John 4:43-54

This passage begins with a statement that raises a question. The statement, after the introductory comments that Jesus went from Samaria back to Galilee, is this: "For Jesus testified that in his own country a prophet has no honor." The reason this is strange is that the story following the statement seems to be a story of faith.

 

1. The Galileans receive Jesus gladly, having seen all that He did in Jerusalem at the Feast.
2. At Cana (again), a royal official comes to Jesus and asks Him to heal his dying son. This seems to demonstrate faith.
3. When Jesus tells the royal official that his son will live, the royal official believes Him. Isn't this faith? Isn't this honoring a prophet?
4. The story concludes with the official's entire household believing in Jesus.

 

So how can Jesus testify that a prophet has no honor in his own country?

 

I find it interesting that this story follows immediately after the story of the Samaritan woman and her town. In that story I found myself listening in on an amazing conversation in which Jesus reveals that He knows the woman's life story, though He has just met her. He speaks to her of her sin, and He speaks to her about the true worship of God.

 

But what did I not see happening in the Samaritan woman's story, or in the events surrounding it when the rest of the town comes to Jesus? I did not see any miracles. I did not see people healed. I did not see water turned to wine. I did not see resurrections. I saw no physical proofs of Jesus' power and authority.

 

I saw only Jesus' words and the believing response of a woman and her community.

 

In Galilee, it's another story. Jesus testifies that a prophet has no honor in his own country. When the ruler comes to Jesus, Jesus tells him that he and all the rest of the Galileans will not believe without signs and wonders. And then Jesus performs a miracle; He heals a dying boy. I find the conclusion noteworthy (verse 53): after the father figures out for sure that the time of the boy's healing coincides with the time that Jesus said the boy would live, THEN he believes, and so does his household.

 

But wait a minute. Didn't I already see in verse 50 that this man believed? Sort of. He believed Jesus' words. Galilee had seen all the miracles that Jesus did in Jerusalem (John 2:23; 4:45). The Galileans wanted some of the action. They wanted some of the power. They wanted to benefit from this man, this Jesus.

 

But they did not believe in Jesus. I'm pretty sure that's the point here. Even the royal official did not believe in Jesus until after the miracle. He believed Jesus' words when Jesus told him his son would live. But only after he went home, saw his healed son, and figured out that Jesus had pronounced his son well at the same time as his son had returned to health did he or his household believe in Jesus. Not just His miracles. Not just His power. Not just His earthly benefits. They finally believed in Jesus. No mention is made of the rest of Galilee. Apparently this man and his family were the only ones in the area who put their faith in Jesus because of this miracle. But in Samaria, a woman and her whole town had believed in Jesus, recognizing that He was the Christ, because of a conversation! Jesus spoke truly when He said of Galilee, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will certainly not believe"!

 

This is a theme in the book of John. Earlier Jesus had testified that He would die and rise again, but even His disciples had not picked up on His spiritual use of language (John 2:22). Near the end of this book, Jesus says to Thomas, "You have believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who believe without seeing."

 

That's today's Christians! We have only the words of the apostles and prophets. They testify to us that Jesus did miracles, and they also tell us what He said. But ultimately, all we have are their words. We must trust that their testimony is true if we are to believe in Jesus! We must trust that they wrote out faithfully what Jesus taught and claimed! And then we still must decide – even if we believe that the apostles and prophets recorded Jesus' life faithfully – we must still decide whether to trust Jesus Himself! But we have His words. And we have the testimony of the apostles and prophets, who were themselves guided by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it feels as though we have so little, but if these words are truly the testimony of the Holy Spirit and the record of Jesus' own testimony, we have great reason to believe in Jesus! The Christ! The Anointed One, sent from God to deliver mankind from sin and darkness! To give us eternal life!

 

Lord God, thank You so much for giving me the words of life! Thank You that, without miraculous proofs, You enable me to believe as Your Spirit teaches me through Your Word! Thank You that You actually honor those who believe merely on the basis of hearing the truth above those who believe based on physical proofs! Thank You for helping me to see the spiritual truths You have spoken to us. May I and all Your people stop clamoring so often for more miracles and realize that, even though it is not a "miracle" in the strict sense of the term, spreading Your word is powerful and effective in bringing people to believe in Jesus Christ! Help us to remember that Your words are nothing to be ashamed of! To remember that believing the testimony of the Spirit is honoring to Jesus Christ and to the Father Himself! To thank You for including us among those who had the opportunity to hear, and to stop worrying about it when we haven't had the opportunity to see! Thank You that faith comes by hearing, and that because we have faith in Jesus Christ, we have the hope of full and true sight when He comes again! Bless Your name for giving us the words of Jesus Christ through Your servants!