John 4:43-54 – Healing a Nobleman’s son
By Chester McCalley
“Go Your Way, Your Son Lives”
THE INTERLUDE 4:43-45
“And after the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. 44For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.”
As Jesus’ Galilean ministry begins, John gives a general account of His reception followed by the second sign of the Gospel. Reference to a prophet’s own country would, in the case of Jesus, mean Judea. The lack of honor given to Jesus in Judea is evidenced by the rejec- tion of His Messianic claims; He did not trust Himself to the Jews at the feast (2:24), and He was forced to retire from there (4:1-3). The saying concerning a prophet’s reception is noted by all four Gospels (Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, and Luke 4:24).
His reception in Galilee was different, for we are told they received Him. The verb is dechomai and means to welcome someone. It is the verb used in John 1:12, which speaks of “as many as received Him.” It is also used of welcoming guests into one’s home.
THE SETTING 4:46-47
“He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain royal official, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him, and was requesting Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death.”
THE ROYAL OFFICIAL 4:46
It is possible that the royal official was a Gentile and a member of Herod’s court. If so, John has shown Jesus in contact with Nicodemus, a Jew; with the woman at the well, a Samaritan; and now with the royal official, a Gentile. These three would portray the world that He came to save.
THE URGENT REQUEST 4:47
The verb was requesting is an imperfect tense showing continuous and persistent activity. The request was not casual, it was insistent. The father believed that Jesus’ personal presence was necessary in order to heal. This is important to note because this miracle is to be one of healing at a distance. The healing word was spoken in Cana; the healing act took place in Capernaum! The words at the point of death are literally he was about to die. The verb die is apothnasko and is found more times in John than in any other book of the New Testament. This accords with the purpose of John—namely, to show how to have life (20:30-31).
THE CONVERSATION 4:48-50
JESUS’ OBSERVATION 4:48
“Jesus therefore said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.’ ”
In light of the child’s dying condition, this remark seems harsh. Two things should be noted, however. First, the pronoun you is plural, not singular. These words are not directed at the man specif- ically. Second, the words are not directed so much at the man’s request as at the occasion of the request. Jesus is speaking of a typical Galilean attitude. The word wonders refers to that which dazzles. The Galileans liked the excitement and wonder produced by Jesus’ miracles. This was more appealing to them than truth about His person. At the same time, it is true that Jesus often accepted people who came only because of His miracles (6:26, 14:11).
THE MAN’S PERSISTENCE 4:49
“The royal official said to Him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’ ”
The noun child is a diminutive form and is not the same as the word translated son in verses 46 and 47. It means little boy and conveys the tender love and affection of the father. The father’s concern for his son is seen in the absence of any defense of himself.
The infinitive dies is an aorist tense in contrast to the present tense with the infinitive death in verse 47. Verse 47 is looking at the process that is taking place, whereas verse 49 looks at the inevitable outcome of that process. Verse 49 breathes with desperation.
JESUS’ PRONOUNCEMENT 4:50
“Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your son lives.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he started off.”
This reply from Jesus must have been totally unexpected. The man had been urging Jesus to come to Capernaum, evidently believing that His presence was necessary for healing. Jesus’ words, however, give him a test. Jesus leaves the man with nothing but His word on which to depend. The man is placed in a dilemma, for he must choose between insisting on evidence, and thus manifest- ing unbelief, or exercising faith with no tangible evidence to encourage him. The man chose the latter and believed the word that Jesus spoke to him. He learned faith under the compulsion of necessity—about the only way any of us ever learn it!
THE MIRACLE 4:51-54
“And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. 52So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better They said therefore to him, ‘Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.’ 53So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, Your son lives’; and he himself believed, and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed, when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”
The father took what men often call chance and interpreted it as divine sovereignty. It was not chance but God that he saw in the timing of the words and the timing of the healing. The man related the words of Jesus to a time and space event. It is the purpose of John to record events such as this one so that we, his readers, will come to the same conviction about the identity of Jesus. Here is a sign miracle that accomplished its purpose—faith in the person of Jesus.
Latest posts by Chester McCalley (see all)
- Jonah 3:1-4:11 – The Obedient Prophet – February 7, 2013
- Jonah 1:1-2:10 – The Disobedient Prophet – February 7, 2013
- Setting for Ruth: “The Days When the Judges Governed” – January 27, 2013
- The Tragedies of Moab: Ruth 1:1-18 – January 27, 2013
- The Welcome to Bethlehem: Ruth 1:19-22 – January 27, 2013
