One of the joys of John’s Gospel is John’s ability to show us Jesus as a real person. John did a marvelous job of sharing the daily emotions and attitudes that Jesus felt in his life and ministry. In the final section of John 4, we see Jesus is a bit frustrated. Jesus and His followers left Sychar, Samaria and continued to Galilee. John makes a note that they did not go to Nazareth. John recounts that Jesus made an effort to point out that a Prophet has no honor in His own land. It would seem He was fast forwarding past Jesus’ weekend in Nazareth.
So, Jesus returns to Cana. As He entered Galilee, the crowds welcomed Jesus like a celebrity. The people had witnessed Jesus’ many healings in Jerusalem as well as His confrontation at the temple market with the officials. Now, as he entered the area, word traveled fast and crowds grew. John is reminded of what Jesus said in Jerusalem:
23 Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.[d] 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people. 25 He did not need any testimony about mankind, for he knew what was in each person.
So, now back in Cana, Jesus begins to minister again. A royal official races to Him and pleads for Jesus to come and heal his son. John emphasizes that Jesus knew that so many people were coming for the show. Still, in the midst of the frustration that people were missing the point, Jesus was not going to change His mission. Jesus was still revealing The Father’s love and power to those all who would believe.
I love that John closes the chapter with the fact that the boy was healed, the official traced the healing back tot he moment Jesus spoke, and then humbly gave God His due glory and believed! Not only the official, but his entire household.
For us, today’s message is simple, God is God whether we believe or not. We need to quit basing our faith on the signs God has performed in front of us, and instead we simply need to base our faith upon Jesus mission and sacrifice to seek and to save that which was lost. The great news, is however, that even in our crisis of unbelief, our Father will continue to love us and complete His plan!
God Bless You
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.
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. 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.
Walking With God 