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The Gospel of John, The Third Interview, The Nobleman of Capernaum, John 4:43-47 - Lesson 27
Verses 4:43,44, Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
During the days that Jesus ministered in Samaria many believed on him.
He leaves that country where he had received honor to go to his own country to receive no honor.
It was not his purpose to please himself, but he was there to please the Father.
So we follow him to Galilee, to a people who honored him not, on the path marked out for him by the Father.
This is another lesson for the servant of God; to follow God's will even if it leads from pleasant places to places of difficulty and suffering.
We move on when God has work for us elsewhere.
Success, failure or promotion, is not the right motivation for relocation but we are to only go where the Lord directs.
So in spite of the success that the Lord meets in Samaria he continues his journey to Galilee.
The "must needs' has been met and there are other needs that he must face in a hostile and unbelieving land. A land that will not honor him.
How we so often treat those who we are most familiar with, with contempt.
The saying, "familiarity breeds contempt" was lived by Jesus.
He received no honor in his own country.
Remember the time in Nazareth as recounted in Luke 4, where those of the synagogue would have cast him over the cliff for preaching the truth.
He was insulted by the people of his own hometown.
How could this man Jesus who had grown up here in Nazareth be the Christ, they said?
Do we honor our own Pastor and Mrs. Hobbs the way they receive honor when they are ministering elsewhere?
Do we honor each other at the end of the church service the way we do a visitor.
Do we give honor to our mates and our loved ones the way we ought to?
Or does familiarity breed contempt?
We seem to take for granted those that we are around the most.
Jesus said, A prophet is indeed without honor in his own country.
He always knows the heart of man.
Verse 4:45, Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
Why did the Galileans receive him?
Jesus had lived with these people most of his life on earth.
Why had they not received him earlier?
His life among them had been without sin.
He had the perfect testimony among his neighbors.
His life must have stood out in sharp contrast to all those around him.
But they were blind to his glory until he had gained fame in Jerusalem.
Local boy makes good, the paper may have said. Jesus is famous now and we want to attach ourselves to him to have some of the glory fall on us.
Many of the Galileans had been to the feast and had returned with stories of the miracles and signs that Jesus did.
Now that his fame is spread far and wide the people flock to him.
They now receive him.
It is safe to receive him. It is popular to receive him.
Such is human nature.
Let a person leave home and become famous, and then return home, it is astonishing how many will claim kinship and friendship.
How superficial is human nature.
It was popular for the Galileans to receive one so famous.
But Jesus knew their heart and like Jews at Jerusalem as related in Chapter 2:24, most likely he did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men.
Verses 4:46-47, So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 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.
This is the occasion of the second miracle that Jesus performs in Cana.
John is careful to point this out to us, so it is good to compare these two occurrences to see if there is anything in common.
When studying the Bible this is a good method to use; one of comparing similar or contrasting events.
We see that both of these miracles were performed on the third day after some event,
in both someone was rebuked by Christ, commands given by Christ in both were followed,
in both the miracle occurred simply by Christ speaking, in both mention is made of servants knowledge,
in both the result of the witness of the miracle was believers in the Lord Jesus Christ
and lastly both narratives end in similar conclusions, i.e., a report by John about the first miracle and the second miracle that Jesus performed in Cana.
John shows us that the Lord is busy.
No sooner had he arrived in Cana than he received the request from the Nobleman.
The word for nobleman is "basilikos" which literally means: king's man.
Perhaps this nobleman was an officer of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee who was popularly known as the "king."
It is apparent that this man was a man of rank or station because he has servants.
But this did not prevent him from having the common problems and sorrows of all mankind.
His son lay at the point of death.
No doubt he had tried every available cure, every available help.
His money and rank or position could not insure health in his loved ones.
But God used this tragedy to bring another son into his fold.
When death is knocking at the door somehow the vision of reality nears 20-20.
Affliction is one of God's medicines.
As it says in Psalm 119:75, Thou in faithfulness hath afflicted me. Like medicine the affliction may not taste good but it is designed to conform us to him.
On this side of the story we see that it was a blessing to the nobleman that his son was sick because through the incident he met the Savior.
He hears that Jesus is in Galilee and he rushes to him having heard that Jesus healed people.
He beseeches him to "come down." But Jesus is interested in him coming up.
He believes that Jesus can heal close by but has no concept that Jesus is the Word and his word is all that is needed.
How we do limit him.
Remember Mark 5:23, I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. or the woman with the issue of blood, "If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole, or Martha exclaiming in John 11:21, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
But the centurion did not limit him when he said, just speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
The centurion just gave the need to Jesus and let him solve it.
The Nobleman dictated to Jesus and told him to come down.
The difference in faith is striking.
Casting all your cares upon him, for he careth for you.
These cares also include the "how" of solving the problem. |