” is not at issue; what the signs reveal is. Those who believe after witnessing or receiving a sign have transformed vision; they now understand who the Father is because He has been revealed in the Son.
May our sight be so changed by witnessing the Son at work in our lives.
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