The Nobleman’s Son

John 4:46-54

This passage records the second miracle Jesus performed. After the encounter with the woman of Samaria, Jesus had continued his journey to Galilee. He was met in Cana, a city of Galilee, by one of the officials of the country whose son had become ill to the point of death. He asked Jesus to come to his house to heal his son.

One of the purposes of this miracle may be to show us the gradual development of belief and trust in the Lord. This man was probably acquainted with Jesus only as a worker of miracles. He did not understand Jesus mission as Savior. He asks Jesus to come to his house and heal his son.

We must remember that Jesus, in His omniscience knew this man’s heart, and now applies a severe test to his faith. He tells the man to return home; that his son had been healed. This was an indication that Jesus possessed more power than the man thought, that He could heal from a distance and without visibly seeing the need. The nobleman’s faith rose to meet the demand and he started home.

We see a third stage of his faith reached as he meets his rejoicing servants. They were rejoicing that his son had been healed and he immediately asked when that had occurred. When they confirmed that it happened at the time Jesus spoke he believed and led his entire household to saving faith.

It is interesting to contrast Jesus first two miracles. The first (turning the water to wine) occurred at a joyous occasion and the second at a time of anxiety and pain. Both point to the divinity of Christ, result in a deepening faith, and illustrate the joy and blessedness that result from trusting in Him.

The Samaritan Woman

John 4:1-45

The story of the Samaritan woman is familiar to most Christians and the subject of many sermons. Today, rather than go into the details of the story I would like to reflect on it by following Jesus’ methods as He witnesses to her.

First, let’s consider His attitude. Although He was weary, thirsty, and hungry, His main concern when He met the woman was her spiritual condition. Compare this to most of us today as we are so often preoccupied with problems of the moment.

Notice that Jesus immediately places Himself on a level with the woman by finding a common interest. She is coming for water and He asks her to get some for Him. Her response is interesting.

Next He appeals to her curiosity which creates receptivity. She obviously could tell He was a Jew and knew that they normally didn’t mix with Samaritans. He brings up the subject of “living water” and she has no idea what He is talking about so she asks Him a question that presents the opportunity for further discussion. As we share with others we need to consciously avoid conversation killers. Those are comments or questions which do not evoke a response.

Notice His appealing question about never thirsting again. If someone offered you the opportunity to do something that would forever cure your thirst, wouldn’t it stir interest on your part. These comments allow Him to move deeper into the conversation by appealing to her conscience. He obviously knows about her past and now is opening up for her the opportunity to consider it.

This allows a transition into spiritual things as she brings up the subject of worship. Jesus talks about true worship and the woman expresses her knowledge of a coming Messiah, opening the opportunity for Jesus to reveal Himself. She becomes so excited she forgets about her water pot and returns to the city to share with others what she has learned. Now the opportunity has opened to share the message of salvation with many others.

This dialogue presents an outstanding example of how we can effectively share the gospel with others. Meet them where they are; appeal to their curiosity; transition to spiritual things; and close by clearly sharing the gospel.

I pray that you will be effective in sharing your faith with others.

The Humanity of Jesus

John 4:4-6

“And He had to pass through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting by the well.” We believe that Jesus was fully God and fully man. This is a mystery we don’t understand, but we see clear evidence of His humanity in this story. It was a difficult, walking journey that took several days to go from Jerusalem to Galilee. Based on what I’ve seen of that territory the ground was probably rocky. There may have been a path, because many made this journey, but there certainly wasn’t a paved road. Notice our passage says He was weary from His journey. God doesn’t get weary and tired, so that must be evidence of His humanity. We notice in verse seven that He was also thirsty. He asked the woman to give Him a drink because He didn’t have a way to get the water out of the well. He was also probably hungry. Notice in verses 31-34 the disciples were trying to get Him to eat. They were obviously traveling with Him and became hungry so they assumed He must be also. The real impact of Jesus humanity comes home when we consider the pain and agony He suffered on the cross for our sins. God, His Father, turned His back on Him in His agony. I’ve seen people suffer physically and emotionally before, but never to the point of death on a cross. Especially each Easter we are reminded of the tremendous price He paid. Can you imagine that Jesus loved you enough to do that? Can you imagine that the Father loved you enough to turn His back on His suffering Son so that you could spend eternity with Him? We often get so caught up in the resurrection that we forget the suffering of taking the burden of our sin on Himself in death. We should thank God and His Son for their great love.

Testimony of John the Evangelist

John 3:31-36

Most scholars believe the testimony of John the Baptist ends with verse 30 and verse 31 begins the testimony of the book’s author, John the evangelist. First he shares the preeminence of Christ. He speaks of Christ as above all and one who bears witness of His perfect knowledge of the words of God. He also explains that Christ gives the Spirit without measure. The phrase “without measure” is interesting. We as Christians receive the Holy Spirit immediately when we trust Jesus as our Savior. The Spirit resides within us (indwells) for the rest of our lives. We will never get more of Him and He will never leave us. I think that is what the phrase “without measure” means. We can impact the Spirit’s work in our lives by grieving the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30) or by quenching the Spirit ( I Thes. 5:19) and we are encouraged to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:30). We are filled with the spirit by living within God’s will and by confessing sin when we recognize it in our lives. John next proclaims the Father’s love for the Son. One way the Father expresses that love is that He “has given all things into His hand.” God has a plan for this earth and for each one of us. He has entrusted that plan to His Son to carry it out. His will will be accomplished through His Son. The Holy Spirit carries out the will of the Father and the Son on this earth and in our lives. John then closes this section by explaining that if we place our faith in the Son, we have eternal life. Notice that statement is present tense. It is not a state we will attain, but one we have. That should give us much confidence. John also explains the consequences of not obeying the Son; the “wrath of God abides on Him.” The book of John is truly one of love and this is the only place in this gospel where the “wrath of God” is mentioned. What a blessing it is to contemplate what God has done for us. We should rejoice that we have been chosen to be a part of His kingdom.