4:46,47
Jesus returned to Cana. This was where He had turned water into wine, something the people would have already heard about, or actually been there. When we read the gospel accounts we need to remember the background, both immediate and longer term. It is a mistake to read them as if they happened in a vacuum, as an isolated incident.
A royal official had a son who was ill. He would probably have been a servant of Herod. The Greek implies that the son’s condition was ongoing and not a sudden falling ill. So when the official heard that Jesus was in town he went out to Him and begged Him to come and heal his son. The official was desperate, for his son was now close to death. As mentioned earlier, the seven miraculous signs dealt with in John’s gospel are in no way intended by John to be taken as the only ones Jesus did. They are given to teach a lesson. It is apparent that Jesus already had a reputation as a healer, which is why the official went out to Him.
4:48
Jesus knew that He was about to heal the boy. However, He had stern words for the people of Galilee. They needed to see signs and wonders before they would believe. This is in stark contrast to the people in Samaria who had believed without seeing any signs, apart from the “word of knowledge”. As mentioned in an earlier post, we need to be wary of people demanding miracles, or relying on miracles. Conversely, we should expect miracles. I listen to the program Unbelievable on Premier Christian Radio, a show that usually features debates between a Christian and a non-Christian. Several times the non-Christian demands to see a sign.
We should also note that although on several occasions Jesus made remarks like these He still did the miracles. Some people seem to see the miracles as primarily a sign. I am not sure that this is true. The miracles often do serve as a sign of who Jesus is, but they are also the outworking of Christ’s compassion for humanity.
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