John 4:46-53 King James Version (KJV)
46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
Trouble led this nobleman to Jesus
Had he been without trial, he might have lived forgetful of his God and Savior, but sorrow came to his house.
It is a sad, sad thing with some men that, the better the Lord deals with them in life, the worse return they make.
The particular form of trial which visited this nobleman was the sickness of his child. He had a little son, whom he dearly loved, and he was down with a deadly fever.
No doubt he had tried all the remedies available at that time, he must have sent for every physician that could be found within miles of Capernaum, and now, having heard of one Jesus of Nazareth, who at Cana had turned water into wine, and at Jerusalem had done many mighty works, he resorts to Him with eager petition and desperate hope.
He might never have thought of seeking Jesus if it had not been for that dear dying boy.
Psalm 119:71 – 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.
Anything that will lead a man to obey God is a blessing and a favor.
The nobleman travelled for 25 miles from Capernaum to Galilee.
1. Little faith demonstrated by the nobleman
We can identify with the grain of mustard seed faith here..
Paul says in Rom. 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
The nobleman’s faith can be regarded as little because it concerned the healing of only his sick child and nothing more. He was not concerned for his soul but for his son as he himself was not saved.
The nobleman’s faith was so feeble that he limited the power of Jesus to His postcode.
47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son:
Your narrow faith limits Him exceedingly, and shuts Him up in a very close place, and therefore you may not expect Him to do many mighty works for you, and yet up to the measure of your faith He will go with you and bless you.
Don’t grieve Him by suspicions of His ability.
But we need to commend him as he thought of taking journey himself while there are so many servants at his disposal;
he went unto him, and besought him
The man’s faith taught him how to pray – he knew how to pray
for he was at the point of death.
His extremity of the situation was his reason for the urgency.
He stated the child’s case, and say, “For he is at the point of death.” This is the key, which opens the door of mercy.
I pray the door of mercy will open to you today.
1 Samuel 1:
10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”
David prayed – For the sake of your name, LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.
2. The Passion of Faith
Our Lord was probably gauging his faith
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
His faith was hindered by a desire for signs and wonders.
Have you been studying others testimonies and you want God to tailor your miracle to that of others?
There are many who believe that the Lord Jesus can save, but they have fixed their mind in the way in which He must do it.
He expected the Savior to come down to the house, and perform some act peculiar to His prophetic office.
Infact, this nobleman is the New Testament reproduction of Naaman in the Old Testament.
Behold, I thought, he would surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the Lord His God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper”
Faith that could endure a rebuff – abrupt rejection,
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
This man answered our Lord by still greater pleading. He would not go away, not he.
Oh, dear heart, may you have such faith in Christ that, though He should rebuke you, you will not leave Him!
Jesus is your only hope; therefore do not turn away from Him.
See how passionately this man pleaded He cried, “Sir, come down before my child dies,”
3. The higher stage of faith
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
He believed the word of Jesus over the head of all his former prejudices
He had thought only that Christ could heal if He came down to Capernaum, but now He believes, though Jesus remains where He is, and only speaks the word.
The question this morning is, Friend, will you, at this moment, believe the Lord Jesus Christ on His bare word?
Without laying down any rules as to how He will save you, will you trust Him?
To prove the sincerity of his faith – he at once obeyed Christ
If the man had not believed the word, he would have lingered there, and kept on pleading, and looking for favorable signs, but as he has believed, he is satisfied with the word of the Lord, and goes his way without another word. “Your son lives” is enough for him.
If you believe in Him, you will go your way in peace, you will believe that He has saved you, and act as if you knew it to be true. You will joy and rejoice in the fact that you are saved.
He that believes on Me has everlasting life’ and I do believe in Him, and therefore I have everlasting life. I may not feel any peculiar emotion, but I have eternal life.
On his way home… 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
I pray for you today, you will have a new song. A new beginning, a turn around for good.
His faith still fell somewhat short of what it might have been
52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
He was overjoyed when they virtually said, “He never did begin to mend, the fever left him all at once; at the seventh hour he recovered.”
He traveled home with the leisure of confidence
It is written, “He that believes shall not make haste,”
Give Him not a half faith, but a whole faith, whether about a child, or about yourself, believe in earnest. Say, “‘Let God be true, but every man a liar.’
He believes in Jesus in the fullest sense, believes for everything, for his body, and for his soul; for all that he is, and for all that he has.