(It has been difficult to split this chapter into manageable chunks – you may want to make each section longer or shorter!)
Read John 4:43-54
43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honour in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.
46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay ill at Capernaum. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
48 ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’
49 The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’
50 ‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he enquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.’
53 Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him,‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole household believed.
54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.
Let's look again at John 4:43
43 After the two days he left for Galilee.
Jesus spent two days with the Samaritans and left while there were still unbelievers (John 4:39,41 – ‘many’, ‘many more’, but not all).
Would more have believed if he had stayed longer?
Jesus doesn’t argue people into the Kingdom, so neither should we. He simply presents people with a choice, and after two thousand years there are still those who reject him.
Read John 4:44-45
44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honour in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.
The Galileans were pleased to have Jesus back but what were their motives?
I think that they were happy to have a miracle-working teacher – but not necessarily a saviour for their sins. They had spent longer than two days listening to Jesus and seeing all he did, but unlike the Samaritans, they were unmoved.
Read John 4:46
46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee.
In particular, why would the people of Cana be pleased he had come back?
. . . where he had turned the water into wine.
And there was a certain royal official whose son lay ill at Capernaum.
‘a certain royal official’: he would be serving under Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great who had sought to kill Jesus as a baby.
He was probably an officer of the Roman court rather than a soldier. It would appear that his family home was Capernaum (a town on the north coast of the Sea of Galilee).
Read John 4:47
47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.
A Roman royal official would not be in the habit of begging anything from a peasant carpenter – a command would be more usual! But here his son’s life was in danger and he was convinced that Jesus was someone special, and that he could heal him.
Read John 4:48
48 ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’
Why did Jesus reply so harshly?
Look at verses 44 and 54. These suggest that few people in Galilee accepted that Jesus was anything other than the man they had known for most of his life. They were simply interested in his miracles, and it seems Jesus was reluctant to satisfy their curiosity. Jesus wanted people to accept him by faith, not sight. See also Matthew 11:21-24. Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were all towns near the Sea of Galilee.
John draws out the marked contrast between the Samaritans who simply believed his words (v42), the Jews of Galilee who demanded miraculous proofs and who probably would still not believe, (See also John 2:25 and 5:41-42) and, as we shall see, the royal (Roman) official who was also ready to believe.
Read John 4:49
49 The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’
This Roman official was convinced that Jesus could heal his son, and he would not be put off.
Read John 4:50
50 ‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’
Jesus immediately tested the man’s faith. It had been a day’s journey to get to Jesus; to spend another day returning without him would not be easy.
The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
The man’s faith rose to the challenge – he had every reason to believe, and no reason to doubt.
Read John 4:51-53
51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he enquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.’
53 Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole household believed.
This reminds us of the purpose of John in writing his Gospel: ‘these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name’ (John 20:31).
Read John 4:54
54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.
Despite the general unbelief of most people, Jesus would still go on to perform many miracles for those in need, and who were prepared to accept him as their saviour
Read Matthew 9:35-38
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and illness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’
