The Son Of The Nobleman. Revised.

THE SON OF THE NOBLEMAN. REVISED.

John 4:43-54.

After Jesus’ two day mission in Samaria, we read that Jesus went “into Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet hath no honour in His own country” (John 4:43-44).

Jesus was brought up in Nazareth (cf. Luke 4:16), and referred to it as ‘His own country’ (cf. Luke 4:24). So what is meant here in John's Gospel is that Jesus went into the district in which Nazareth is situated, but avoided Nazareth itself. To the credit of the Galileans, they received Jesus as something of a local hero after His exploits in Jerusalem (John 4:45).

Returning to Cana, where Jesus had turned the water into wine, He was met by a royal official from Capernaum whose son was sick, even to the point of death. The man entreated Jesus to come down and heal his boy (John 4:46-47).

“Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe,” replied Jesus (John 4:48). A delayed answer to prayer may not always be a refusal. We should look at it rather as an exercise in faith and motive. Our belief system has to get beyond the demand for signs and miracles to a trusting encounter with the One who alone knows the heart of man.

This high ranking Civil Servant on King Herod’s payroll was not to be put off by Jesus’ seeming rebuff, however. Like the stubborn persistence of Jacob of old, he was willing to wrestle it out until He procured the desired blessing. The prayer became even more passionate, practical, and focussed: "Sir, come down ere my child die" (John 4:49).

As the man found out, perseverance in prayer does pay dividends. Having suffered the seeming refusal of a delay, he heard the gracious words of Jesus, “Go thy way, thy son liveth” (John 4:50). In a moment he had to graduate from the kindergarten of miracle-seeking to the exercise of a believing, trusting response to Jesus which bore the fruits of obedience in his life.

The miracle had not been witnessed by this father, but he set out for home in the belief that it had happened. As usual, obedience has its payday. Sometimes the capacity to receive answered prayer lies within our willingness to obey the clear-cut commands of Jesus.

However long it took the nobleman to travel the twenty miles from Capernaum to Cana, it would take him until the next day to get back. God knows what temptations to doubt may have befallen on him on the way, but his servants had the presence of mind - or perhaps orders - to meet him with the good news (in the same words, incidentally, as Jesus had used): “Thy son liveth” (John 4:51). Perhaps his resolve was still being tested until the very moment that he was able to embrace his healed son, and lead his whole household into faith (John 4:52-53).

This, we are told, was the second significant “sign” in John’s Gospel, conducted when Jesus came back from Jerusalem to Cana in Galilee (John 4:54). It is no surprise that John gives details of five more as the early chapters of his account unfold, making a total of seven. These are not miracles for miracles’ sake, but indications of who Jesus is, calling as ever for our response to His claim upon our lives (cf. John 20:30-31).