John 4:43-54

Relax, Read and Reflect

Prayer- Lord, Open our hearts and open our minds and help us learn. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.

Jesus Heals the Official's Son

⁴³After the two days he left for Galilee. ⁴⁴(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) ⁴⁵When 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.

⁴⁶Once 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. ⁴⁷When 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 miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."

⁴⁹The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

⁵⁰Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵²When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."

⁵³Then 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.

⁵⁴This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

After wrapping things up in Samaria, Jesus goes back to his home state, and the home folks welcomed him. They had heard of what he was doing. When he got to the town he had done the water into wine thing in, a "royal " official, (someone loyal to Rome,) came and begged Jesus to come save his dying son. It is important for us to see that this is not a Jew coming to Jesus, this is a gentile.

Jesus tells the crowd that it is important that They see signs, or they will not believe. The official is not worried about signs, he is worried about his sick son. Jesus tells him to go on home, his son will live. As the man is walking home, (somewhat relaxed,) his servants meet him to tell him his boy is OK. The official knows and believes that Jesus had performed another miracle.

Questions:

1. Why is it important that we understand this man was not a Jew, but a gentile?

2. Why was the man walking, not running home?

3. Why did Jesus do his first two miracles in Galilee?

Prayer- Lord, give us the faith to realize that all will be well. Help us look as these stories of Jesus and be able to use them in our world today. Go-Fight-Win. Amen.