I have chosen the Gospel of John as the subject. These articles will not run contiguously on this blog but peppered throughout and in the midst of other articles (though some might be posted consecutively). I pray that these will be a blessing and an edification for the saints.
Well, it certainly has been a long time since we've been here in the Gospel of JOHN, and I am heartily glad to be back! Let's dig in to the Word of the LORD!
JOHN 4:46-47
46 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.
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.
The LORD returns to Cana, the place where He performed His first miracle. In our lives we can expect the LORD to return to us with needed miracles, healings, revelation in His Word, anything and everything we need, including His Spirit of grace that empowers us to walk as He walks. And just His returning to us, is blessing enough, so that we may say, "I have spent time with the Man from Galilee" but yet in truth, He never leaves us nor forsakes us (HEB 13:5)!
Here we see a far greater need than the last time He was in Cana. Before it was a wedding without wine; this time we see a son that is seriously sick, "at the point of death".
Whenever we are confronted with death, we do well to approach the One Who alone holds the keys of hell and death (REV 1:18). How sad and unfortunate that some people never bother with Jesus until they are faced with severe trial; even Christians can sometimes become negligent of our LORD, seldom partaking of their love relationship with the LORD - and He brings chastening at times, just to stir us to action and approach the One with Whom we have to do (HEB 4:13).
JOHN 4:48
48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
How vitally important it is that we not seek after "signs and wonders" but rather the One Who is the Sender of signs, and the Wonder Worker. That is to say, we are to seek JESUS, His WORD, His Spirit, and partake of blessed fellowship with Him - and should He grant a sign, or a wonder, all the greater the blessing will be.
There are those who believe their faith would be bolstered if they saw a miraculous sign, or an angel, or a personal prophecy. Yet these were things that the children of Israel saw in the days of Moses and Elijah (and Elisha) and if there was revival (in Moses case, the Hebrews who saw astounding signs in Egypt resorted to idolatry the moment Moses was not to be found!) it was short-lived.
Our faith is established on God's Word ("the faith" refers to the canon of Scripture, and is different than "faith" that we have in the Word; ROM 10:17; COL 2:7).
JOHN 4:49-50
49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
Now here we see something different; in this case, as with the Roman centurion, whose servant was also sick (LUKE 7:2),the LORD is not present with the person needing healing. He is approached by an advocate, in this case the boy's father, who intercedes for them.
The LORD directs these intercessors to return to the needy, for they have received the needed healing. The LORD, Who is LORD of all, directs His holy will from a distance and performs what He otherwise did with a touch. A miracle by email as it were.
How precious are prayerful intercessors; how magnificent is their calling, how wondrous their heart - for they seek nothing for themselves, but for the welfare of another. Would to God that we had more intercessors in the church! May we pray that the LORD raise up saints with such desire and heart, to stand in the gap and pray for others. These closely mirror Him Who is our Great Intercessor (JOHN 17 for example; and HEB 7:25).
The nobleman departed, not in despair, but in fervent hope - for "he believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him".
JOHN 4:51
51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
Faith and expectation are met with answered prayer and blessing. We cannot afford to become lax and loosen our grip of faith in prayer - any more than Jacob loosened his grip on the angel of the LORD, even though He admonished him to do so. Jacob's response was "I will NOT let You go until You bless me! (GEN 32:25-26)"
That's what I call Holy Spirit tenacity! The saint that believes God answers prayer in His time! The sort of seeking and praying that just won't quit. And neither did the nobleman, until he received his answer, and he immediately returned to his son to see the result.
JOHN 4:52
52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
Many people would readily accept this blessed healing and look no further; not so with this nobleman. His inquisitive inquiry I believe was born of believing faith. He knew the time when he encountered the LORD. I'm certain he fully expected that the answer to his question would be "the seventh hour" and so it was.
Interesting that it was the seventh hour, not the sixth or the eighth. We know that the number seven, biblically speaking is the number of perfection or completeness.
And so we understand that answered prayer comes in the fullness of time, when the answer is perfectly suited. The LORD answered the prayer of Mary and Martha in the perfect time - four days after Lazarus died! It was the perfect time because it was then that the glory of God would be revealed through Jesus Christ, Who is Himself the Resurrection and the Life (JOHN 11:25-26).
JOHN 4:53-54
53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
Such faith is contagious - and brings blessings to our families and friends - very much like the paralytic who couldn't possibly find his way to Jesus, for He was surrounded by crowds within a certain house. It was his friends that brought him to Jesus and when they saw there was no way into the house because of the crowds, they climbed the roof, tore tiles apart and lowered him through the ceiling (MARK 2:1-5)!
That is the sort of tenacious faith we saints need, as effective intercessors - may we continue to watch and pray as the LORD leads, sending up 'spiritual emails' and wait on the LORD to click reply, and send His miracles via email!
Next time we shall look at JOHN 5:1-9 in an article entitled, Standing On the Commandment of Christ.
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