SEVEN SIGNS OF JOHN’S GOSPEL
SIGN 2
JOHN 4.43-54
HEALING THEOFFICIAL’S SON
1. The place where it was particularly difficult for Jesus to minister, preach
and heal was his own home town of Nazareth. People had seen him grow
up and knew him well. John refers to the problem in 4.44. It presumably
had already come to light before [see Lk 5.22ff]. Do we have problems
being taken seriously by our families? What do they think about our
Christian faith? Do they admire it, or envy it, or are neutral about it or
mock it?
2. This royal official clearly has money and influence but is now facing an
issue over which he has no control despite all his resources and backing.
He is at the end of himself and his resources. If that isn’t true for us at
the moment, it will be true of us on many occasions during our lifetime.
Each one of those occasions is an opportunity for God. Should we ‘take
advantage’ of people at such times and speak to them about the Lord?
Absolutely yes. This man had nowhere else to turn except to Jesus. How could we
possibly know of the comfort, compassion, help, forgiveness and power that is
available in him and not share it with others? We are not taking advantage of anyone
when we speak of him, but we are offering to another needy person the help which we
have already found in Jesus himself. See also 2 Kings 7.3-9.
3. One miracles in Cana in Galilee [changing water into wine] prompts a
second one on this occasion. The miraculous inspires faith in the
miraculous and makes us more ready to pray for miracles to happen.
That’s the power of periods of revival as people’s faith is heightened and
they are ready to pray for more. Should we travel to places where
miracles and revival happen in order to boost our faith [Cwmbran or
Lourdes]? How can we increase in our faith and expectation of God’s
practical involvement in our lives?
Faith grows when it is exercised. We need to live constantly just beyond our abilities.
That’s the place of growth. It’s the place where we need to constantly depend on God
and experience his strengthening and his Spirit at work in us. Cf. comment of Dr.
Bruce Wilkinson: ‘Attempt something large enough that failure is guaranteed unless
God steps in’. Jesus was constantly placing his disciples in positions where they had
to depend on the Lord’s resources or fail. See Mt 10.5ff.
4. Have you seen any ‘true’ miracles? Did it/they help you to believe more?
Share the details with your group?
5. The ministry team pray for miracles every Sunday both in the morning
and the evening. Do they do so just for the sight of something spectacular
happening, or out of compassion for needy people? Wasn’t Jesus being a
bit harsh in his comments in v.48?
It seems that Jesus was perfectly well aware that people were hanging around in the
hope that they might see something miraculous and astounding. It’s reasonable
enough in a certain sense, and only to be expected. However, Jesus wanted to
emphasise the fact that there was much much more to his ministry than just the
miraculous. We need to take this to heart in our own discipleship. We don’t follow in
order to see something spectacular happening, but simply because we are grateful to
the Lord for our life and for his cross.
6. ‘The man took Jesus at his word’ [v.50]. This is the heart of faith. It isn’t
so much the promises that we believe but rather the proven track record
of Jesus [he’s done the miraculous before] and his known integrity [he
keeps his word]. How can we hold on still more firmly and unshakably to
the promises Jesus makes? Do you find that difficult to do at times?
There seem to be seasons when it is clearer and easier to grasp hold of these promises.
Then either they slip away because other things become a pre-occupation or for a
while they become too familiar. It often takes a fresh insight of some kind, or a fresh
breath of the Spirit, or someone else coming to the truths for the first time, to bring
them home to the heart with renewed impact. C.S.Lewis speaks of ‘undulations of the
soul’ and that seems to describe the experience of many of us.
7. This healing took place at a distance. Jesus never went physically to the
boy’s bedside and yet he was still healed. What does that have to
contribute to our thinking about prayers for healing and about the
healing ministry through the laying on of hands and anointing with oil?
There isn’t a formula. We need to be careful that we don’t become a superstitious
people where things have to be done according to a particular pattern, and if the
pattern is not adhered to word for word then we have to start all over again. That is
magic and has to do with spells. It has nothing to do with the principles we see laid
before us in Scripture where there are many different ‘methods’ used for bringing
healing to people. It isn’t any one method that heals, it is the Lord.