Reading of God’s Word

John 5:19–30 (ESV)¹⁹ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. ²¹ For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. ²² The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. ²⁵ “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. ³⁰ “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Introduction

There are three major world religions which find their origin in Palestine: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.  All three insist that there is but one God. This is the thing that the three share in common – the insistence that God is one!

One of the things that sets Christianity apart from the other two is our answer to the question, who is Jesus? The Muslims regard him as a prophet; the Jews consider him a false prophet, a false Messiah; Christians confess that he is nothing less than the Son of God.  The question, who is Jesus?, or what is the relation of Jesus to the one true God? is a question that divides.

Listen to the words of the Nicene Creed, penned in A.D. 325. It is a wonderful summery of the Christian understanding of who Christ is.

“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end…”

This is a good confession concerning Christ! This is a true confession! The expectation is not that we would fully comprehend these things – how the nature of God and man could be united in one person – but that we would confess them as true because God has revealed these things to us through his Word.

What we have here in John 5:19-30 is a very careful explanation from Jesus himself concerning the relationship between he and the Father. Read the rest of Sermon: John 5:19-30: The Way to the Father is Through the Son, for Father and Son are United as One »

Reading of God’s Word

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:1–18, ESV)

Introduction

This story marks the beginning of a new section in John’s gospel.

Chapters two through four clearly go together. They begin and end in Cana of Galilee. Two miracles – the turning of water to wine and the healing of the official’s son – bracket the section, beginning and end. We learned a lot about Jesus from chapters two through four.

As we move forward notice that chapters five through six also go together. Both chapters are patterned in the same way. Both begin by presenting us with a miracle preformed by Jesus.

In chapter five we are told of the healing at the pool on the sabbath; and in chapter six we are told of the feeding of the five thousand. But notice also how both stories give way to long speeches from Jesus. Our red letter versions of the Bible are helpful here in that we see the pattern at a glance. Notice that 5:1-18 is printed mainly in black (the story of the miracle) whereas verses 19-46 are in red (Jesus’ teaching in response to the miracle). The same pattern is present in chapter six:  Verses 1-24 are mainly in black (the story of the miracle) whereas verses 25-71are mainly red (Jesus’ teaching in response to the miracle).

The reason I point this out is to reiterate what has already been said concerning the miracles of Jesus: they are signs. Signs have this function – they point to something greater. They are not an end to the themselves but direct our attention to some greater spiritual, heavenly, and eternal reality. And that is how John uses these miracles in his gospel. They certainly get the attention of the reader (just as they would have captured the attention of the eyewitnesses) but they soon give way to words of explanation – words of interpretation which explain more fully the meaning of the miracle – the significance of the sign.

Two things will happen in chapters five and six.

One, it will become clear that a serious division exists between Jesus and many of the Jews. The conflict was hinted at in chapters two through four, but it will grow and become more obvious in chapters five through six. The religious powers will seek Jesus’ life. The multitudes who follow him will prove fickle and will desert him in the end. There is no mistaking it in John’s gospel – Jesus is headed to the cross form the outset.

Two, Jesus’ true identity and true mission will grow more clear in chapters five and six. It is here in these chapters that Jesus will speak most directly and most clearly concerning his who he is and what he came to accomplish.

And wouldn’t you assume that the more Jesus revealed concerning himself the more people would be drawn to him? Not so. In fact the the opposite is true. The more specific and direct and open Jesus was concerning his true identity and mission, the more people rejected him. Look at the result near the end of chapter six: “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:66, ESV)

So that is the lay of the land – that is where we have been and where we are headed.

Let’s Consider the Setting

Notice that in verse 1 we find ourselves back in Jerusalem. John is not concerned to tell us how we got there, nor is he concerned to tell us how much time has passed between Jesus’ visit to Cana of Galilee and this second visit to Jerusalem – the significant thing is that Jesus is there again. Notice that he is there at a feast of the Jews. We do not know which one. Many have speculated. This too seems to be unimportant to John. The significant thing is that Jesus is walking in the way of his people. He is observing the feast days. He is walking with his own, shining as a light amongst them. He is there in their most significant city, observing their most significant holy days, interacting with their most significant people. Jesus came to his own, but, as we will see, his own people did not receive him.

As the story picks up we find Jesus at a pool called Bethesda, which was near a very famous gate called the Sheep Gate, located in the northern part of Jerusalem, to the northeast of the temple square. The pool was probably fed by natural springs.

Notice the detail that John provides. He tells us that there were five colonnades surrounding the pool. You can picture this, can’t you? A pool of water with five large verandas, or covered patios, surrounding it. Sounds like a beautiful place, doesn’t it? But John tells us that, “In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.” (John 5:3, ESV)

I don’t know if you have ever been in a place with a high concentration of suffering and sickness. Hospitals are a bit like this, only more sterile and organized in our day. The slums of India are like this. I’ve been to orphanages in Mexico where handicap children are cared for. Places like these have a way of stirring compassion within the heart. I think it is very significant that, of all the places Jesus could have been, he is found here walking amongst the needy.

Verse 4?

The question that naturally arises is, why are these people gathered here at this pool?  

How may of you are reading from either the ESV,  NIV84, TNIV, NLT, or NET? Do you notice something peculiar about verses three through five? Yes! There is no verse four – we move immediately from verse three to verse five.

How many of you are reading from the KJV, NKJV, NASB? Your versions contain verse four. And it reads, “For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” (John 5:4, NKJV)

How are we to explain the discrepancy? The simple answer is that certain manuscript traditions contain the words of verse four whereas others do not. In my opinion the ESV, NIV, NLT,  and NET are based upon the more reliable reading. I will slow way down when we come to chapter eight of John’s gospel and teach a bit on textual variances and the discipline of textual criticism when it comes to the ancient Biblical manuscripts. For now it will have to do to simply say that their are two readings found in the ancient manuscripts. The shorter of the two readings (the one lacking “verse four” seems to be the original).

You can imagine a scribe copying the gospel of John and, after copying verse three – “In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water” – thinking to himself, I need to explain why these invalids were gathered here. And so he wrote (perhaps in the margin) the explanation – “For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” Over time this note probably found it’s way into the text itself.

It is a helpful explanation, isn’t it? We, as modern readers are unfamiliar with the pool of Bethesda and so it is good to know that there were a great number of people who were sick and superstitions gathered at this pool. At certain times the water would stir.  They believed it to be an angel. And they believed that the pool had healing potential. They were superstitious.

The note of explanation is helpful, but probably not a apart of the original gospel – thus the jump from verse three to five in many of our modern translations. If you are troubled by this please talk to me, or wait a couple of months until we come to John 8 where more time will be devoted to this topic.

The important thing is to notice that Jesus was there walking amongst the very needy. There is a great multitude of them. They are clearly desperate.

The Invalid 

Notice that Jesus, though he certainly could have touched and healed every one of these, sets his attention upon one particular individual. We are told in verse five that, “One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.” (John 5:5, ESV) The story zooms in upon him.

This man is desperate. He has been in this state for thirty-eight years. That is a long time. Perhaps he was thirty-eight years old, having been born this way. Perhaps he was much older than that, having been paralyzed later in life. We don’t know. But we can sympathize with him. Thirty-eight years is a long time to suffer in this way. He was desperate. He was probably willing to try anything. So far the pool of Bethesda thing was not working to well for him.  We don’t know how long he had been at the pool. The text only tells us that Jesus “knew he had already been there a long time.”

It’s hard to believe that, having been there a long time, he never made it down into the pool. I would imagine that he did. But you know how superstitions go. If you get into the water and it doesn’t work, an explanation must be provided – Well, you need to be the first one in; Or, you need to have more faith as you go in; Or, you need to say these words as you go in – or something like that. 

Clearly this man is in a place of desperation and despair. This man is buried in hopelessness. Year upon year of disappointment has been heaped up upon him.

The Sign

And then Jesus, the Son of God arrives. He – the one who spoke the universe into existence – looks upon this man with compassion and simply says, “Do you want to be healed?”

Jesus knew the answer to the question. Obviously the man wanted to be healed. Jesus asked the question to involve the man. And notice how he responds! Verse 7: “The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.’” He’s utterly clueless concerning the identity of the man standing before him.

This kind of response should sound familiar to you by now.

To Nicodemus Jesus said, “you must be born again.” Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’” (John 3:4, ESV)

To the woman at the well Jesus said, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10, ESV) The woman response? “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?” (John 4:11, ESV)

Jesus offers healing to this man and he, like the others, could not see beyond the things of this world. His eyes were fixed upon the here and now – upon the physical and tangible. His only hope was the pool of Bethesda – he could not see beyond that. The great irony is that the Son of God – the one who spoke the universe into existence – was speaking to him, offering him healing, and he didn’t perceive it.

Notice that Jesus heals him anyways, despite his lack of understanding.

He healed him by simply speaking a word. The eternal Word of God healed the man by speaking a word. “Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked…” (John 5:8–9, ESV)

That’s quite a miraculous thing. We talk about the miracles of Jesus often so they may become common to us. Think of it. A man could not walk for thirty-eight years and he stands up and walks when Jesus speaks a word. That is incredible. That is a miracle.

The Jews and the Man

The last six words of verse nine serve as a transition. The text says, “Now that day was the Sabbath.” (John 5:9, ESV) This will become very significant.

The scene shifts from the working of the miracle to the interaction between the invalid-man-made-whole and the Jews.

Tell me, how would expect the Jews to react to an event like this? You would expect them to rejoice! You would expect them to stand in awe! You would expect them to inquire of Jesus concerning his ability to heal.

But how do they respond to the man? Surprisingly they rebuke him for carrying his mat on the Sabbath!

This is terrible for two reasons.

One, it is an abuse of the Sabbath command. The fourth commandment forbids the people of God from engaging in work on the Sabbath. It is to be a day of rest and worship. To claim that a man – just healed – is breaking the fourth commandment by carrying the bed he had been bound to for thirty-eight years is a complete misunderstanding of the fourth commandments, and an abuse of it. As it is said elsewhere, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a gift to man. It still is. We are to rest one day out seven. Now that Christ has come we rest on the first day, not the seventh, because of his resurrection. We call it the Lord’s Day. It is to be obeyed, but in the right spirit and and without the added trappings of legalistic religion. Some in Jesus’ day had transformed the Sabbath from a gift into a great burden.

Two, this response of theirs was terrible in that they were so concerned with the details of their man made religion that they were unable to see the glory of God displayed before their very eyes. A man paralyzed for thirty-eight years was walking before them, carrying the thing he was once bound to, and they are unimpressed.

I picture a child bringing an assignment home with an “A+” on it beaming with excitement. He shows it to Dad expecting the Father to rejoice with him. Instead the Father says, look you misspelled this word. You can do better next time. Such a response would be unthinkable, and yet this is how many of the Jews responded to this miracle. “It is not lawful for you to take up your bed on the Sabbath.” Wow. Talk about blindness.

The invalid made whole responded to them saying, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” (John 5:11, ESV)

I’m not sure I like his response.

Notice that there is a tone of blame-shifting here. “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’”  You would expect the man stand up to the critics and say, are you kidding me! I am walking and you are concerned about me carrying my mat. Instead he cowers before the religious leaders and shifts the blame to Jesus, though he does not yet know him by name. He does not know Jesus by name because, according to verse thirteen, “Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.” (John 5:13, ESV)

The Man and Jesus 

Now in verse fourteen we are told of yet another interaction between Jesus and this particular man. “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.’” (John 5:14, ESV) 

Notice that Jesus found the man; the man was not looking for Jesus. This says something about the condition of the man’s heart. Though he had been made whole at Jesus’ command he does not seem interested in finding Jesus. Instead he is enjoying his health in the temple, associating with those who had just criticized his Sabbath breaking.

Notice also what Jesus says to him. in verse 14: “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” Some have taken this to mean that the paralysis experienced by the man was the result of some sin and that Jesus was urging repentance so that some worse physical ailment would not come upon him.

That interpretation is possible. The scriptures are clear concerning the relationship between sickness and sin.

One, all sickness is the indirect result of sin. Sickness and death did not exist before the fall.

Two, some are ill because of specific sin. For some, there is a direct link between their sin and their sickness.

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” (1 Corinthians 11:27–31, ESV)

Three, not all illness is the direct result of sin. Jesus addresses this most specifically in John 11:4, saying,  “But when Jesus heard it [the sickness of Lazarus] he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’” (John 11:4, ESV)

So it is possible that when Jesus warned against something worse happening to the man he had something worse physically in mind.

I think it more likely that Jesus is here concerned for the man’s soul. The worse thing that he has in mind is not physical sickness, but the final judgment.

Notice that this man seems altogether uninterested in knowing and following Jesus. He was healed, and did not know the name of the man who healed him. When he was confronted by the Jews concerning his breaking of the Sabbath he does not confess Christ – he does not defend Christ – but shifts the blame to him. Furthermore, he does not look for Jesus but rather Jesus has to look for him. He simply enjoyed the blessing of physical healing and wanders freely about the temple. In verse fifteen we see that after he learns the name of the man who healed him, he actually goes out of his way to report him to the Jews. Verse 15: “The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.” (John 5:15, ESV). Also, in the following passage (the one we will consider next week ) Christ responds to all of this emphasizing two things – his ability to give eternal life and also to judge.

Therefore, when Jesus warns the man, telling him to repent so that nothing worse may happen to him, he is concerned, not for his health, but for his soul. This man is in danger of gaining the world but loosing his own soul – of being healed in body, but not in spirit – of experiencing life in the here and now but suffering eternal death at the judgment.

I think all of this becomes even more clear when we compare this story with John chapter nine and the story of the healing of the man born blind. The stories share much in common, but the response of the men who were healed could not be more different. The blind man confesses Christ, defends him in the face of persecution, and is finally expelled from the synagogue by the Jews, being comforted by Jesus afterwards.

So Jesus healed the invalid, but that was not his deepest concern. He finds him and addresses more serious things – eternal things – things pertaining to the salvation of his soul. Sadly, the healed man simply disappears from the story, which suggests that he was uninterested in following Christ – uninterested in trusting in him for the forgiveness of sin. It is a tragic story in the end.

The Jews and Jesus

The story eventually leads to the first direct conflict between Jesus and the Jews.

Verse 15:  “The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.” (John 5:15–16, ESV)

The Sabbath becomes a prime source of tension between the Jews and Jesus. They have have heaped rules and regulations upon the biblical concept of the Sabbath, Jesus keeps it correctly.

Notice Jesus’ response in verse 17: “But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I am working.’” (John 5:17, ESV)

Two things should be observed.

One, Jesus points out that when God rested from his work of creation on the seventh day, he did not rest from all his labors, he rested specifically from his work of original creation. His work of providence continued. He continued to rule and reign. He continued to preserve the world he had created. Jesus was following his the Fathers example in his observance of the Sabbath – he certainly rested from his labor, but he did not give himself over to total inactivity. He still engaged in doing acts of mercy.  We know from other texts that he still gave himself to acts of necessity (picking grains and eating with his disciples).

This is what we believe concerning the Christian Sabbath and teach our children:

Q. 65. How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?

A. The Sabbath is to sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days, and spending the time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy. (Lev. 23:3; Isa. 58:13,14; Isa. 66:23; Matt. 12:11,12)

Notice, secondly, that Jesus makes a tight link between he and the Father in verse 17.  He says, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” In other words, these works preformed by the Jesus are the Fathers works. Jesus was doing the will an work of the Father.

Verse 18 concludes, “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath [that is, the Sabbath according to their customs], but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18, ESV)

What does this text mean?

First of all, it is important to recognize that this story is about much more than physical healing.

I suppose that some would read this text and say, do you see! Jesus came to heal physical ailments. That was his primary mission, and it is his primary concern still today – to heal those who are sick. That is the will of Jesus for you! That would be a misinterpretation of the text.

One, notice that Jesus healed one man out of a great multitude of people who were sick. If physical healing were his prime concern you would expect Jesus to set up a clinic there in that place.

Two, notice that Jesus was not finished with the man after he healed his body. He found him expressing deep concern over his soul.

Three, notice that Jesus explains the reason for this miracle in 19-29, a text we will explore together next week. There he makes it clear that this miracle was a sign which signified some greater spiritual and eternal truth – namely the Sons authority to give life to whom he choses (5:21).

Physical healing is not the main point of this text. Jesus’ ability to give life is.

Secondly, this story calls people away from trusting in superstitious religion. The man could not Jesus for who he was because eyes were so fixed upon the pool of water in front of him. He was blind to Christ because his eyes were fixed upon the things of this world.

This is common today. People are superstitious in their religious devotion They say, if only I could touch that icon, or, if only that man would pray for me, or, perhaps it is true if I sent money to that ministry blessing will come my way. We are to look to Christ, trusting in him alone, resting in his him, humbly submitting to his will for us.

Thirdly, this story warns against the absurdity of legalistic religion. Legalism in religion – that is is the adding to the commands of God, or the belief that keeping the commands of God will lead to life eternal – has a way of deadening the soul to the things of God. The legalist cannot see the glory of Christ; he can only see his rules and regulations. The cross is foolishness to him. Salvation by grace alone through faith alone is unintelligible to him. So it was with many of the Jews in Jesus’ day.

Fourthly, this story warns against the emptiness of worldliness.  The man was healed in body, but lost in soul. Many, I fear, go on enjoying the blessings of God in this life – they eat and drink, and laugh and play – and yet they do not give a thought to the God who made them, from who’s hand these blessing come. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26, ESV)

Fifthly, this story exalts Jesus.  He is kind and compassionate. He has the power to give life. You and I are helpless apart from him. We, before we came to Christ, were in a most desperate state. The only reasonable thing is to call out to him for life. And once we have been raised up, the only reasonable thing is that we would follow after him with all we are.

Reading of God’s Word

“After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” (John 4:43–54, ESV)

Introduction

As we study the scriptures together on Sunday mornings I hope you never grow tired of asking the question, what does this text mean? or what was the authors intention as he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?

It’s important that we settle down in the text of scripture together – that we immerse ourselves in it – swim in it, wanting nothing more than to know what it means. It is only after we know what it means that we are able to go on making proper application to our lives. This takes work. It takes patience.

Notice that the text before us today is a historical narrative – it is a story (that is the case with the majority of John’s gospel). It’s important to keep this in mind as we approach this passage because narratives are to be interpreted in a particular way.

The narratives (stories) found in scripture and the didactic (teaching) portions of scripture have this in common: they both convey truth. The author, be it Paul or John or some other, had something particular in mind when he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Paul had something in mind when he wrote his letter to the Romans, for example. But he wrote in a most direct way. Romans is didactic literature. Paul conveyed truth there in the form of a letter. He instructed the Roman church in a most rational, linear, and black and white way.

We should remember, though, that John, like Paul, had something particular to say. There was something on his mind – some truth that he wanted to convey. He wrote, not a letter, but a gospel. He wrote, not in didactic form, but in the form of historical narrative.

I say this today because I think it is common for folks to approach the narrative portions of scripture as if they have no real concrete meaning – as if anything goes – as if the passage is completely open to one’s personal and subjective interpretation. This is not so. John is communicating something specific by telling this story as he does. We must study the passage with care so as to understand the authors intent.

When studying narratives it is important to (among other things) give special attention to the place the author gives to the story in his overall work. Also, we should be mindful of how the author introduces the story; to the things he emphasizes while telling the story, and to the things he does not emphasize. We should give special attention to the characters in the story, the way they are introduced and developed, and to the way they interact with or contrast other characters already introduced.

I would argue that this story in particular is a difficult one to understand if we fail to apply these sound principles of interpretation. The story is confusing, I think, and it looses it’s force if it is considered on it’s own and divorced from the rest of John’s gospel.

What I am saying is that this story is an important one. It has been told for a reason. It’s aim is to move us to an authentic faith in Christ.

Let’s consider it carefully together.

Consider, first of all, the placement of this story in John’s gospel

This story serves as the conclusion to a pronounced section in John.

Chapter 2 begins with the story of Jesus turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. Chapter 4 ends with Jesus back up in Cana of Galilee preforming yet another sign.

John tells us in 2:11 that the turning of water to wine was, “…the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory…” 4:54 reveals that the healing of the officials son “…was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” (John 4:54, ESV)

Clearly this story is connected to what came before it. Jesus has completed a circuit, if you will, having traveled from Cana to Jerusalem to the wilderness of Judea up into Samaria and now back to Cana of Galilee. The first and second miracles preformed in Cana of Galilee serve as brackets, it you will, to this entire section in John.

This is important to recognize. It clues us into the fact that this story is not meant to stand alone. It is a part of something bigger, namely, chapters 2-4 of John, and the gospel of John as a whole.

Consider, secondly, how John introduces this story

Look with me at verses 43-46:

“After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine…” (John 4:43–46, ESV)

There are some things that need to be explained in verses 43-46.

For example, how are we to understand the words, “For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.” What does that mean?

We should remember that Jesus was born in the region of Galilee. Specifically, he was born in Nazareth. Nazareth was about 10 miles to the south of Cana where the water was turned to wine and where Jesus spoke healing to the officials son. Capernaum – the city where the official traveled from – was about 15 miles to the east of Cana. So Jesus is about return to his homeland (the word hometown that we see in the ESV can also be translated homeland).

We should also remember that Jesus had just experienced wonderful success in Samaria. Many believed in him in an authentic way in that place. He was largely rejected down in Judea where the Baptist was ministering (he gained a few disciples but had to flee the religious powers), he was received by the Samaritans, and, with that as the context,  we read in verse 43, “After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.)”

The word “for” is significant. It indicates that there was a purpose behind Jesus leaving Samaria and going to Galilee again. He traveled to Galilee – back to his homeland, back to his fellow Jews, “For… [and here is the reason] Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown [homeland]”.  

The meaning of this is rather straightforward. Jesus left Samaria and traveled back to Galilee because he would not be honored there. This statement is confusing only because we would never do such a thing. It’s hard to understand why Jesus would leave behind success and go on to a place where he knew he would be rejected.

But this was his mission. He was to minister primarily to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. His disciples would be sent to the ends of the earth, but he came to offer himself to his own even though his own would not receive him. They would reject him. They would kill him. But this was the purpose for his coming. 

Consider also another difficulty. In verse 44 we are told that “a prophet has no honor in his own hometown [or homeland]”, but in verse 45 we read, “So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.”

John seems to immediately contradict himself:  “a prophet has no honor in his homeland”, but then “the Galileans welcomed him”.

There is no contradiction here when we realize that it is possible to welcome Christ, but for all the wrong reasons. Why did they welcome him? Because they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. 

They were interested, not in Jesus as Jesus – but in the signs and wonders that he preformed. There is a way of welcoming Jesus that is all wrong. There is a way of believing in Jesus without believing in him at all.

This is a constant theme in John. In John we see that some reject Jesus outright while others receive him. But among those who receive him are those who reactive him truly, and those who receive him only superficially. There are those who believe, and then there are those who believe.

John 2:23-25:

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23–25, ESV)

And so these introductory remarks are more than just transitional details. They set the stage for what is going to happen in this place. Jesus is leaving fruitful ministry behind amongst, of all people, the Samaritans. He is going back to his own. But he going back knowing that they will reject him. They welcome him, but only superficially.

I wonder, why would the people welcome Jesus in this way?

People love to be associated with power.

People love to root for a hometown boy.

People are greedy for gain.

Consider, Thirdly, the main character in this story.

We are told in verse 46 that there was an official who lived in Capernaum who’s son was ill. When he heard that Jesus was in Cana he urgently traveled the 15 miles up to Cana to seek Jesus’ assistance.

Notice a few things about this man:

One, he was an official. This means that he worked in some capacity for the Roman government. Perhaps he was associated with Herod Antipas, who was a wicked man. This seems significant to me. He would have been viewed by the Jews as a traitor if he was Jewish, and a heathen if he was Greek. He is therefore, like the Samaritans, a most unlikely figure to get it right when it comes to the Messiah.

Two, notice that he is at a place of desperation. His son is ill and at the point of death. We see here a father deeply concerned for his son. This is no trivial thing, but a matter of life and death.

Three, notice that he runs to Jesus thinking that he would be able to help. Verse 47: “When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.”

Though this is not the meaning of the text, there is here a beautiful picture of the love that a mother and father ought to have for their children and how we ought to intercede for them.

But notice Jesus’ strange response to this man’s request. Verse 48: “So Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’”

This response should not surprise us to much. Do you remember how Jesus responded to his own mother when she requested that he deal with the problem of the lack of wine? “And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’” (John 2:4, ESV) Jesus, as I explained when preaching on that text, resisted at first in order to draw out deeper faith. The same is true here.

Also, it should be recognized that the “you” in verse 48 is plural while the “him” is singular (obviously). This is significant. “Jesus said to him, ’Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’” It was as if Jesus were talking to the Galileans through the man. It is a criticism of them in general, and not necessarily the man.

But notice that man is undeterred. He continues on expressing his desperation – his legitimate need. Verse 49: “The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’” Verse 50: “Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.” (John 4:50, ESV)

As the story progresses we are told that the man journeyed home on the next day (it was to late to make the journey back home on the same day, though I’m sure he was anxious to return).  As he traveled his servants meet him on the road with good news. His son was recovering. The fever had broken. The man asked when the recovery began. They reported that it because at about 1:00pm the previous day, the same time that Jesus had spoken this word.

The man believed. His whole household, following his lead, believed in Jesus.

The Point of the Story

So what is the point of this story?

John, again and again, is setting examples before us that are meant to compel us to consider Christ deeply and truly, and to welcome him, follow him, believe in him from the heart.

The disciples of John who became the disciples of Jesus are to be imitated. They followed him, listened to his teaching and believed.

Nicodemus is to be imitated. He was one of the few from amongst the Pharisees who came to Jesus inquiring deeply of him.

The woman of Samaria, and fellow townspeople, are to be imitated. They came to Christ and implored him to stay that they might hear more.  John 4:42: “They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’”

And now this man is to be imitated. He came to Jesus out of a sense of deep and legitimate need. He came believing, but his faith grew. He came to led his whole household to faith in Christ.

All of these, each of them coming from different sectors of society, are compelling us to do the same thing: to consider the claims of Christ and to believe in his name.

Do not forget John’s concluding remarks in John 20:30-31:

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so 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, ESV)

In contrast to these are many others who are interested in Jesus, but for all the wrong reasons.

Some welcomed him or believed in him so long as he showed promise as a politician.

“Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:15, ESV)

“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:66, ESV)

Some welcomed him so long as he would preformed signs.

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23–25, ESV)

Many were preoccupied with the signs. They were interested in Jesus so long as he would continue to turn water to wine, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and multiply the bread fish. That was fine by them. Jesus the miracle worker was someone they could believe in.

But, as we will see in John’s gospel, when Jesus begins to suggest that he not interested in being the kind of king that they wanted, the people rejected him. When he begins to suggest that he is not primarily interested in wine and bread, physical sight and physical healing, the people are quick to leave him. When Jesus teaches that these signs are just that – signs which point to something greater – the people abandon him.

A sign is something that points to a greater reality. The miracles of Jesus are just that – signs. The sign is not the main thing – it points to the main thing.

When Jesus turned the water to wine he was not mainly concerned with the wine, but show forth his glory and to say something about how he would provide purification by the shedding of his blood.

When Jesus gave sight to bind man his primary concern was not the blind man (though he was certainly overwhelmed with compassion, but to display is ability to open the eyes of men, spiritually speaking.

I could go on and on. The point is that the people were fixated with the things of this world. They were only interested in Jesus so long as he would benefit them in a worldly way. The gospel of John insisted that we come to Christ ultimately, not for what he can do for us in the here and now, but because of what offers the human soul as it pertains to eternity.

“…these are written so 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, ESV)