John 4 - Jesus' Second Galilean Sign

John 4:46-54 recounts Jesus' second sign in Galilee (the first being in 2:1-11). According to John 20:30-31, the purpose of these "signs" is to engender faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. Thus, each of his recorded signs is given for a particular purpose - to teach something about the identity and/or task of Jesus' mission, and to encouage faith in this Jesus.

So, what is the point of this sign?

Here is the text:

46 Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe." 49 The royal official said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 50 Jesus said to him, "Go; your son lives." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off. 51 As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. 52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." 53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives"; and he himself believed and his whole household. 54 This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.


Notice the emphasis that is put on belief in this passage. First, there is the implicit faith that the royal official has in Jesus' ability to work miracles. Second, there is Jesus' indictment (or maybe a challenge?) regarding a miracle-based belief (v. 48). Third, the royal official believes Jesus' spoken word to him. Fourth, the official and his household end the pericope as "believers. "

So what is the message?

Jesus does not respond to the royal official as we might expect. He seems to come across as harsh, as though people are only seeking him for the miracles that he can perform. Unless he performs these miracles, people simply won't "believe." But the official already believes (he must have faith in Jesus' ability to perform miracles in order to ask this of him), and he has not yet seen a miracle.

Verse 48 seems connected to the rest of this narrative in two ways:
1. The official has sought out Jesus not for Jesus' sake, but for his own sake. He does not yet "believe" in the identity and mission of Jesus, which is most likely what Jesus is referring to in v. 48 (this is the emphasis of Jesus' work in John, and thus it makes sense to assume that belief in an absolute sense like this carries this connotation).

2. When Jesus challenges the faith of this man (he simply speaks a word of promise to him without any visible evidence of the fulfillment of the promise), the official believes the mere word of Jesus. This gives evidence that this official is rising above the superficial faith of others who will only believe when confronted with miracles. Cf. Hebrews 11:1, 13, 39.

The faith of this official continues to progress, however. Once he finds his son healed and sees the fulfillment of Jesus' word to him, he believes along with his whole household. Here again is belief in the absolute sense, not specifically directed to any thing in particular. Could it be that now this man, who once sought out Jesus because he was desperate for his son's life, now has come to understand (and believe) Jesus' identity as the Messiah sent from God? And, could it be that we are supposed to come away with the same understanding? This Jesus can perform miracles merely through his spoken word. Truly, only one sent from God can do this. And, as the logic progresses, if Jesus is sent from God as he says, then he must also be God as he says.

I find two important points to this story:
1. Regarding Jesus' identity and mission as the Messiah - He is able to perform miracles (life-giving miracles at that) simply by speaking. His word and his promises are sure.

2. The faith that John is directing us to is not a faith that responds to miracles, but a faith that responds to what Jesus says. We are not to believe on the basis of miracles but on the basis of Jesus' word.

Are you willing to believe Jesus' word about Himself, that He is willing to receive any one who will come to Him (John 6:37)? Are you willing to believe that with one word Jesus can give you life? Are you willing to believe Jesus' word that He is the only way to the Father (John 14:6)? Will you remain in your unbelief, waiting for the miraculous, even though God has already told you all that you need to know?