7 Signs Of The Gospel Of John: Healing Of The Son Near Death

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7 SIGNS OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN: HEALING OF THE SON NEAR DEATH

Pastor Mike here.

(This is Part 2 of the seven signs of the Gospel of John where we’re considering the second sign: Healing Of The Son Near Death.)

The Holy Spirit gave to the Apostle John the words of his Gospel account surrounding the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

JOHN’S GOSPEL CONSTRUCTED AROUND SEVEN MIRACLES

One of the ways John constructed his Gospel is around seven signs (or miracles) that our Lord performed.

The second of the seven signs is found in John chapter 4, verse 46 through 54 where it reads…

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.

47 When 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.

51 As 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 hour the 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.

And so we have the second sign of the seven signs of the Gospel of John: Healing Of The Son Near Death.

HEALING OF THE SON NEAR DEATH

And before we dive in to the text, let me just remind you of the main point of the seven signs of the Gospel of John.

John himself gives it to us in John chapter 20, verse 30-31…

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these (the seven signs of the Gospel of John) are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

And so the signs are meant to be convincing proof that Jesus is the Messiah promised from the Garden of Eden that God would send to die in your place on the cross so that you would be saved from your sins and have eternal life.

TWO FORMS OF “BELIEF” IN THE STORY

And now as we consider the passage, I want to highlight two forms of “belief” in the story.

The two forms of “belief” are:

(1) Belief in Jesus’ miracles and His ability to do them.

(2) Belief in Jesus’ spoken word.

BELIEF FORM 1: IN JESUS’ MIRACLES AND HIS ABILITY TO DO THEM

Which brings us to the text.

In v. 46 we find that the son who is sick and near death is the son of a royal official.

He is sick at Capernaum which is different from Cana in Galilee where Jesus performed the first sign/miracle turning water into wine.

(It’s approximately a 16-mile trip from Cana to Capernaum.)

In v. 47 we find the father is frantic regarding his sick and near death son.

Anyone who has a sick family member or relative near death can understand the desperation of this father.

Which brings us to v. 48 where we find the first form of “belief” in the story: In Jesus’ miracles and His ability to do them.

Notice v. 48.

Jesus says…

48b “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

The “you” here is plural indicating Jesus is speaking to the Galileans as a whole who were there (including the royal official) and what isn’t a jump to say is a problem for many people displayed in the statements, “Show me a miracle and then I’ll believe,” and to a lesser extent, “God, if you do this for me, then I’ll be a Christian.”

This is what Jesus is getting at.

We are not to require miracles to believe, but to just trust God’s revealed word and put our faith in God’s word, the Bible — where God has indeed given us signs/miracles to be convincing proof that Jesus is the Messiah, but we are not to expect miracles beyond this.

And so this is the first form of “belief” in the story: In Jesus’ miracles and His ability to do them.

BELIEVE FORM 2: IN JESUS’ WORDS

Continuing now with v. 49, the royal official says to Jesus…

49b “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

Jesus responds to him…

50b “Go; your son will live.”

And now here’s the part I wanted you to see…

50c The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

And so we have the second form of “belief” in the story: In Jesus’ spoken word.

Jesus doesn’t need to be there for the royal official’s son to be healed.

All He has to do is speak and it happens.

Christ created the world in the exact same way. (Colossians 1:15-16)

The father believes Jesus’ spoken word.

If He said it, then he believes it.

This is part of the life of faith to believe what God has said.

God is not a man that He should lie.

Which brings us to v. 51.

As the father goes his way after hearing Jesus’ words, “[Y]our son will live,” his servants meet him and tell him his son is recovering. (v. 51)

In contrast to the desperation and desperate feelings of 4 verses earlier, can you just imagine the relief/joy that overwhelms this man upon hearing this news?

So he asked the servants, in v. 52, the hour when the son began to get better, and they say to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”

The father knew (v. 53) that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household.

“Believed” here has a heavier emphasis and is equated with saving faith/salvation.

DR. PAUL KRETZMANN ON THE HEALING OF THE SON NEAR DEATH

In his commentary on the the entire Bible including the Gospel of John, Dr. Paul Kretzmann puts it this way…

“So he (the royal official) experienced the truth of Christ’s words, he found out that God keeps His promises. And therefore he himself was confirmed in his faith, greatly strengthened. And his family and servants, to whom he brought the glorious news of the manner of the cure, rejoiced and believed with him. Thus the nobleman’s faith progressed from weakness to strength, from trusting in external visible evidence to believing in the Word only, as is the manner of faith the world over.”

THE SEVEN SIGNS ARE CONVINCING PROOF THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH

And so we have the second sign of the seven signs of the Gospel of John: Healing Of The Son Near Death.

This second sign, along with the other six signs of the Gospel of John, are meant to be convincing proof that Jesus is the Messiah promised from the Garden of Eden that God would send to die in your place on the cross so that you would be saved from your sins and have eternal life.