Words are so powerful aren’t they?
For you and they can fill us with pride
Stand us on the top of mountains – so to speak
They can strip us bare and leave us naked and cold and angry
They can bring death and life.
Words are so powerful aren’t they?
// The thread – the thrust of this text is centred around the power of Jesus’ words woven through
this, the second miracle in Johns Gospel.
And there is FAR more going on here in this text than what meets the eye – the geographical and
textual assumptions are rife and I ask that you pay close attention as we begin.
And begin we shall
Not in verse 42 of chapter 4 – which is where I want you to turn to and stay – but in fact we’ll begin
at the start of chapter three
Where on His way to Galilea, Jesus passed through Samaria.
//
Hatred between Samaritans and Jews was longstanding and violently fierce. There was 550 years of
bitterness and legal and religious division between the two cultures.
By verse 43 of chapter 4 Jesus has been in Samaria a few days and was now leaving for Galilea.
It says there - that the time He had in Samaria was incredibly fruitful.
Many Samaritans believed – it appears that indeed the whole town of Sychar was turning to Jesus
and recognising Him as the Messiah! All through the encounter Jesus had with the woman at the
well - (do you remember that story?)
How was it that this whole town believed?
In a series where we are focusing on the miracles – you may well think – well Jesus healed the sick!
He read people’s minds – He knew what was on their hearts – he turned water into wine again!
No. In fact, there is no mention of a miracle, instead, read verse 42 with me: “We have heard him
for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world”.
Park that thought.
Because now –
Verse 43 – where we started this morning,
Jesus is returning home – the region of Galilee
Where Nazareth is His home town.
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North of there was Cana – the location of the wedding miracle;
and in the North as well- Capernaum; where the key protagonist to this story – the official with the
sick son lives.
But we’re still not there yet! Because would you agree that verse 43 is a bit odd?
“After the two days he left for Galilea’ – fine – but then it’s followed by “Now [730 For] Jesus himself
had pointed out that a prophet has no honour in his own country”
Huh…
He’s going there, despite him having no honour – is that right?
No! It’s weirder still than that! Where we read [For] Now – actually, we should read something that
both accentuates and links this whole verse – it should read ‘because’. Which makes less sense
doesn’t it?
“After the two days he left for Galilea BECAUSE Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no
honour in his own country”
He left Samaria - a place where people hated ‘his type’ and yet fully understood and believed in Him
as the Messiah – and He went to where He had no honour – and went because He had no honour!
So little was he thought of in the eyes of the Jews that in fact they would ultimately condemn him to
the Romans for death on the cross!
But this is not new to us! No no!
Do you remember us going through the prologue?
John 1 verse 11 says what? Well, look with me up at the screen:
// “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.”
So the logic of verse 43 seems strange to us—go to a place because they will misunderstand you and
reject you—but it was not strange to Jesus.
It was part of the plan from the beginning.
BUT THEN…
Having just established that He was not welcome there – well, verse 44 – “The Galileans” that is –
‘his people’ “welcomed Him”?!!
// But Ian, you just said…
Well hang on a sec – Why did they welcome him?
Read on:
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“They had seen all that He had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been
there.” And they were in Cana together – the place where previously He had turned water into
wine!
Why did they welcome Him?
He had Cahones!! He had turned cords into whips and made a show that Jerusalem was THEIR
TOWN not- the Romans – AND he had shown those Jewish crooks who were changing coins over in
the Temple – God’s House!!!! Well, he showed them!
And he was MAGIC!!! EVERYONE was talking about how he had saved that poor couple in Cana and
he’d saved the wedding by turning water into wine – fantastic!
The welcome - the reception – it was a fascination – not belief!
A welcome like ‘the circus is in town – Jesus the freak is home everyone!’
And still; Jesus goes to them and by verse 46 is in Cana again.
Enter the royal official
Now if you or I had a child who was laying sick – and you heard that something could be done by this
extraordinary healer – would you go?
…
Anyway, the official travels from Capernaum to see Jesus in Cana and asked him to come down and
heal his son.
So Jesus said to him v46-48, ‘Unless youse! [plural] see signs and wonders youse! [plural] will not
believe!’
Now that’s a stiff response to a desperate guy isn’t it?
But Jesus was not addressing just the man – but whole crowd – whole region of his home.
And here he states explicitly what I’ve been arguing. They were sign-seekers, wonder-worshippers.
Jesus had met plenty who said they believed, but their belief was a thin veil.
It’s as though He was saying:
‘This kind of ‘belief’ doesn’t honour God or me! I want belief by those who see me and treasure me
and my words and see me as the son of God! What you are doing here – is dishonouring me!’
Words to that effect
But now what about this official?
Was he in that crowd who believed but didn’t really believe? Was He a sign-seeker, or seeking a
saviour? A lover of Jesus’ power, but not a lover of his person?
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So here is this guy
And asks for a miracle amidst a mob of miracle-lovers.
He SEEMS to be asking for the same reason any unbelieving person would love to see a miracle
He has an issue that needs fixing!
To which Jesus responded as we spoke about my rebuking him and all those around.
The question is, how does the official respond to this rebuke?
How would you respond?
Get angry?
WHY WOULDN’T YOU COME – HE IS JUST A CHILD!
Get passive?
HERE WE GO – ANOTHER TALKER – NO MIRACLE FROM THIS TURKEY FOR ME
Or would you do as the official did?
V49:
“Sir, come down before my child dies”
Neither Jesus nor John comment on the officials’ sincerity
But I hear it and read it and - v50 – Jesus must have too – because He responded:
“Go…your son will live.”
And it seems like just another run of the mill miracle at first – but something is different
It blends with the belief of the Samaritans from earlier in the chapter because while the NIV writes
‘he took Him at His word’ – the text is a little more nuanced.
It could just as easily be translated as ‘the man, the word believed’
The official simply left, believing the words of Jesus.
In that moment of hearing Jesus speaking; in spite of His accusations, something awakened in the
official.
He saw something more than a miracle-worker.
And the text concludes with us reading that this miracle – affirmed by the servant who met the
official on the road – led him and his household to belief.
Words are so powerful aren’t they?
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And how amazing is it – and yet how unsurprising to us that all it took was Jesus to speak for the boy
to be healed?
So, stepping back, what is the main point here? What was John getting at when he included this
story?
Because there seems to be a disconnect doesn’t there? Two weeks into a series on the ‘seven signs
of Johns Gospel’ reading of Jesus rebuking those who look for them – who seek them!
By calling this a sign – as John does in the final verse of this section we read, he is appealing for two
responses from us:
1. Overcome obstacles to seeing the glory of Christ
2. Realise the greatness of Christ
Now for people in church and not in the surf on Sunday morning you may well be saying ‘Ian, I don’t
need this, I know the greatness of Christ – and there are no obstacles for me!’
Well maybe – if yes, then maybe this is something you can pass on to others - but the obstacles
present here in this text – well they may ring true with some of us.
Obstacles such as:
-
Prideful egos.
The people of the region of Galilea could say that ‘great miracle-worker grew up in their town!’
‘that guy – I used to live next door to that guy’ – name-dropping kind of ego.
Power and fame by association
And this kind of stuff falsely inflates egos
It breeds pride and arrogance
And pride and arrogance are to Grace what a downpour is to a campfire.
It washes it away
It extinguishes it
And we can’t afford that in our church
If you have an ego or pride issue – get it in check
Obstacles such as
-
A sense of entitlement
Now my mind would be blown if anyone here was from Galilea…
…
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But you get how we might create that some mindset ourselves, right? That thinking of ‘he’s from my
town – so first dibs, right?’ That feeling like because of your faithfulness or generosity or
servanthood or … whatever – you might start to feel entitled to the blessings of Christ and
Christianity.
I’m sure you know but let me remind you that a sense of deservedness or entitlement will keep us
from knowing Christ.
We will not honour him for who he is if we slip into this mindset.
-
Obstacles such as disingenuous expectations
These people expected a show! From none other than God they expected fireworks or magic or …
What are your expectations of God?
the pride of attachment, a sense of entitlement and false expectations minimise Christ’s Grace and
sacrifice and over-inflate our sense of importance.
And finally, if we put these things in check
This text – this miracle helps us to see that
-
Jesus Is Gracious and powerful
In a really unbelieving environment – Jesus still healed the child.
He would have been well within His rights to turn His back and walk away
He is prodded at like a child poking a stick at an ant-hill by the sign-seeking false faith of His very
neighbours. And in that context, he gave freely to the official.
To a man he’s never met, and who says nothing about the person or the power of Jesus
He gave life.
By the power of His words He gave life
For us then who know –
..
…
how much greater the impetus
is it then that we take these opportunities to fill our lives with the Grace and power of God
And to us; well may this sign serve to turn us away from prideful ego, a sense of entitlement and
false expectations;
And as these things fall away, may we see and know the Grace and Power of Jesus more and more.
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