John 4:43-54 / Progress of Belief
Father, we are grateful that though our hearts are prone to wander, prone to leave the God we love, you by your grace have taken and sealed us. You have called us your own, adopted us into your family, and commissioned us to be about the purposes of God. I thank you that our faith in Christ is not a final destination or an end, but a new beginning. Father, you have been proclaiming the excellencies of Christ from creation until now and for eternity future, and you have called us to sing along with those who have gone before to the glories of our King. For those of us here in desperate need of something bigger than ourselves, may we find in these moments together a sense of hope, a sense of peace, and a sense of light in the darkness through the person of Jesus Christ. In His name we pray. Amen.
Introduction: Becoming Self-Feeders
Welcome to those of you here with us live and to those joining us throughout the day. I am glad you are all here. Before we jump into the text, I want to quickly address the elephant in the room for those who may have missed the last couple of weeks. We made a very important announcement two weeks ago, and we want to make that information available to everyone. If you missed it or would like to hear it again, we have CDs and DVDs available at the iHub. We want to ensure all the information is in your hands so you know exactly what is going on behind the scenes. We are not fans of hidden information, secrecy, or things done behind closed doors. We want you to know what is happening, so please pick up a copy if you need one.
That being said, we have work to do this morning. Let’s turn to John chapter 4. If you have your Bible, open it there. I really encourage you to bring your Bible each week because we spend time in it every Sunday. Our heart’s desire is for you to open the book, look inside, and take notes. If you don’t bring your Bible, you can’t do that, and we end up groping in the dark.
All too often, we come to church and truth is simply handed to us, but we never learn how to cultivate that truth for ourselves. We never become self-feeders. That means you are always dependent on the next spiritual fix given to you by someone else. That might be good, but if you want to move from good to better to best in your relationship with God and your joy in Christ, it is vital that you learn how to handle your Bible. If you don’t have one, we would be more than happy to give you one. At the end of the day, putting the Word of God in your hands is one of the best things we can do.
The Architecture of John’s Gospel
We have been out of John for a couple of weeks, so let me give you a quick overview of the book. The Gospel of John was written by John the disciple—the one scripture refers to as the disciple whom Jesus loved. There are four primary movements in this book:
First, in chapters 1:1–18, we have the movement of incarnation—the reality of Jesus moving into the world.
Second, from chapter 1:19 through the end of chapter 4, we have the movement of presentation—Jesus moving into mission. He gets to work and launches His public ministry.
Third, in chapters 5 through 12, there is a movement toward opposition. Proverbial stones begin flying at Christ. His accusers increase the intensity of their hatred toward Him. As a side note, if you are new to the things of God, notice that it was rarely the irreligious people who had a problem with Jesus. The people who took issue with Jesus were the religious elite. It has always fascinated me that Jesus extended deep grace to the sinner and stood in stark opposition to the self-righteous religious leaders.
Finally, chapters 13 through 21 represent the movement toward redemption. The narrative builds to its crescendo, culminating in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ—the absolute pinnacle of human history.
The overriding theme of this gospel is belief. John uses the Greek word for belief nearly a hundred times. The book is about the progress of belief—moving from casual, curious belief toward authentic, saving belief. Faith is rarely a sudden lightning bolt where you instantly have it all together and never struggle again. Faith is a journey; it is a progression. John captures who Jesus is strategically and compellingly so that we might believe in His name.
John 20:30-31 (NASB)
Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
John gives the explicit aim of his book right there: he wants everyone who reads it to come to faith in Jesus Christ. To build this case, John records eight specific miracles, which he calls “signs.” He calls them signs because they are not merely flashy demonstrations of power; they are signposts pointing to something greater. They point to the reality of who Jesus is, not just what He does.
John 4:54 (NASB)
This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
John records this second sign with great intentionality. The first four chapters highlight spiritual and physical life. In chapter 2, at the wedding in Cana, Jesus turns water into wine, showing His disciples that He is the agent of creation. In chapter 3, Jesus tells Nicodemus that religion isn’t enough; we must be born again spiritually. In chapter 4, Jesus meets the woman at the well, extending grace to someone desperately in need while speaking profound truth into her life. He lived in the perfect tension of grace and truth.
No Honor at Home
Now, picking up in verses 43 through 54, Jesus interacts with a royal official. After staying two days in Samaria, He travels north into Galilee.
John 4:43-45 (NASB)
After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.
Before detailing what happened in Galilee, John includes an interesting parenthetical observation in verse 44: Jesus testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. John was writing later than Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and he assumed his readers were familiar with the Synoptic accounts where Jesus made this exact statement.
Matthew 13:57 (NASB)
And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his [own] household.’
Why is it that the most difficult place to live out your faith is at home? You can go on a short-term mission trip and boldly share your story with strangers, but sharing your faith around the Thanksgiving table with your family feels terrifying. Why? If it was difficult for Jesus—who was sinless—to live His faith at home, how much harder is it for us?
I remember coming home from graduate school absolutely on fire for the Lord. I wanted to make sure my whole family knew it, so I went home and basically nuked everybody. I was like a kid returning from summer camp, completely overzealous, firing off accusations and hamstrings in every relationship. It was a complete train wreck. I realized it was hard for me to share Christ with them because they knew who I was. My dad looked at me like, “Dude, I used to change your diapers. What are you talking about?” That dynamic is especially real if you lived a reckless life before coming to faith. People remember what you were doing six months ago, and now you’re trying to preach to them. A prophet often has no honor in his hometown.
A Desperate Father and a Casual Faith
When Jesus arrives in Galilee, the Galileans welcome Him. But notice why they receive Him: they had seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast.
John 2:23 (NASB)
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.
Their faith at this point was casual. They were impressed by His actions and fascinated by His miracles, but they had not yet placed their faith in who He was. That is where many of us begin our journey. You rarely jump from hardened atheism to full devotion overnight. Usually, there is a progression. You hear stories, you see a friend’s life changed, and your curiosity is piqued. You wonder, Could He really change my life like that? You start watching. That casual faith is the beginning of the progress of belief.
John 4:46-48 (NASB)
Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring [Him] to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you [people] see signs and wonders, you [simply] will not believe.’
This royal official from Capernaum is facing a crisis: his son is sick to the point of death. Tragedy drives him to Jesus. He travels twenty miles from Capernaum to Cana and continually implores Jesus to come down and heal his boy.
This story is distinct from the account in Luke 7 regarding the Roman centurion. In Luke 7, the centurion has a sick servant and demonstrates astonishing faith, telling Jesus, “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus marveled at him, saying He had not found such faith in all of Israel. Here in John 4, we have a royal official with a sick son, and his faith is not yet fully formed.
Jesus responds with a challenging statement: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” Jesus puts His finger on the nature of casual faith. Casual faith seeks the sensational and the supernatural. It says, “God, if you get me out of this mess, I promise I’ll serve you.” It often sounds like a prayer uttered when the police lights flash in the rearview mirror. Casual faith is a transactional, “if-you-do-this-then-I-will-believe” mindset. It focuses entirely on what God can do rather than who He is.
The Breakthrough into Authentic Faith
The father doesn’t argue theology; his heart is breaking for his child.
John 4:49-50 (NASB)
The royal official said to Him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son lives.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off.
Jesus tells him, “Go; your son lives.” The man takes Jesus at His word and starts the journey home. At this moment, what did the man believe? He did not yet possess a fully developed understanding of salvation, sin, and grace. He simply believed that when Jesus said his son would live, it was true. It was a step forward, but the story doesn’t stop there.
John 4:51-54 (NASB)
As he was now going down, [his] slaves met him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, ‘Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.’ So the father knew that [it was] at that hour in which Jesus said to him, ‘Your son lives’; and he himself believed and his whole household. This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
As the official travels back, his servants meet him on the road with the news: “Your son is alive!” He asks when the boy started getting better, and they tell him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father realizes that was the exact moment Jesus said, “Your son lives.”
And look at the result: “He himself believed, and his whole household.”
His belief transformed. It moved from a tentative reliance on a promise into authentic, saving trust in the person of Jesus Christ. His personal experience of Jesus’ authority transformed not just his own heart, but his entire family.
The Progress of Belief: Where Are You on the Journey?
You and I might not be first-century royal officials, and we may never walk the road from Cana to Capernaum, but we all walk this spiritual journey. A couple of weeks ago, we talked about sowing and reaping—investing in people to help them take the next step toward Christ. People are all over the spiritual spectrum. Some are angry at God; some are skeptical; some are curious; others are seeking. Our calling is simply to be the aroma of Christ and help people progress from curious, casual belief into authentic faith.
Life brings massive hurdles. People ask, “How could a loving God let my grandmother die?” or “Why does God allow injustice and suffering in the world?” Those are real questions. But authentic faith means realizing that God is sovereign even when circumstances do not unfold the way we planned. Authentic faith does not love God only when He gives us what we want. It does not play church when it is convenient. Authentic faith says, “God, regardless of my circumstances, I trust who You are.”
I want to leave you with two practical questions today:
First, if you are here and you have never placed your faith in Jesus Christ, what is keeping you from taking that step? What is the hindrance? It is okay to be honest about that question. We are thrilled you are here. As you examine who Jesus is, we believe God will draw you from casual curiosity into authentic faith.
Second, for those of you who already follow Christ, who are you actively investing in to help them move from casual to authentic faith? We sometimes look at high-powered evangelists and think, I could never do that; I would be terrified. But God has not called you to be someone else. He has called you to enter into the lives of real people. Somebody told this royal official about Jesus. Someone took the time to tell the story of what happened in Cana, prompting him to seek out Christ.
God has called us to live authentic lives that point others toward Jesus. The goal of the Christian life is not to cross our arms, relax, and slide quietly into heaven. The goal is to make a tangible difference in the world by helping people discover who Jesus is. When we live that way, we are not running a religious institution; we are part of a movement that outlasts our lives and brings glory to God.
Closing Prayer
Lord, thank you for this vivid picture of what it looks like to move from casual curiosity to authentic faith. Thank you that Jesus is not just a miracle-worker, but the Savior of the world promised from the beginning of time. Help us move beyond a casual faith that only cares about what you can do for us. Give us an authentic faith rooted in who you are. Help us invest in the people around us—to be a breath of fresh air, a shoulder to cry on, and a voice of encouragement that points people to Christ. We commit our lives to your purposes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.