A Father's Faith - 30 Days with Jesus - Day 7

John 4:1-54

You all know that the story about the woman at the well (John 4:1-42) is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. I recently read Paperdoll by Natalie Lloyd. In the book, Lloyd looks at the story of the woman at the well and breaks it down so that you can really apply it to your life. I highly recommend it!

But today, I want to look at the rest of John 4.

"Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
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.
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.
Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
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.
And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
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.
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.
This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee." John 4:43-54

In these verses, we are introduced to another nameless character - a father whose son was dying. This father came to Jesus to ask Him to heal his son. In this story we see that:

1. The father was drawn to Jesus' power: He traveled to Cana in Galilee from his home in Capernaum to ask Jesus to come heal his son.


2. The father obeyed Jesus' command: Jesus did not agree to go home with the man and see his son. Instead, He told the man to go home and assured him that his son would live. The father could have further insisted that Jesus come with him. He could have caused a scene. This man was an officer of the king (verse 46), and he could have ordered that Jesus come with him. But he didn't do any of those things. He believed what Jesus said and he obeyed Jesus' command to return home to his son.


3. The father and his house believed in Jesus: When the man returned home, his servants ran to meet him and told him that his son was well. The man asked when his son began to get well, and when the servants told him, he realized that his son began to get well at the exact moment that Jesus had spoken to him. So he and his house believed in Jesus.