John 4:43-50 (NKJV)
43 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. 44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain [a]nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”
49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”
50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
Ice breaker: "I am blessed"
Intro:
A different healing miracle by Jesus, He healed the official's son at a distance through His word, unlike the other healing miracles Jesus performed like Blind Man at Siloam Pool "After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground. He made some mud and smeared it on the man's eyes. Then he said, 'Go and wash off the mud in Siloam Pool.'The man went and washed in Siloam, which means 'One Who Is Sent.' When he had washed off the mud, he could see." John 9:6-7 (CEV)
But a similar story also can be found in Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:2-10 Healing of the Centurion's Servant.
43 - 45. "Jesus pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country." yet in verse 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. ?
They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. 46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. "Because of the miracles of Jesus, that's why He is welcomed"
- You can't expect your closest family, friends, or countrymen to appreciate you as a godly leader -- "a prophet has no honor in his own country"
48 "Unless you people see signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."
A rebuke to Galileans, because He knew their hearts, their faith is not grounded in Christ, a low quality faith, a stagnant faith.
A faith focused only on the signs, wonders, miracles but should be focused on the miracle worker.
Miracles, signs and wonders are instrument of the Lord to point people to Him to know Him in an intimate and personal way.
In Psalm 105:4 we are told, "Seek the Lord and His strength; SEEK HIS FACE evermore!" What does it mean to seek God’s face?
The Hebrew word translated "Face" is the exact same word translated as "Presence" when referring to God's presence.
To seek God's face literally means to seek His manifest presence. It means to pray for the very purpose of coming into God’s presence
But at the same time a faith building to the Officer, not to give-up on his plea to Jesus Christ.
The official had faith because he had seen Jesus do miracles in the past and knew that he could heal his son. He travel 20 miles from Capernaum to Cana because he was seeking Jesus and heard that he was in Cana. His faith was strong. The official believed Jesus at his word which demonstrates his faith.
50 "Go," Jesus replied, "your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
NKJV 50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
The official didn't asked for any sign, He believed in the word of Jesus Christ and Go!
In our society today it's easy for people to believe on something if backed with miracles, is like seeing is believing, people are interested only of miracles and what it can bring in their lives, but they are not interested of the
miracle worker, which is Jesus Christ.
We must take Jesus at his word and act before seeing the result, He is the Word in John 1:1, and if we exercise our faith in His word, then we will see the results.
God will test our faith, and nurture it to make it grow. From saving faith to a mature sanctifying faith.
