Restraining grace and peace to all that are saints in Christ. Lets us be thankful for God's chastening of His children. I pray that God strips away our foolishness and through His Spirit we learn His comforting words.
Jhn 4:47 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.
Jhn 4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
Jhn 4:49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
Jhn 4:50 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.
Jhn 4:51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
Jhn 4:52 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.
Jhn 4:53 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.
Jhn 4:54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
- If the Nobleman lived only 5 hours away, why do you think it was the next day before he arrived home?
- Is there a recorded time when Jesus ever heals a Galilean in person?
- Anything special about this mans son being held on the seventh hour?
As the women at the well is a wonderful analogy of a sinner coming to faith and being filled with the Spirit, these verses here before us are representative of a saint being brought back to faith. The nobleman comes to Christ believing in His power to save but like so many of us we slip back and try again and again have Christ on our terms with our conditions. And like with us, here to the Lord rebukes this man for this measure of faith. It is humbling to point out the nobleman’s reaction because instead of anger at the Savior’s rebuke he accepts the Lord words and continues to plea for the life of his son. His faith though it may have been faltered, he knew the author of mercy and believed this to be the Son of God. Next with the comforting words of the Lord the man with silence leaves with a re-newed faith. He raised no more objections, asked no more questions, did not request signs or look for a feeling but simply based his belief on nothing more than the word of Christ. I pray through God’s restraining grace that it pleases Him to strengthen my faith and the reader of these words to not look for signs and wonders, to not put limitations and conditions on the Lord, and to believe on nothing less than His Words. (Ecc 7:5) "It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools."
