By The Rev. Ron Purkey
Guest Columnist

Read John 4:43-54

The Rev. Ron Purkey

“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”(John 4:53)

This is the second of the seven signs in the Gospel of John. These signs show the way a person is converted and the results that follow. The first two signs took place at Cana in Galilee. Turning the water into wine illustrates that salvation is through the word of God (the Bible). The healing of the son in this chapter shows that conversion is by faith.

The son lay dying in Capernaum, about 17 miles away from Cana. The man wanted Jesus to come with him, for he did not believe that he could cure the boy from a distance. (See Martha’s similar reaction in John 11:21.) Jesus did not go with the man, but instead spoke the words: “Go your way; your son lives.”

He believed the word of God!

It would have taken the man only three or four hours to get back home, yet John 4:52 (“yesterday”) indicates that he remained in Cana an entire day. The boy had been cured at 1 in the afternoon, and the next day the father arrived home. This proves he had real faith in Jesus Christ’s word, for he did not rush home to see what happened.

This is the way we are converted — by putting our faith in the word of God. “Christ says it, I believe it, that settles it!” The nobleman apparently stayed in Cana, took care of some business, and then went home the next day. He had “joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13) because his trust was in Jesus Christ’s word alone.

He was not surprised when his servants told him, “Your son lives!” He merely asked them when the cure took place and verified that it was the very hour that Christ spoke the word. The result: his whole family trusted Jesus Christ. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

Jesus in John 4:48 gives the basic reason why people will not believe: they want to see signs and experience wonders. Keep in mind that Satan is able to perform signs and wonders to deceive (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10). If your salvation is based on feelings, dreams, visions, voices, or any other fleshly evidence, then you are on dangerous ground. It is faith in the word alone that gives us the assurance of eternal life. (See 1 John 5:9-13.)