Lesson 6 - John 4:39-54 - MANY MORE BELIEVED
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in John 4:10-15, 25-26, we covered Jesus' significant encounter with the woman at the well while He and His disciples were taking a direct route through Samaria on their way to Galilee. When the woman came to the well where Jesus was resting, He initiated a conversation by asking her for a drink. When she expressed surprise, he told her if she knew the "gift of God" and knew who He was, she would ask Him to give her "living water," a metaphor for salvation by grace. When she asked for this water, Jesus revealed that He knew every detail about her sinful past and told her that the time had come for "true worshipers of God" (which includes Jews, Samaritans, and everyone else) to "worship the Father in spirit and truth." She then told him that she knew a Messiah was coming, and Jesus declared, "I am He, the One," and her actions afterward confirmed her belief in Him. The main truth of this lesson was that Jesus offers the free gift of salvation to all sinners in the world. It formed a marked contrast to the previous story of Nicodemus, who could not bring himself, a learned Pharisee, to accept Jesus' declaration that he needed to be spiritually regenerated in order to 'see' the kingdom of God.
This week, in John 4:39-54, we continue the story of the woman at the well as she testifies to the Samaritan people about Jesus, who respond by demonstrating faith. Then we follow Jesus and his disciples to Cana in Galilee, where a royal official begs Jesus to go to Capernaum to heal his son.
Read John 4:39-42 - THIS ONE TRULY IS THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD
39 Now from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of His word; 42 and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One truly is the Savior of the world."
v. 39: "Now from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done." - We can learn something from this woman about being an effective witness for Christ. Despite the fact that her character was questionable and her understanding of Jesus was incomplete, it's enough. Notice that she sticks to what she knows based on personal experience and simply tells people what Jesus has done for her. It's also important to see that her testimony (i.e., "he told me") glorified Jesus rather then herself.
v. 40: "So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days." - We can only imagine that Jesus' disciples were confused at this turn of events. After all, these Samaritans were ethnic and religious half-breeds. Yet, Jesus did what was unthinkable-a Jewish teacher (rabbi) purposely choosing to remain among all these undesirables. A more modern idiom for this would be 'cross-cultural evangelism' or 'foreign missions.'
v. 41: "Many more believed because of His word" - The willingness of this Samaritan women to bring others to Jesus was just the beginning: As a witness, she told others who, in turn, told others, and so on and so on. This is how personal evangelism works. It's also a picture of spiritual revival-how the Holy Spirit can move and empower people to venture out as witnesses for Jesus Christ. It also imparted an object lesson to Jesus' disciples about spreading the gospel.
v. 42a: "and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe," - Whatever reservations the people may have had about the woman's testimony were completely removed once they encountered and heard Jesus in person. This might remind us of Philip's earlier invitation for Nathanael to simply "come and see" Jesus for himself (John 1:46).
v. 42b: "for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One truly is the Savior of the world." - As we will see, this constitutes the strongest statement of Jesus' Messianic status so far in this gospel. The enthusiastic faith of these Samaritans, who were marginal people, contrasts dramatically with the opposition Jesus will face from the Jewish leaders, who should be welcoming Him as the Messiah.
APPLICATION 1: The example of the Samaritan woman showed us that anyone can be an effective witness for Jesus Christ. Despite the fact that her background was questionable and her understanding of Jesus was only very basic, her witness effectively told others what Jesus had done for her-saved her soul-and that was enough.
APPLICATION 2: In order to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ, we must be willing to cross cultural barriers. Jesus Himself set the example and established this mission when he traveled through Samaria rather than around it. To you and me personally, this means we need to be prepared to get out of our comfortable pews and go out and meet the 'Samaritans'-everybody else in the world-wherever they are. It also means we should use our resources to support missions, local, statewide, national, and international. All of those teeming millions need to hear the gospel.
Read John 4:43-45 - A PROPHET HAS NO HONOR IN HIS OWN COUNTRY
43 After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.
v. 43: "After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee." - This is a transitional phrase that explains how Jesus moved from one location to another. Still, Jesus' decision to travel through Samaria had been unusual. It shows that Jesus' work and mission was to accomplish the will of God, even when His disciples and others didn't understand it.
v. 44: "For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country." - This is a strange statement: What does John mean by the term Jesus' "own country," since the next verse seems to contradict it? The word used here for "country," (Gk. patris [pat-rece']) literally means one's fatherland. So, one explanation is that John viewed Judea and Jerusalem as Jesus' spiritual homeland or even heaven, from which He had descended. Then Galilee was His earthly residence.
v. 45: "So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast." - The conjunction "So," which can also translate to "for this reason," explains why "the Galileans received Him": purely because of the miracles they had seen Him perform in Jerusalem during the Passover, not because they honored Him as a prophet from God. They were looking for entertainment, not spiritual enlightenment. Note: All able-bodied Galilean men were required to attend the Passover feasts.
Read John 4:46-54 - COME DOWN BEFORE MY CHILD DIES
46 Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee, where He had made the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and began asking Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. 48 Then 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 is alive." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went home. 51 And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was alive. 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 is alive"; and he himself believed, and his entire household. 54 This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come from Judea into Galilee.
v. 46a: "Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee, where He had made the water into wine." - Scholars identify this phrase as the end of a cycle that began with the First Sign: (1) Jesus' unfruitful attempt to bring the gospel to Nicodemus, who symbolized the opposition of the learned Jews in Judea; (2) His overwhelming success with the woman at the well and the common people in Samaria; and (3) now, here in Galilee, he encounters a royal official who works for the government.
v. 46b: "And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum." - We know nothing about this man, whether He's a Jew or a Gentile. Because of the title, "royal official," scholars believe he was likely a civil or military officer on the staff of Herod Antipas who ruled an area that encompassed Judea, Idumea, and Galilee on behalf of the Roman government. We also know nothing of the nature of his son's illness except that it's critical and life-threatening.
v. 47: "When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and began asking Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death." - This man had either apparently seen or heard of Jesus when He performed miracles during the Passover feast in Jerusalem. But even absent that, the news of Jesus' activities there would have spread by now all the way to Capernaum (see map), where this man lived. Moreover, there's absolutely no indication that this man believed that Jesus is anything more than just a faith healer, as compared to being 'the Son of God.' Yet, he believes that Jesus can somehow heal his son and now comes to Him for help. Specifically, he wants Jesus to travel to Capernaum so He can minister directly to his son; however, as we shall see, Jesus has other plans.
v. 48: "Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe." - Jesus' negative remark about "signs and wonders" isn't personally directed at this man but the faithless (i.e., 'that seeing is believing') attitude he encounters from by people in general. This remark indicates that Jesus is planning to set up a real spiritual challenge for this man. One that will ask: Are you really ready to trust Me without seeing the proof?
v. 49: "The royal official *said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." - We are inclined to sympathize with this man's approach-as limited human beings faced with an emergency like this one, we often find that we're only able to focus on one thing: He desperately needed Jesus to come to Capernaum just as fast as He could possibly get there! However, Jesus' purpose in this scenario is not to diminish the urgency of this man's need, but to test his faith. In other words, simply wishing that Jesus can heal isn't the same as Biblical faith and trust-belief that He can and will heal, period!
v. 50a: "Jesus *said to him, 'Go; your son is alive.'" - In this phrase, we see Jesus issue a direct challenge. And notice that the challenge contains a promise: "your son is alive." Also notice that the man isn't being asked to have 'blind' faith; he already has reason to believe that Jesus can heal.
v. 50b: "The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went home." - This is "Biblical Faith," which is not simply mental knowledge but an act of confident trust-choosing to rely on something that you believe in spite of all the things that you don't know or understand. It's all a matter of the heart. In any case, when Jesus told the man his son lived, the man turned out to have saving faith; he unquestionably believed Jesus' "word" in his mind and heart that his son was (past-tense) healed. Scholars regard this official as a model of what it means to believe apart from signs.
v. 51: "And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was alive." - Scholars estimate that Jesus had made His promise to the official at about 1:00 p.m. the day before, so that the timing of the official's encounter with Jesus shows that his request had been granted even before he knew it. When the man met his servants en route, he learned that his son's condition had improved immediately and miraculously, not just in stages as he might have expected.
vv. 52-53: "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 is alive"; and he himself believed, and his entire household." - The "seventh hour" matched the precise moment in time when Jesus had informed the official, "Go, your son is alive" (v. 50a). This not only resulted in a more profound level of belief in the official, but it also indicated that his witness for Jesus resulted in the salvation of "his entire household," and no doubt, news of Jesus' mind-boggling healing miracle had begun to circulate elsewhere in this region. People talk, yes? The text doesn't tell us if the man truly understood that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.
v. 54: "This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come from Judea into Galilee." - Interestingly, John identifies this miracle as the "second sign," even though Jesus had performed other miracles both in Judea and Galilee. Moreover, this is the second of seven miracles that John will ultimately identify as "signs" in his gospel. Like the first sign at Cana, this one shared some similarity in that it had limited eye-witnesses-only the official and his servants knew about it at first. We also need to keep in mind that miracles labeled as 'signs' are specifically intended to prove that Jesus is who He claims to be-the Son of God. The fact John mentions that this sign "had come from Judea into Galilee," suggests a contrast between the unbelief that marked Judea compared to the spread of faith seen in Galilee. Finally, comparing the two signs, the first, at the wedding feast, showed that Jesus possessed the power to change the actual material substance of things-water into wine, while the second demonstrated that Jesus not only had the power to heal, but had the power to do it over a distance (i.e., 16.5 miles from Cana to Galilee).
APPLICATION 3: Biblical faith in Jesus requires a lot more than mental knowledge. It's not merely a wish but means you're willing to step out in faith-confident trust-that Jesus can do what you're asking. It means you are willing to believe in spite of all the things you don't understand. The official in today's lesson is our model: When Jesus told him that His son "lived," he believed in Jesus "word." Jesus asks you and me the same question: Are you ready to trust me without seeing the proof.
