Faith that works in adversity John 4: 43-54 (Bible)　

11 February 2022

Jesus came to the town of Cana in the Galilee region. This was the place where Jesus once encountered a situation where he was invited to a wedding ceremony and was running out of wine, and performed the miracle of turning water into wine. Wine is a symbol of joy and the Holy Spirit in the Bible. Once again Jesus was about to do the work of joy and the work of the Holy Spirit here. God also works and gives us joy in our lives.

 

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

⁴³ After the two days he left for Galilee. ⁴⁴ (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor 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 sick 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 inquired 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 realized 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. (John 4: 43-54)

When Jesus came to Cana, there was a royal official with a sick son in a place called Capernaum. This man came to Jesus when he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Cana in Galilee. And his son was dying of a serious illness, so he asked Jesus to come and heal. His father, who was about to lose his son, was forced into adversity.

Faith begins with listening. This person would have been desperate because his son was sick and dying. But although he heard that Jesus Chris could come to a relatively nearby city (verse 47). Hearing the news, he would have felt his hope rising. He was given faith.

However, he was told a harsh word by Jesus (verse 48). I think this is easy to understand compare to the centurion who was a Gentile (Luke 7: 1-10). The centurion said to Jesus: ” But let me speak, and my servant will surely be healed. ” (Luke 7: 7) Jesus praised his faith.

Jesus said here, “You want me to come, but I can command you in words. You don’t believe if you don’s see the signs. Believe in my words.” Jesus wanted to say it. But his demands haven’t changed. “Please come” (verse 49)

He had only a small faith, but Jesus was merciful and said to him. ” Go home. Your son is healed ” (verse 50a). His attitude and reaction were different. He didn’t say, ” I can’t trust your words Lord, come with me. My son is about to die.” Instead, he believed in the words Jesus spoke (verse 50b). This is the faith that works in adversity.

He went home. The distance from Cana to Capernaum is about 30 km. I’m sure there were worries and anxieties. Faith and unbelief would have collided. But he continued to believe what Jesus said. And he was able to experience the healing of his son.

He believed in Jesus’ words and went home (verse 50b). The words that Jesus proclaimed and spoken are the words of life. It is a word of prophecy. It is a powerful word that creates something out of nothing. Light was created when God said “Let there be light” in Genesis 1: 3, it is the same word of God that is comparable to the word that created heaven and earth .

This father hadn’t actually seen the healing of his child yet, but he believed. This is the faith. Where are the areas we should fight? It’s an invisible area. Anyone can see and believe. It’s not faith. We need to fight in the invisible territory.

We haven’t actually seen it yet, but it’s about believing in the Word without seeing it. Then the visible area, that is, the real world, will change. We often try to change the real world first. But it doesn’t change. The order is reversed. We must first fight in the invisible territory and change it. In other words, accept and believe in the Word of God. It means making the Word truly our own.

Not believing invisible is a major feature of modern society. Even among Christians. It can be said to be a Thomas Christian in a sense. He said. “I will never believe unless I actually see the resurrected Jesus with my own eyes,” the resurrected Jesus appeared and said to Thomas. “Stop doubting and believe.” (John 20:27)

The coronavirus is invisible, but it is violent, harming people’s health and robbing their lives. God is also invisible, but it does exist, heals people’s health and gives them life. On his way home, he met his servants. He could hear from them that his son had healed (verse 51-52).

The visible situation has changed. His son was healed. He first sought to change the visible situation, that is, to heal his son, but before that, Jesus sought to change the invisible territory, the spiritual territory. He was asked to change to a faith that believes in. When that happened, his son was brilliantly healed. And that wasn’t the end of it, and he and his family came to believe that Jesus was the Savior (verse 53). Jesus is the Savior and Healer.

Word of God precede faith. It is accompanied by signs and miracles. The gospel is spoken. It is accompanied by signs, wonders, and healing. This is Jesus’ method, which Jesus commanded his disciples. Therefore, we should not emphasize the sign beyond the Words of the Gospel. But don’t rule out the signs and wonders. Because the true gospel comes with a sign.

When talking about healing, there are Christians who react in this way. “You emphasize signs and miracles and neglecting the cross.” Such an indication is irrelevant. Perhaps there are such people. As far as I know, such cases are extremely rare. It’s not. We just follow Jesus’ method. We raise the cross above all else. Emphasize the cross first. Stand firmly in the Gospel and the Words of the Bible. When we stand firmly in the gospel, we will be accompanied by signs and wonders, like the work of Jesus.

Faith is not born by miracles. Faith is born by hearing and listening the Words of Jesus, to hear the Words of the Bible. Therefore, it is important to listen to the sermon. It is also important to read the Bible ourselves.

He had to wait to find out about the healing of his child. Everything has a time of God. We are sometimes required to wait. We modern people may have lost sight of the true words in the flood of words. Now is the time to listen to Jesus’ short but concise, powerful words of life. ” Your son is healed ” (verse 50)

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