John 4:43-54: Don’t Settle for Anything Less than Jesus Himself

John 4:43-54: Don’t Settle for Anything Less than Jesus Himself

Please turn in your Bibles to John 4. If you’re using the Story Bible we provide, that’s on page 737. If you’re visiting with us this morning, we’ve been going through the Gospel of John passage by passage. And this morning, we come to John 4:43-54: After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. 

One of the things that college students are known for is their eagerness to get a free meal. If you want to get them to attend some kind of event or meeting, the easiest thing to do is simply offer free food, and they’ll usually come. I remember in the church I used to attend before moving to Pittsburgh, one of the things I did was coordinate the church’s college ministry. This ministry consisted of about 30 or 40 college-aged students, and I was responsible for organizing different events for them to come to. And as you might imagine, one of the hallmarks of a successful event for college students is free food. So we’d get pizza, we’d grill burgers, if we really wanted to do something special we’d get Buffalo Wild Wings. And for many of the students, I think simply advertising that food would be there made the difference between them coming or not coming. Incidentally, just a few days ago, I was driving past a church plant near the Pitt campus, and I saw that their banner advertising their worship service also advertised a free meal before the service. And I thought to myself, “Those guys know what they’re doing.” When you’re dealing with college students, if you feed them, they’ll usually come. 

And in our passage of Scripture this morning, we see that this official came to Jesus with a similar mentality. So this morning, we’re going to talk about two things: the problem with the way this official initially approached Jesus and then how we can get beyond this official’s initial approach.

The Problem with the Way This Official Initially Approached Jesus

So first, what was the problem with the way this official approached Jesus? The problem was that, at first, this guy was only interested in Jesus because he wanted Jesus to meet a physical need. Now, he had a very legitimate physical need. I mean, his son was about to die. I’m sure any father in this room would travel to the ends of the earth in order to save the life of one of his children. But here’s the problem: that’s as far as this man’s interest in Jesus went. And he wasn’t the only one with that kind of mentality. Unfortunately, that mentality was apparently pretty normal for people from Galilee. Look at the text, beginning at verse 43: “After the two days [Jesus] departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.)” Now stop right there. Whenever the author of a biblical book makes a comment like that, he makes that comment for a reason. John didn’t write this narrative as part of some school assignment that required a minimum page count and therefore try to stuff that paper full of “filler” type comments. No, every word we find written in his narrative was written for a reason. So in verse 44, when he recalls the fact that “Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown,” he’s trying to communicate that we should be viewing the mentality of these Galileans—people from Jesus’ hometown—in a negative light. 

And we get a little bit better picture of what was wrong with the Galilean mentality in verse 45: “So when [Jesus] came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.” Now at first, it seems like the Galileans are actually treating Jesus well because it says that they “welcomed him.” But if you read a little closer and keep the gloomy statement of verse 44 in mind, you realize that this was in fact a very flawed welcome. Because look why they welcomed him: “having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast.” They welcomed Jesus because they remembered what he did at the feast. And what did he do at the feast? Well, a few chapters earlier, John chapter 2 recorded how Jesus did a lot of miracles at the feast. That’s what the Galileans were interested in. They weren’t interested in Jesus himself or the gospel or anything like that. They were only interested in the miracles. 

I remember when I was in sixth or seventh grade, I was like a lot of middle schoolers in that I desperately wanted to be popular. I wanted to be accepted by the “cool kids.” Now, I myself wasn’t cool. I wasn’t exceptionally good at sports, I didn’t have all the brand name clothes, so I never did become popular. But there was one thing I did have: I got good grades. So one of the popular kids named Brandon Dehart, with his super-cool hair gel and expensive basketball jerseys, would always act really friendly towards me and treat me really well so that I would let him copy my homework. That’s how it worked. I got to have a little bit of an “in” with the cool crowd, and he got the answers to the homework assignments. That’s all he was after. He wasn’t really interested in me or my friendship. He just wanted my homework answers. And in a similar way, the Galileans weren’t really interested in Jesus himself or the message he brought or anything like that. They wanted his miracles. They wanted to see a good show. They wanted to have their diseases healed. And the main emphasis of Jesus’ ministry—the gospel—wasn’t even on their radar.

Contrast that with the Samaritans we looked at last week in the passage right before this. Remember, the Samaritans were despised by the Jews. The Jews considered themselves religiously superior to the Samaritans looked down on the Samaritans to such an extent that they would often avoid contact with them at almost any cost. But as we saw last week, the Samaritan crowds were more receptive to the gospel than any Jewish crowd had ever been. They weren’t just after the miracles. In fact, there’s no record of Jesus doing any miracles in Samaria. And yet, they begged him to stay with them for a few days and eagerly received the things he taught and concluded in verse 42 that Jesus “is indeed the Savior of the world.” That’s the attitude of the Samaritans. And then, immediately after recording that episode, as if to contrast the Samaritans and the Jews, John records this episode of Jesus among the Jews of Galilee. And unlike the despised Samaritans, these supposedly “religious” Jews are only interested in Jesus’ miracles. That’s why they welcomed him in verse 45. 

Then verse 46 records that Jesus “came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” By the way, in the original language, that “you” in verse 48 is plural. The NIV translates it, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” So Jesus isn’t just talking about this official; he’s referring to the Galilean people as a whole, which of course includes the official. They simply could not progress beyond their fascination with signs and wonders. And that’s why this official approaches Jesus. He isn’t thinking about Jesus’ true identity or the message Jesus was preaching. He just heard that Jesus could perform miracles, and so he’s coming to Jesus looking for his miracle. That’s all he wants. And he’s truly desperate. Even after Jesus expresses frustration at the shallowness of the Galilean mentality in verse 48, the man begs him in verse 49, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” And again, the problem here isn’t that the man wants the child to be healed. It’s that, up until this point, his thinking has never progressed beyond that. He’s never progressed beyond a preoccupation with earthly needs and earthly blessings.

I’m reminded of one lady in particular that Becky and I have known in the past. We never did develop a really close friendship with her, but we talked with her several times. And it seemed like this lady only cared about Jesus and Christianity when she had a problem. A problem would come up in her life, and she would turn to Jesus for help and start attending church and even reading her Bible. But then, after the problem got better, she would disconnect from church, and we wouldn’t really hear from her for a while…that is, until another problem arose in her life a few months later. And then, she was back at church, seeking God, doing everything you would want a Christian to do. But that only lasted as long as her problem lasted. And once she got the help she wanted, she was back out doing her thing. Now I don’t know her heart, but it would seem as though the only reason she was ever interested in Jesus was so that he could help her with the problems in her life. 

And listen to me: Jesus does want to help us with our problems. He’s deeply concerned about the issues we face. He loves us. But if that’s the only reason we seek him, that’s not good. In fact, I’m not even sure you’d call that being a Christian. You might just call it being a mercenary. 

Of course, we see this mentality exhibited all the time, especially in many of the preachers that are on TV. They’re constantly talking about how God wants you to have riches and prosperity and perfect health. And they talk about those things so much, you get the distinct impression that those are the main things they care about. That’s what they’re after. That’s what most of the people who listen to them are after. Their eyes are captivated by this vision of earthly riches and earthly prosperity. That’s why their message is often called the “prosperity gospel.” It’s not the real gospel. It’s not the gospel of Jesus. It’s simply the prosperity gospel. 

How We Can Get beyond This Official’s Initial Approach

And that’s sort of similar to the initial mentality of this official here in John 4. He’s coming to Jesus simply because he wants his miracle, and he gives no evidence of any concern beyond that. But thankfully, he eventually changes and does show interest for something beyond that, at least somewhat. Look back at our text. As we read in verse 48: “So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”  Then, listen to what happens: “Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” So Jesus condescends to meet this man where he’s at and gives him the miracle he seeks. Then look, continuing on: “The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.” It took a good amount of faith to do that. Then, “As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household.” 

So in the end, in verse 53, we see the official not just hitting Jesus up for a miracle like the majority of Galileans would do but actually going beyond that and believing in Jesus himself. Once the crisis of his son’s sickness is over, this man finally starts thinking on a higher level than just the physical, and he embraces the message of Jesus and becomes a disciple of Jesus. And not only that, but, as it says, his entire household does the same.  

And it’s critical for us to come to that same realization as well. If you’re here this morning because you want Jesus to help you with some issues in your life, you have to realize that even though Jesus definitely cares about those issues and may help you with them, those issues are not your biggest problem. Your biggest problem is a sin problem. And that’s a problem we all have.  We need to be saved from our sin. This passage doesn’t go into significant detail about the main purpose of Jesus’ ministry, but other passages do. And they make it clear that Jesus’ main goal was to rescue people not from any material or physical predicament but rather from their sin. For example, in Matthew 1:21, an angel explains to Joseph how Mary “will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Then in Luke 19:10, Jesus himself says about his own ministry, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” That was Jesus’ main purpose: seeking and saving the lost. Saving them from what? From their sin. And the way he did that was by offering himself as a sacrifice on the cross, appeasing the wrath of God against sin and fully satisfying the requirements of God’s justice. You see, our sin had to be punished—it had to be dealt with—but Jesus took that punishment in our place. And because he died and then three days later rose from the dead, we can be forgiven and cleansed of all sin. 

However, I don’t think we can stop there in thinking about the gospel. I don’t think we can stop with mere forgiveness. Now, don’t get me wrong. It’s true that our biggest problem is a sin problem, and it’s true that we need to be forgiven and cleansed of our sin. But that’s not all salvation is about. And I think a lot of Christians need to hear what I’m about to say. Salvation isn’t just about what God saves us out of; it’s also about what he saves us into. So often, we only talk about salvation in terms of what God saves us out of: sin, misery, hell, brokenness, and the like. And it’s absolutely wonderful to be rescued from those things, but salvation is also about what God saves us into. And God saves us into a full and abundant life in relationship with himself. In John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” So Jesus offers us life—real, true, abundant life. A kind of life that’s not available anywhere else in this world. And we enjoy this life as we live day-by-day in an intimate relationship with God. That’s why, in John 17:3, Jesus says this to God the Father in his prayer: “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” That’s what we’ve been saved into: knowing God. An all-satisfying relationship with God. 

Think about marriage. Why do so many people want to get married? Is it because they sit down with a calculator and crunch some numbers and determine that it would be cheaper to live a married life than it would be to live a single life? I don’t think so. Is it merely because they want someone who will take care of them when they get older? I’m not sure that’s totally accurate either. Oh, I know: maybe it’s because they want children. But nowadays, it’s much more socially acceptable and perhaps even normal in our society to have children outside of marriage. So why do so many people want to get married? The answer, of course, is fairly simple: they love another person, and they want to spend the rest of their life with that person by their side. For the vast majority of couples, that’s the main “draw” of marriage. They’re not thinking in terms of any economic benefit. The main desire that’s driving them is a desire for relationship—specifically a close and intimate relationship. Quite simply, they’re “in love.”

And in the same way, that should be our mentality in relating to God. The greatest gift God offers us is the gift of himself. And that’s the main thing I think we need to get from this text. If you’re taking notes, write that down. The greatest gift God offers us is the gift of himself. If you’re just coming to Jesus because you want him to meet a material or physical need like this official in John 4, you’re missing the point. You’re missing the main thing he offers. And…if you’re just coming to Jesus to have your sins forgiven and escape from hell, I would say that you’re still missing the point—at least partially. God doesn’t just want to save us out of our sin; he wants to save us into an all-satisfying relationship with himself—a relationship where we commune with him in prayer, a relationship where we get to know him more through his words in the Bible, and a relationship where he means more to us than anything else in this world. 

That’s the ultimate purpose for which we were created, so it makes sense for that to be the only thing that ultimately satisfies. Think about the purpose of a car. When engineers are designing a car, what do they design that car to do? They design that car to be driven on the road, right? That’s where a car does best. If you try to drive a car through the woods or on any kind of rugged terrain, things aren’t gonna go very well. Something underneath is going to get broken. And really, we could say the same for driving during pothole season, which has pretty much come upon us here in Pittsburgh. Cars don’t like potholes. Every time I accidentally drive over a bad pothole, I just cringe. Because my car wasn’t made for that. Things like that hurt the car. So the best way to use a car if you want it to have any kind of longevity is to use it the way it was designed to be used and drive it on a smooth road. And if that’s true for a car, it’s even more true for a person. We were created for a relationship with God. As the early church father Augustine famously stated, “You have formed us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” If you settle for anything less than God himself, you’re missing the very thing you were created for and the only thing that can satisfy the deepest desires of your heart. 

If, this morning, you haven’t put your trust in Jesus to save you yet and are instead chasing after the pleasures of sin, I want you to know that those pleasures are infinitely inferior the pleasures of God himself. When you chase them, you’re chasing the wind. Why would you keep doing that when, even this morning, you can have God himself—the God who loves you, the God who sent his own Son to die for you? If you have any questions about coming into a relationship with God, I’ll be here, and I would love to talk with you after the service. And if you’re already a Christian this morning but have perhaps been thinking of salvation exclusively in terms of what you’ve been saved out of rather than what you’ve been saved into, I’ll be honest with you: you’re missing just about everything God has for you to enjoy as a Christian. God offers you the gift of himself, so why settle for anything less?