John 4:43-54

This year we are covering the four Gospel Accounts together in chronological order.

In the previous post, we covered John 4:27-42. Here was the conclusion:

Jesus taught the disciples to convert those who were ready to believe. The way to measure this was if the unbeliever initiated the request to be converted. Jesus' evangelistic approach resulted in many people receiving Him as Messiah.

I believe this story showed Jesus the Evangelist. He did not evangelize the way people are taught to evangelize today. Jesus was INDIRECT and completely led of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not initiate any of the discussion about God. Jesus was not DIRECT in His thought process when He evangelized.


John 4
"43 And after the two days he went forth from thence into Galilee.
44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honor in his own country.
45 So when he came into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast."

(After Jesus abode with the Samaritans for two days, He went into Galilee and the people received Him because of the things they saw Him do in Jerusalem during the Passover...which was the event that began Jesus' Public Ministry. This was the first time Jesus had been to Galilee since He began His Public Ministry.)

"46 He came therefore again unto Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum."

(Jesus was in Cana, where He performed His first miracle...and a nobleman was there whose son was sick in Capernaum.)

"47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son; for he was at the point of death."

(We see that the nobleman specifically came to Cana to make a request to Jesus on behalf of his son in Capernaum.)

(CRITICAL POINT: Jesus did NOT initiate this miracle. A need was presented to Him and He responded. The miracle was an effect of Jesus' responding to a need. We will see throughout this Series that Jesus ONLY responded to needs.)

"48 Jesus therefore said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will in no wise believe."

(This statement showed that Jesus realized the value of signs and wonders are that it causes people to believe. However, miraculous healings do require the person receiving the healing to have faith. This man's son would not get healed unless the nobleman had faith (on behalf of his son) prior to the healing.)

"49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die."

(The man wanted Jesus to be physically present in order for his son to be healed.)

"50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. The man believed the word that Jesus spake unto him, and he went his way."

(We have seen that Offensive Spiritual Warfare has four requirements:

1. Offensive Spiritual Warfare is done with WORDS and SENTENCES.
This is NOT something that is done PHYSICALLY. This is something that is done as a statement of the will.

2. Offensive Spiritual Warfare is done according to the faith (Understanding and Experience) of the individual.
Both the person stating their will AND the person who is benefiting have to believe it will work.

3. The statement of the will has to be done over things that don't have a will.
The weather, inanimate objects, and animals don't have a will. Also, beings that have been judged don't have a will. People have a will. However, if Justice is against a person, they can be dealt with in RESPONSE to Justice. Offensive Spiritual Warfare does NOT work on people who are NOT willing AND/OR NOT deserving of losing a value through Justice.

4. Offensive Spiritual Warfare is initiated by the Holy Spirit
People don't initiate Offensive Spiritual Warfare. The goal of Spiritual Warfare is to bring about God's Will...to create, even if it requires equalling out Justice. The ONLY way to make sure Offensive Spiritual Warfare ALWAYS accomplishes its goal is for it to be initiated by God through the Holy Spirit. People who SCHEDULE sessions to do Offensive Spiritual Warfare are actually doing a work of the flesh.)

(This verse showed that the nobleman did have faith. Jesus performed Offensive Spiritual Warfare and the man demonstrated his faith by going to his son without Jesus.)

"51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, saying, that his son lived.
52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to amend. They said therefore unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house."

(The son was healed and the nobleman asked the time of the healing because he wanted to confirm that Jesus did heal his son. When he found out the time, he knew that his son was healed after Jesus performed Offensive Spiritual Warfare and he demonstrated his faith.)

"54 This is again the second sign that Jesus did, having come out of Judaea into Galilee."

(Remember, Jesus administrated His first miracle. In a similar way, Jesus administrated this second miracle because He wasn't physically present. Notice, John stated this was Jesus' second miracle. That would place this story ahead of all of the other accounts of Jesus doing miracles. Notice also the miracle was done in Capernaum.)


CONCLUSION
Jesus did His second miracle when He returned to Cana in Galilee after He began His Public Ministry. The miraculous healing occurred in Capernaum.

Next Post