The Seven Signs in John: Lord of Time and Distance

David Krueger

The Seven Signs in John • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

John 4:43–54

Faith

Sovereignty

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Jesus is Lord of Time and Distance who grants life by his word.

Notes

Transcript

Text: John 4:46-54

Theme: Jesus is Lord of Time and Distance who grants life by his word.

Date: 03/01/2020 Title: SevenSigns-03.wpd No:

About ten years ago, the following story appeared in "Our Daily Bread", a devotional guide for Christians. It tells the story of an incident in the small Texas town of Mt. Vernon. Drummond's Bar began construction on a new building to increase their business. The local Baptist church started a campaign to block the bar from opening by praying to God. Work progressed right up till the week before opening when lightning struck the bar and it burned to the ground.

The church folks were rather smug in their outlook after that…until the bar owner sued the church on the grounds that the church was ultimately responsible for the destruction of his building, either "through direct or indirect actions or means." The church vehemently denied all responsibility or any connection to the building's demise in its reply to the court.

As the case made its way into court, the judge looked over the paperwork. At the hearing he commented, "I don't know how I'm going to decide this, but as it appears from the paperwork, we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation that does not."

Have you ever had an answer to prayer that was so specific that the answer had to be a miracle? We often receive answers to our prayers, but we are tempted to give them alternate explanations. We chalk it all up to coincidence or even a stroke of “luck.”

What would it take for you to believe?

In our text for this evening, the apostle John records a healing that was so specific, so unique, that it can only be explained as a miracle. It is a miracle that leads us to believe that Jesus is sovereign, not just when He is physically present, but even when He is at a distance bodily. It is a miracle of time and space. It is a miracle that can have no rational explanation.

As you know, John calls these miracles signs. Of all the miracles that Jesus performs during his thee-year ministry, John pulls these events out and says, “Not only do they show Jesus’ power, but they also teach us things beyond the miracle itself.” At he end of his gospel, John give us the explicit reason he has singled out these Seven Signs—“Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30–31, NIV84)

Tonight we look at the miraculous healing of a government official’s son.

I. THE PLACE

“Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. ... .” (John 4:46–47, NIV84)

1. not long after the wedding in Cana, where Jesus performed his first sign, he and his disciples head to Jerusalem because Passover is fast approaching

a. upon arriving at the Temple complex Jesus becomes incensed over the merchandising he witnesses, and clears out the moneychangers and livestock sellers

b. while he is Jerusalem, he performs a number of miracles, which John does not list, and many people ... believed in his name (John 2:23)

2. one evening while still in Jerusalem, Jesus receives a notable guest; Nicodemus, and they have one of the most profound conversations found in the Scriptures

a. Jesus tells this teacher of Israel that he must be born again ... which thoroughly confuses him

3. after the Passover, Jesus takes his disciples on a tour of Judean countryside (John 3:22)

a. he’s teaching them, he’s teaching the crowds, the disciples are baptizing people in Jesus’ name, and he is beginning to draw a large following—even more than John the Baptist (John 3:22-36)

1) as a side-note, this dismay’s John the Baptist’s friends, but John assures them that this is how it’s supposed to be

4. shortly thereafter, Jesus and his disciples leave Judea and head back toward Galilee ... though Samaria

a. on the way they stop at Jacob’s well, and Jesus has his famous encounter with “the woman at the well”

b. as a result, many Samaritans become believers (John 4:41)

c. all of these events set up the back-story of the second sign

A. JESUS’ FAME SPREADS QUICKLY AND WIDELY

“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 Feast, for they also had been there.” (John 4:43–45, NIV84)

1. from the three synoptic gospels we know that Jesus is becoming famous for two reasons

a. his preaching/teaching ministry, and his healing ministry

1) our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, for instance, is an example of his teaching

a) it was profound

“They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority.” (Luke 4:32, NIV84)

b) in His teaching, Jesus used a variety of approaches and methods that promoted engagement and reflection and helped His learners better comprehend and apply His instruction

2) our Lord’s healing was a fulfillment of prophecy

“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. ... .” (Isaiah 35:5–6, NIV84)

a) in the gospels, there are 37 recorded miracles performed by Jesus, and of those 27 are healing miracles

b) these accounts represent only a small number of the multitudes of people who were made whole by the savior

2. the varieties of ills which affected humanity in 1st century Israel were legion

a. there were diseases of the mind and of the body, internal and external, real and imagined

1) the root cause of all afflictions, according to Jewish thought, was sin, and we see this in John, chapter nine

2) even the disciples accepted the prevailing view of the day

“As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”” (John 9:1–2, NIV84)

3) the most grievous of sins was neglect of one’s faith

ILLUS. Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish Philosopher in Alexandria, Egypt, and a contemporary of Jesus’ time, wrote “ ... that the person who neglects the sacred laws shall be afflicted by diseases of the body, which separately afflict and devour each limb and each part, and which also rack and torture it all over with fever and chills and wasting consumptions and terrible rashes, and scrofulous diseases, and spasmodic convulsions of the eyes, and putrefying sores and abscesses.”

3. the healing practices used in 1st century Israel relied on a myriad of methods to cure diseases

a. conventional folk remedies included different diets, curative foods, exercises, healing incantations, and the ever popular “blood-letting”

b. the very act of studying Torah served as a treatment for illness—study of the Scriptures were considered “a drug for the entire body”

c. angels, or in a few cases demons, would be invoked to effect a recovery

d. amulets and talismans were frequently used both as preventatives and as remedies

e. items imbued with kedush—spiritual power—such as leftover wine from a holiday, or olive oil blessed for use in a Hanukkah menorah, were believed to have extra medicinal power

4. all of these methods were hit-and-miss ... sometimes people got better, but most of the time they didn’t

a. Jesus’ healing always actually healed

5. I tell you all that to tell you this ... by the time Jesus returns to Cana of Galilee his fame as a teacher, but especially as a healer has gone before him

This brings us to ...

II. THE PLEA

“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.” (John 4:46–47, NIV84)

1. a man’s son is sick unto death

a. the man is called a certain royal official

1) the word implies the man had both civic and military authority

2) all we know is that he would have been a court administrator or perhaps a military attache in Herod Antipater’s kingdom

a) that kingdom was rather small; including only Galilee and Perea (think territory called “Israel’s West Bank”)

b) we know him because he’s the one who had John the Baptist beheaded, and who demanded that Jesus perform a miracle for him at one of his Good Friday show-trials

b. this royal official lives in Capernaum, and hears that Jesus is in Cana, and so he makes the twenty-mile trip to Cana to beseech Jesus to come and heal his son

A. THE OFFICIAL’S FAITH REVEALS HOW OUR FAITH GROWS

1. 1st, There Was a Crisis of Faith

a. with his son’s fever on the rise, the man had one desire, and that was to get best medical care available for his son

1) as a court official, he would have had access to the best doctors, medicine and care available

2) and though the text doesn’t tell us so, he more than likely turned to these

3) they did not help

b. the he receives news about Jesus, and that he has just arrived in Cana

1) he travels to Jesus and to persuade Him to come to his home and cure the boy

a) the word beg in this verse is a verb that means to continually beg

b) he’s pleading, imploring again and again for Jesus to come heal his son

c. in an era of modern medicine it’s hard for us to imagine the sense of desperation that men throughout the millennia have felt when they or a loved one became seriously ill

1) we get sick, or have a pain, or a serious physical issue, we just call a doctor

a) we take health care pretty much for granted

b) that’s not always been the case

ILLUS. We know that during the Bubonic Plague outbreak in 14th century Europe, (that history calls the “black death”) that 60% of the population died in a three-year period. It was the rapidity of death that was so scary. You could wake up feeling fine, but be dead within twelve hours.

d. the son’s nearness to death makes the father desperate, and when they are desperate people will reach out in hope to unfamiliar people and procedures

1) so his crisis of faith prompts him to reach out to Jesus

2. 2nd, He Had a Confident Faith

a. in vs. 50 Jesus said, ‘You may go. Your son will live.’

1) the man took Jesus at his word and departed ... that’s a confident faith!

b. Christians today need to keep in mind that this was a specific promise given to a specific man at a specific time in history

1) we cannot generalize the words of Christ and apply them to ourselves

2) in other words, we cannot insist that if we “go our way” our sick child or we will be healed

a) our danger is to believe promises that do not apply to us and thus conclude that God is not as good as His word

ILLUS. Our society is full of Christians who have become bitter, believing that God has deceived them because they were not healed or helped in response to desperate prayers. They thought they had a promise from God, and He was obligated to heal them or bless them financially.

3) 1st, God gives some promises that apply to all people ... It rains on the just and the unjust

4) 2nd, God gives some promises that are only for Christians ... The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

5) 3rd, God gives some promises that are only for specific individuals ... Abraham was promised that his name would be great

c. this man is to be commended for his implicit faith: “The man took Jesus at his word and departed” (vs. 50)

1) confident faith does not demand “proofs” or “signs”

2) in fact, Jesus reproves the man and the crowd around them for having “miracle-mania” —people who want to see signs and wonders just for the thrill of seeing signs and wonders

3) Jesus’ desire is that the recipients of the miracle are infinitely more interested in him, and putting their faith in him, than they are in the miracle

4) wonders may produce awe, but words produce faith

d. this man apparently “gets it” and when Jesus says simply Go, your son will live the man believes and heads home

3. 3rd, He Had a Confirmed Faith

a. he left without a sign to strengthen his faith

1) there was no light in the sky ... no out-of-body experience ... no angel to accompany him ... no feelings ... no word of knowledge

2) he believed the bare words of Jesus, convinced that He who spoke would do as promised

3) Jesus did not have to come to his house in order for his son to be healed

b. don’t miss the contrast between this official’s rush to Cana to seek Jesus’ help and his leisurely stroll home

“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, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.” 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 all his household believed.” (John 4:51–53, NIV84)

1) since the miracle took place at the seventh hour (one o’clock in the afternoon Jewish time), he could have made it home the same day, particularly if he had a horse

2) but he arrived the next day, spending the night en route

3) as he is approaching Capernaum, some of his household servants have traveled to met him with wonderful news ... they can confirm that the boy lives

ILLUS. Louisa Stead wrote ...

’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His word;

Just to rest upon His promise;

Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”

4. 4th, He Had a Contagious Faith

a. for all of his faith, notice how he asked the question, “When did the boy begin to improve?”

b. the hour matched his encounter with Jesus

1) he had an answer so specific that neither he nor his family could doubt

c. he tells the story and the result is a home and family evangelized

III. THE POWER

1. the lessons of faith are important, and they serve as an example to us, but I’m not sure that the lesson of faith is the main lesson of the second sign

2. what does John want us to understand here?

A. JESUS IS LORD OF TIME AND DISTANCE WHO GRANTS LIFE BY HIS WORD

1. at his will Jesus causes events to happen—the will of Christ is unquestionably the main thing

a. as the Living Word, Jesus merely desires it in his mind, and it takes place

b. in the ancient world miracles and acts of power were linked to the presence of the miracle worker, but here the healer refused to be present

2. this Second Sign takes us all the way back to John’s opening prologue ...

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:1–3, NIV84)

a. this Jesus, who changes water into wine, who cures a young boy twenty miles away without ever seeing him or touching him, this Jesus was with the Father at the beginning of time

b. when God said, “Let there be ... and it was” Jesus was their as part of the Triune Godhead making all things “be”

c. God willed it, and it was, and since Jesus willed a boys healing and it was then Jesus is obviously part of the Godhead that has existed for all eternity

3. this is the deeper truth that John wants us to know and understand and embrace

a. God Is All-powerful – We Dare Not Misunderstand this

b. God Is Sovereign – We Dare Not Misunderstand this

c. God Is All-knowing – We Dare Not Misunderstand this

d. God Is Good and Created Everything Good – We Dare Not Misunderstand this

Remember John’s theme: Believing is seeing. Our modern society assumes everything must be tested by science, explained with logic, or personally experienced. When it passes those tests, it can be identified as reality. But the writer of Hebrews said, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (11:1).

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