Lesson 15

The Faith Of A Father

John 4:43-54

Statistical tables tells us that most Americans can expect to live about 70 years. But statistical tables don't always work out with real-life precision. We expect to face the death of our parents someday. We don't expect ,however, to face the deaths of our children. We tend to envision long and full lives for our children. We forget that the first grave dug in human history was for a son, not a father. We don't expect to face the death of our children.

Neither did Nicholas Wolterstorff. But one bright, Sunday afternoon a numbing telephone call brought word of an accident. His son was dead. He wrote a book called Lament For A Son. Listen to this passage when a grieving father reflects upon his painful feelings.

"Gone from the face of the earth. I wait for a group of students to cross the street, and suddenly I think: He is not there. I go to a ball-game and find myself singling out the 25 year olds; none of them is he. In all the crowds and streets and rooms and churches and schools and libraries and gatherings in our world, I will not find him. Only his absence.

Silence. "Was there a letter from Eric today?" When did Eric say he would call?" Now only silence. Absence and silence.

When we gather now there is always someone missing, his absence as present as our presence, his silence as loud as our speech. Still five children, but one of them is gone. When we are all together, we are not all together.

It's the neverness that is so painful. Never again to be here with us - never to sit with us at the table, never to travel with us, never to cry with us, never to embrace us as he leaves for school, never to see his brothers and sister marry. All the rest of our lives we must live without him."

In our text for tonight's message, John 4:43-54, the emotion of another father who fears the death of his son bleeds through the page. Verses 43-.46a set up the scene for us.

The two eventful days in Samaria are over and Jesus moves on to Galilee, v. 43

He quotes a proverb. "A prophet hath no honour in his own country" (v. 44). The people of Samaria were far more receptive than those in Judea, where Jesus had been born. It would be even worse the next time he went to Judea.

Many of the Galileans had been in Jerusalem for the feast and, having seen the miracles, are excited about His return, v. 45. His first stop in Galilee was in Cana (v. 46a) where he had attended a wedding and performed His first miracle, turning water to wine at a wedding.

In the middle of verse 46 we meet the man who, along with Jesus, is the main character of this story. He is introduced to us as "a certain nobleman". The word nobleman literally mean "a king's man" and is used to describe an official of the royal court. He is from Capernaum, about 20 miles away. He has heard that Jesus is in Galilee and has come to see him (v. 47). He has a special reason to seek Jesus. Let's cup our ears and listen in on the conversation.

Request, v. 47

The man has a need. It is an urgent need. It is a serious need. His son is sick, v. 46. He has a fever, v. 52. He is very sick, "at the point of death" (v. 47). His son's life is at stake. His rank and riches mean nothing to him now. He doesn't go to Herod the King. He goes to Jesus, the King of Kings! Infirmity draws people to Christ faster than prosperity. But that's sometimes what it takes. It was C. S. Lewis who said, "How hard it is to turn our thoughts to God when everything is going well with us."

His request is that Jesus would come down and heal his son, v. 47.

Test, v. 48-49a

Jesus puts this man's faith to the test. A circus atmosphere was developing around Jesus. To many people, He was fast becoming a traveling side show - "Come one, come all! See the Galilean Miracle Worker!" Jesus is surrounded by shallow excitement. Jesus wants to know if this man's faith is shallow and superficial or genuine and real. "Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe." The "ye" is plural, directed not just to this man, but to the whole crowd. "Seeing is believing. Must you see to believe? Can you believe without seeing?" Later, Jesus would say to Thomas, "Blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe."

The nobleman persists in a desperate plea to Jesus. "Sir, come down or my child will die." "You are my only hope. If you don't help me, my son will die." The Greek word which he uses to describe his son means "my dear little child."

"Go thy way; thy son liveth." In effect Jesus says to the man, "All right, let us find out whether or not you will believe without seeing. You want me to come down to Capernaum. Well, I'm not coming. It's not at all necessary for me to come. I don't have to be physically present to heal a sick child at the point of death. I'll stay here and heal him. You go on home. Your son lives." This is a long distance, Sprint, MCI, AT&T healing. Distance is no obstacle to Jesus.

The Rest, vs. 49-53

Did the nobleman pass Jesus test of faith? The answer is yes. Notice something here. It is about 22 miles from Cana to Capernaum. The healing happened at one o'clock in the afternoon (v. 52 - the seventh hour - Jewish time was marked from 6 a.m.) If he had started home immediately when Jesus made the promise, he could have been home in four to five hours. But he didn't go home until the next day (v. 52 - yesterday)!

Now, that's faith! To trust enough to rest in the word of Jesus promise and wait a day to go home. Along the way, he saw some of his servants hurrying to meet him with the identical words of Jesus - "thy son liveth." The nobleman compared notes with his servants and discovered that the healing had happened exactly at the hour when Jesus had made the promise.

He had believed the word of Jesus and now he believed in Jesus as his messiah and so did his whole household, v. 53.

There were two miracles of Jesus in Cana of Galilee. The first was at a wedding- a time of joy and festivity. The second was at a sickbed - a time of sorrow, anxiety and desperation.

Life is filled with both - one or the other and Jesus is the answer for all of life's moments.

Tragedy should draw us to God - not drive us from God; it should cause us to depend on God not doubt God.

In closing the account of this miracle, John calls it the "second miracle' that Jesus did. You will recall that John is being selective choosing only seven miracles to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing we might have life through his name.

Do you trust Jesus enough to rest in his promises?