Don't Miss the Sign
John 4:46-54:
46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill.
47When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.
51As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hourthe fever left him.”
53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household.
54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
Introduction: The importance of signposts
The seven sign-miracles in the Fourth Gospel are intended to reveal Christ as the ful fillment of the messianic expectation of God’s people. As the promised Messiah, Jesus came to bring light and life where darkness and death reign.
When you’re driving you probably would say it’s just fine if you missed a signpost or two. But in reading John, if you miss the “meaning of the miracles” or the “significance of the signs,” you will absolutely get yourself into serious trouble with God. Johannine signs are im portant and the fact that they are visible are essential. “They are means of seeing the glory of God,” according to Herman Ridderbos.
Johannine signs are symbolical anticipation or showing forth of a greater reality. They point us to Jesus as the fulfillment of the Old Testament and as both the Creator of physical life (John 1:1-3) and the Creator of new (spiritual) life (John 3:16; John 10:10). This new crea tion work of Christ permeates the whole Gospel of John. And the seven sign-miracles are prophetic-symbolic acts designed to validate that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 20:30). So, DON’T MISS THE SIGNS because they could lead to salvation or distraction and destruction.
I. An Urgent Reality and Request (John 4:46-47)
A. The narrative begins with a serious problem (A picture of life in this broken world).
The nobleman’s son is dying. His trial has radically altered his priorities in life.
If you’re a parent, I’m sure you will agree with me when I say that nothing can shatter us more quickly than affliction falling upon our children. Can you still remember the time when you had to rush your kid to the ER; when your kid suddenly had seizure; broke his arm; or had breathing issue; or when you
heard the doctor’s diagnosis. Those are shattering moments for any parent. We don’t want those things for our children. And I’m sure we understand how the nobleman felt. His son was sick and he was at the point of death (John 4:47). He may be saying, “This cannot be happen ing!”
In this sin-sick world, we experience various trials regardless of our status in life. Sorrow and death come to us all. There are no exceptions.
B. Difficult situations in life are defining moments. They expose our hearts. They reveal our misplaced trust [e.g., position (the man is called a Βασιλικός) or posses sion] and our misguided belief (i.e., miracle-based faith).
We must remember that no earthly position and possessions are adequate to deal with our deepest need. That’s why a tragic incident like this one, or a loss of job, or failure of a business, or dwindling support, or inflations is an opportunity to reflect on our misplaced trust. Money can become a functional God in our lives. But there’s a lot of things that money can’t buy (e.g., money can buy a fancy bed with hybrid memory foam mattress, but it can’t buy sleep; you can buy books but not brains; you can buy the latest, top of the line phone/ laptop, but you can’t buy FB friends or Instagram followers). Our text reminds us that wealth cannot buy health, let alone, life.
II. The Unspeakable Reversal (John 4:46-53)
The imminent death of his son motivated the royal official to search for life and he turns to Jesus. The text says that the man went to Jesus and “asked” him “to come down and heal his son.” The word “asked” indicates a persistent begging. Notice how the nobleman’s encounter with Jesus transformed him and moved him from focusing on Jesus’ power to do miracles to faith in Jesus.
A. Jesus grieves over a misguided faith. At first, we can see that what really moved the man to come to Jesus was his miracles. And Jesus responded to the royal official as part of a larger group (Unless you [all] see). Jesus’ response here is surgical and it shows the serious ness of him not wanting to be misunderstood in his miraculous work. Jesus’ intention is not to reject completely this man and the people he represents, only the kind of belief the man ini tially displayed toward Jesus. Edward W. Klink III stated, “Before resolving this one man’s con-
flict, Jesus addresses a much larger problem.” Jesus corrected the people’s misguided belief. Jesus came not to satisfy the crowd’s spectator interest. Jesus came to save. And we must recognize that what we need most is a Sav ior. In other words, “Jesus did not only want to give the son back to his fa ther, He wanted to give himself” (Herman Ridderbos).
B. A reversal of the son’s condition. The nobleman’s son was healed. Jesus spoke a word and he was healed. No placebo effect, no rituals, no hail Mary’s, no miracle crosses nor handkerchiefs – just a word. This is a wonderful reminder of how the creation came into be ing. And that is all that it ever takes for a person to be made a new creature in Christ. For Christ to speak his authoritative word is all that it takes for him to reconcile someone to God and reverse the effects of sin.
C. A reversal of the nobleman and his household’s spiritual condition. The miracle paved the way for their conversion to a life of faith. They became believing adherents of Jesus in the deeper sense of the word.
Application: Our affliction should drive us to Christ. The nobleman may have come to Jesus because of what he had heard about him. In his interaction with Jesus, it became clear that this man understood Jesus to be the one on whom life depended.
Sometimes, Jesus puts us on hold or puts his finger on the weakness of our faith. Sometimes he confronts us through his words and his penetrating words were not a rebuke but a beginning of his grace in our life. Some of us may be experiencing emotions like those of the nobleman. If you are going through this kind of challenge, turn to God. We are twice told that the man believed (John 4:50, 53). There is no redundancy here. Those truths that persuaded us are those truths that continue to do so. Those truths that we keep on embrac ing and believing are truth we grow in knowledge about. They do not cancel, but they con
firm and keep on reinforcing the certainty of our belief. Yes, we have the same unchangeable, all-time truth here – that the only one who can meet your need is Christ. Run to him. Hear his words. Heed his words and you will find life.
III. The Unmistakable Revealer, Restorer and Redeemer (4:53-54)
A. The father “knew” that it was Jesus who healed his son (4:53). The word that was used for “know” here in Greek means “knowledge by experience.” He moved from to simply “hearing about Christ” to “knowing by experiencing Christ.” The question that the no bleman asked regarding the “hour when (his son) began to get better” was loaded with significance. Edward Klink III noted that, “the details that the nobleman heard were not further confirmation regarding his son, but confirmation regarding the Unique Son.” The healing authenticates Jesus’ authoritative words, “your son lives.”
B. Jesus had made him believed at his word. The miracle belongs inseparably to Jesus’ mission. But we need to understand that “Jesus is more than the miracles he per forms; more than the wine and bread he gives, and more than the child he restores to
his father. He is himself is the miracle from above” (See Herman Rid derbos, The Gospel of John). Ridderbos adds, “The faith he demands is therefore more than faith in his power to do miracles; it is faith in him as the (one sent by Father) gift of God from heaven.”
Gospel-centered applications: What are implications of this narrative on faith, our ministry, and the way we see Christ?
1. Faith – What is faith? Faith is taking Christ at his words. It is not spiritual curiosity, but an actual commitment to Christ. True faith is not a blind leap or jumping on the Jesus bandwagon, but an informed belief. “Genuine faith occurs when the things we seek are eclipsed and replaced by Christ who alone can provide them” (Edward Klink III). Authentic faith trusts Jesus. “Not Jesus plus! But Jesus only!” (Derek Thomas). True faith is not a one-time, big-time decision but a growing dependence. It is a continual trust. (Illustration: How do you know you’re married?)
2. Ministry – Ministry takes place when God’s riches in Christ meet human needs through Spirit-empowered disciples for the glory of God.
The reality of encountering Jesus transforms you into a person of mission: one who is willing to break away from his/her comfort zone in order to show compassion and serve others by pointing them to Christ.
No one who comes close to Christ ever stays the same! The one who tasted and see the Lord’s grace and mercy became his instrument to point others to Jesus who is the true provider of life. “And he himself believed, and all his household” (John 4:53). There was an outburst of faith in Cana! If we remain faithful to our God-given mandate, there will also be an outburst of faith in Randolph, in Clifton, in NJ, in the world at large.
Why is there a Bible verse that says, “Do not grow weary in doing good”? (Gal. 6:9). Because we grow weary in well-doing! You know, we get up one morning and we do it again, and then we get up the next morning and we do it again, and a thousand days later we get up and do it again, and we get tired of doing it. We’re doing what's right, we're doing our duty, we're doing the best that we can, and we just get tired. And so, the Bible says, “Don't grow weary in doing what is good.”
Look up to Christ as your model and motivation (Illustration: Isaiah 42:1-4). The things that immobilized did not immobilize Jesus. The servant that talked about came to earth with a mission and he did not let up, rest or relax, he did not stop until he ac complished his work. Until he exclaimed on the cross, “IT IS FINISHED” (John 19:30).
3. Christ – Jesus is the bringer of new life to a world marred by death. Jesus came to re verse the effects of the curse.
What motivates your search for God? Are you motivated to believe in a “god” who does things for you in a manner you deem most appropriate? Is your belief rooted in the Christ who declares “I AM,” to which you are to re spond, “Yes, you are!”
Jesus is the “God who is worthy of worship even when there is no ‘sign,’ even when our request goes unanswered – even still he is to us our God, the true sign and wonder” (Edward Klink III). Let us worship Christ not for the wonders he can perform but for the wonder that he is.
March 12, 2023/Dr. Jerome David
