Jesus Heals the Royal Official’s Son

John 4:43-54

Key Verse: 50

Today we will learn How Jesus heals an official’s son.  We see how he trained him to have faith.  We will also learn that faith grows when we come to Jesus; when we listen to Jesus; and when we simply take him at his word. It is a wonderful message, with lessons for us, as well as for the royal official. Let us listen and learn what the Spirit of God has for us in today’s message.

I.          Return to Galilee (4:43-45)

⁴³ 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 Festival, for they also had been there.

When Jesus arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him.  But in verse 44, Jesus testifies that “a prophet has no honor in his own country.” We see an inconsistency between verses 44 and 45: If Jesus believed that He would have no honor in “his own country,” then why did the Galileans “welcome” Him? They are aware of all the miraculous that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. Now Jesus arrives in His own “hometown,” “What will Jesus perform here, in His own “hometown”? Expectations are running high. So they cheered him as a home town hero.  But they think they know His origins. Nazareth is the place He was born at, they think they know all about Him. They know His mother and His father, His brothers and His sisters. How can anyone so important come from such humble origins?  And "Nazareth, Can anything good come from there?" So although they cheered him as a home town hero, instead they should have welcomed him as the Messiah.

Galileans initially “welcome” Jesus, but he has no honor in his own country because the people do not truly respect him as the Savior of the World, the Messiah, but want miracle signs and benefits from him.  Jesus is not pleased with their faith, which based on benefit is not true faith.

II.        The Royal Official’s Plea (4:46-50)

⁴⁶ 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. ⁴⁸ “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” ⁴⁹ The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” ⁵⁰ “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

Some say this story is just another version of the healing of the centurion’s servant (Luke 7:2-10). Is that true? The similarities are very few; the differences are many. Let’s look at the differences:

1. The Centurion was a Gentile; the Royal Official appears to be Jewish.
2. The Centurion’s slave suffered from a paralysis; the Royal Official’s son was ill with a fever.
3. The Centurion met Jesus in Capernaum; the Royal Official met Jesus in Cana.
4. The Centurion’s faith wins Jesus’ praise; the Royal Official and others are rebuked for a deficient faith.
5. The Centurion urges Jesus not to come, but only to speak the word; the Royal Official urges Jesus to come.
6. The Centurion has Jewish elders to plead his case; the Royal Official pleads with Jesus personally.

Jesus returns to Cana of Galilee. What had happened previously in Cana? There Jesus had turned the water into wine (John 2:1-11) at the wedding.  This was to show his power over nature, and to help plant faith in the people to believe his words. A royal official living in Capernaum hears that Jesus is once again at Cana. The official’s son is at the point of death and this father is desperate. Jesus is his last and only hope to save his son. He hastily makes the 35km trek to Cana, in search of Jesus. When he finds Jesus, he pleads with Him to return immediately with him to Capernaum and to heal his son.

How did Jesus respond to this man’s request? So Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe.’ Our Lord’s response to the royal official is almost a rebuke. How can Jesus respond so harshly to a father who is only trying to save the life of his son? It is so confusing. Isn’t it? Moreover, Jesus commented on the faith of the people around him.  There was genuine faith in Samaria but not in his hometown.  These people are sign-seekers. They do not trust in Jesus as their Messiah. They simply know of the signs He has performed elsewhere and want to see if He will do the same (or even more) for them, instead they should think what those miracle signs signal. Jesus rightly rebukes them for being interested only in His miracles. So Jesus rejected his initial request.  Instead Jesus wanted him to grow in faith and see who Jesus really was.

How did the official respond Jesus’ first rejection? The royal official had faith and continued asking Jesus to come before his son dies.  The royal official was not deterred by Jesus he continued to ask Jesus to come to his house.  What does his persistence show about him? The man had real faith that Jesus was the only one who could heal his son.  Everyone else wanted to see miracles and receive benefits, but this man believed that Jesus could heal his son.  When Jesus rebuked him, he did not give up and lose hope. He persistently pleaded Jesus to come down to heal his son.

Next, Jesus promises the man, “Go home; your son will live.” The crowd disperses, and the sign-seekers go away disappointed, and perhaps a little angry. Does our Lord not seem to lack compassion toward this desperate man, whose only concern is the well-being of his son? Some might be tempted to ask, “How can Jesus be so rude, so insensitive and so critical?” The solution to this dilemma may be found in the Gospel of Mark: Jesus Honors a Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith (Mark 7:24-30)..

 ²⁴ Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. ²⁵ In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. ²⁶ The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.   ²⁷ “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”  ²⁸ “Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”  ²⁹ Then he told her, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”  ³⁰ She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.  (Mark 7:24-30).

Is our Lord being unduly harsh with this Gentile woman, who begs Him to cast the demon out of her daughter? I think not. I believe our Lord is dealing with this woman in a way that inspires faith. Having heard Jesus, does this woman cower and walk away? No; she holds Jesus even harder for her daughter’s sake, reminding Him that Gentiles are to benefit from His coming as well as the Jews.

The same thing happens in this message. The on-lookers are merely sign-seekers, who went home with our Lord’s words. The royal official wants save his son, and he knows that Jesus is his only hope. It might be that his faith is weak, that he needs to see to believe, but he does believe that Jesus is able to heal his son, and so he persists with his request. I believe our Lord’s words lead him in the right direction. They are not intended to turn him away, but to turn him to Jesus in faith.

The royal official seems to believe that Jesus can heal his son if He is at his side, but not 35km away. But now Jesus says to this official, “Go home; your son will live.” How did the man respond and show his faith in Jesus’ promise? (50b)?  The man took Jesus at his word and got up and went home.  He took Jesus’ word.  Jesus word has great power, so the man departed, trusting his words.  Faith is growing.

I once had chance to show one friend a very good, exciting and practicable business plan by spending a little part-time, which allows us to earn ongoing incoming starting with $300-1500 per week. 2-3 yrs later it eventually helps to possess financial freedom plus have time to enjoy life and preach good news. I spent 1 hr to present how to run the plan. I thought he will be very exciting and happy with me too. But before I finished it, he said I am not going to believe it. It’s impossible. I still try to explain it and ask him to examine the business model together in case he did not understand it well. But he got up very seriously “how can you trust it? It won’t happen. I won’t do it.”  I came to him because I thought he is a Christian and he supposedly is open-minded and have the training of the faith well.  For me, I can’t see it doesn’t work. For him, he already made a decision to reject it before we finished look at the whole plan. Later I know who I am?  Although I gave a lot of evidence, data to prove that it I is going to work, people don’t believe. Who is going to put faith on my word? Without faith nothing is going to run well. How could people trust my words even if I can prove the plan is really good for them? It is hard for people to trust others’ word. We are not able to promise others too much. But Jesus is able. Jesus’ word is different. He is God. His word is powerful. When we simply put faith on Him and take his word, his word works and his power comes to us.

III.    A Miracle and Belief (4:51-54)

⁵¹ 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, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” 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 his whole household believed. ⁵⁴ This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Taking the words, “Go home; your son will live”, the official leaves Jesus to return home. Exactly what does he believe? Perhaps not knowing exactly what Jesus meant, but he trusts Jesus. He understands Jesus to say that his son has not yet died, and that he will live. Who met him on the way home? While still on his way, he is met by his servants, who have the good news that his son will live and do not want their master to agonize any longer.

The astonishing news quickly changes the face of this father from tension and agony to the look of relief and joy. What was the first response to this news? He inquired as to the time when his son got better. The time the servants said was the exact time that Jesus had given his word.  The father realized who Jesus was then and what Jesus did for his son. It is a miracle indeed, a miracle brought about by our Lord speaking only a word.  He realized no one but God had the power to heal with his word.

The father knows he has witnessed a miracle, and he “believes,” along with his entire household. This man and his whole household become a household of faith. This is the way faith is. Our faith should grow as we come to know our Lord and His Word better!

What a great miracle this is! Do you notice that in one sense it is a miracle very similar to the changing of water into wine? Jesus turns the water into wine in a way that keeps most of those at the wedding from even knowing what had happened. It is a “sign” evident to a few, which results in the faith of only our Lord’s disciples (2:11). So it is too with the healing of the royal official’s son. If Jesus had chosen to perform this miracle as the official had hoped (by personally coming and attending to his son), many would have followed along, and our Lord’s popularity would have greatly increased. But this is not what our Lord wants at this point in time. That is why He left Judea and returned to Galilee (4:1-3). Jesus performs this miracle in such a way that only the official knows it is a miracle. As he “testified” of this miracle to his servants, they too become members of the “household of faith.” Jesus not only performs a miracle, He does so in a way that is consistent with His purpose.

Jesus accomplishes this miracle in a way that enhances the official’s faith from “sign-faith” to “committed-faith.”

Apparently “sign-faith” is not pleasing to our Lord. Sign-faith is not a bad starting point, for many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name (John 2:23b). But it should never end here. Jesus wants people whose faith is grounded in His word, not in miracles.

What level of faith do I have, benefit-seeking faith, sign-seeking faith, or committed-faith? Perhaps still at benefit-seeking faith. Can I trust God’s word in whatever circumstances? No. Like Nicodemus, I am not willing to take Jesus at His word, with one question after another (John 3). I am just like the first three kinds of seeds sown by the farmer; I am like seed along the path, Or like seed sown on rocky places, or like seed sown among thorns. As soon as I hear the word and at once receive it with joy. When trouble or the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, I quickly fall away making it unfruitful. Only when the faith grows from sign-seeking to word-seeking as the official’s did, we are going to, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop. (Mark 4:20).  The Samaritan woman at the well took Jesus at His word, and so did all the people of Sychar (John 4:4-42). This royal official came to the point where he was willing to take Jesus at His word, and his household became believers. May God help me to take Jesus at His word.

This royal official is desperate. He is helpless and hopeless, apart from Jesus Christ. This royal official is wrong in first supposing that God can only accomplish what he asks for by doing it the way he prescribes. The royal official thinks Jesus can save his son only if He comes to Capernaum and personally attends to him. He is wrong. Our Lord does intend to heal this man’s son, but in His way. He does not need to be at his bedside. He can heal him from a distance. God often brings adversity into our lives—adversity beyond our ability to handle—so that we must come to Him as our only hope, so that we must trust in Him alone. Most of those who come to Jesus in the Gospels are those who desperately need help, those who are hurting and helpless. So suffering or time of difficulties is always a tool to bring us to Jesus. We do not seek God when things are going well for us. We turn to God only in our weakness, in our need, in our despair. If our life is like this, it may be the gracious hand of God, compelling us to come to Him in faith. God delights in answering our prayers in a way that highlights His power, grace, and glory. We do better to trust Him to answer our prayers His way. Take Him at His word. Come to Him who is the solution to your every need.