WE ARE STUDYING THE FOUR GOSPELS MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE AND JOHN TO KNOW THE LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. TO KNOW HIM IS TO LOVE HIM.
Our Savior had lived on the earth for thirty years and had worked no miracle. There was the hiding of His power. He had been subject unto His parents and had lived in obscurity. Now He has broken through the obscurity and He begins His public ministry in Judea by working a miracle at;
Then He;
We see that He;
He then tells us how to get saved;
Jesus ends His Ministry in Judea and;
John the Baptist Exalts Christ.
Jesus finished His Ministry in Judea and went up to Galilee but did not take the long road the Jews normally take to avoid going through Samaria but went straight to a place called Sychar near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there.
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria.
Today we will finish with John 4 and will look at verse 27 to 54.
THE REWARDS OF SERVICE John 4:28-38, THE GROWTH OF FAITH John 4:39-45 and lastly THE REWARD OF TRUSTING JESUS’ WORD John4:46-54.
Frederick Brotherton Meyer, a contemporary and friend of D. L. Moody and A. C. Dixon, was a Baptist pastor and evangelist in England involved in ministry and inner city mission work on both sides of the Atlantic presents it to us this way;
THE REWARDS OF SERVICE. John 4:27-38
As soon as Jesus opens the living spring within our hearts, we abandon our water pots. When we are saved, we must hasten with the tidings to those with whom we have sinned. First find Christ for yourself; then say, “Come and see.” He who knows us with an unchallengeable knowledge cannot be other than the Christ.
The disciples were naturally astonished when they came upon this interview. They might have asked the woman what she was seeking, and the Master why He was talking to her. But they were silent; the awe of God was upon them. Their natural care for their beloved leader led them to press on Him the viands they had purchased, but they were destined to learn that the soul may be nourished in obeying the will of God. The whiteness of the harvest appeared in the crowds that were coming down the valley; but at harvest time we are sometimes apt to forget the sower who passed home without seeing the result of his labor. That is not the divine method. The sower is rewarded for his share, as the reaper for his-they rejoice together.
THE GROWTH OF FAITH. John 4:39-45
There are many ways of coming to know Christ. In some cases He comes to us, as to the woman by the well, and reveals Himself in a direct and illuminating manner, so that the soul can never afterward entertain a doubt as to his reality or its own experience. In other cases, the report of some associate or friend is the arresting and converting factor. Many Samaritans believed “because of the word of the woman.” There was a light in her eyes, a radiance in her face, a strength and dignity in her bearing that convinced them. There was yet another section of the Samaritans, who watched and listened, as Jesus tarried with them. They heard Him for themselves, and were convinced that He was indeed the Saviour, not of the Jews only, but of the whole world. (Amen)
Our Lord could not remain among this interesting people, for His mission was primarily to His own nation. He therefore proceeded on His way to Galilee, not to Nazareth where He was so well known, but as appears in the following paragraph, to Cana of Galilee, where He was welcomed because of the marked impression that He had already made in the metropolis.
THE REWARD OF TRUSTING JESUS’ WORD. John 4:46-54
The particular interest of this beautiful incident is in Joh_4:50. The father had such faith in our Lord’s promise that he started off at once on his homeward journey, needing no further assurance that all was well. It would appear, indeed, that he went to some inn or caravansary on his way back, because there would have been ample time between the seventh hour (one o’clock in the day) and nightfall to get from Cana down to Capernaum. Why should he hasten! The boy was living, doing well, since the Master had said so. He was sure of it and thanked God for it and gladly took the opportunity of a quiet night’s rest, to sleep off the effects of long watching, intense anxiety, and the swift journey to Cana. When his servants met him with the news that the boy was healed, he inquired at what hour the change had taken place, merely to corroborate his own conclusions. What a happy family that was! This nobleman may have been Chuza, Herod’s steward, Luk_8:3, or Manaen, Herod’s foster-brother, Act_13:1. Why should we not have the same simple faith in the word of God’s promise!
Amen!
Our Lord is now again in Galilee!
We thank William MacDonald (1917-2007) who, for more than forty years, written directly about the key issues of Christianity. Leaving a promising business career as an employed investment analyst with First National Bank of Boston “at the foot of the Cross”, he had travelled worldwide, proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ for the Believer’s Bible Commentary.
The Son’s Delight in Doing His Father’s Will. (John 4:31-38)
4:31 Now that the disciples were back with the food, they encouraged the Lord to eat. Apparently they were not aware of the momentous events that were taking place. At this historic moment when a Samaritan city was being introduced to the Lord of Glory, their thoughts could rise no higher than food for their bodies.
4:32 The Lord Jesus had found food and support in winning worshipers to His Father. Compared to this joy, physical nourishment was of little importance to Him. We get what we go after in life. The disciples were interested in food. They went into the village to get food. They came back with it. The Lord was interested in souls. He was interested in saving men and women from sin, and giving them the water of everlasting life. He, too, found what He went after. What are we interested in?
4:33 Because of their earthly outlook, the disciples failed to understand the meaning of the Lord’s words. They did not appreciate the fact that “the joy and happiness of spiritual success can for the time lift men above all bodily wants, and supply the place of material meat and drink.” And so they concluded that someone must have come along and brought food to the Lord Jesus.
4:34 Again Jesus tried to turn their attention from the material to the spiritual. His food was to do the will of God, and to finish the work which God had given Him to do. This does not mean that the Lord Jesus refrained from eating actual food, but rather it means that the great aim and object of His life was not to cater to the body, but rather to do the will of God.
4:35 Perhaps the disciples had been talking together about the coming harvest. Or perhaps it was a common proverb among the Jews, “Four months between seed time and harvest.” At any rate, the Lord Jesus again used the physical fact of harvest to teach a spiritual lesson. The disciples should not think that harvest time was still in the distance. They could not afford to spend their lives in quest of food and clothing, with the thought that God’s work could be done later on. They must realize that the fields were already white for harvest. The fields here, of course, refer to the world. At the very moment when the Lord spoke these words, He was in the midst of a harvest field containing the souls of Samaritan men and women. He was telling the disciples that a great work of in-gathering lay before them, and that they should give themselves to it immediately and diligently.
So today, the Lord says to those of us who are believers, “Lift up your eyes, and look at the fields.” As we spend time contemplating the great needs of the world, the Lord will lay on our hearts a burden for the lost souls around us. Then it will be up to us to go forth for Him, seeking to bring in the sheaves of ripened grain.
4:36 The Lord Jesus was now instructing the disciples concerning the work to which they were called. He had chosen them to be reapers. They would not only earn wages in this life, but they would gather fruit for eternity as well. Service for Christ has many rewards at the present time. But in a coming day, reapers will have the additional joy of seeing souls in heaven because of their faithfulness in proclaiming the gospel message.
Verse 36 does not teach that a person earns life eternal through faithful reaping, but rather that the fruit of that work continues on into eternal life.
In heaven, both the sower and the reaper will rejoice together. In natural life, the field must first be prepared for the seed, and then the seed must be sown in it. Later on, the grain is harvested. Thus it is in the spiritual life also. First of all, the message must be preached, then it must be watered with prayer. But when the harvest season comes, all who have had a part in the work rejoice together.
4:37 In this, the Lord saw a fulfillment of the saying that was common in that day, “One sows, and another reaps.” Some Christians are called on to preach the gospel for many years without seeing very much fruit for their labor. Others step in at the end of those years, and many souls turn to the Lord.
4:38 Jesus was sending His disciples into areas that had already been prepared by others. Throughout the OT period, the prophets had foretold the coming of the gospel era and of the Messiah. Then, too, John the Baptist came as a forerunner of the Lord, seeking to prepare the hearts of the people to receive Him. The Lord Himself had sown the seed in Samaria, and prepared a harvest for the reapers. Now the disciples were about to step into the harvest field, and the Lord wanted them to know that, although they would have the joy of seeing many turning to Christ, they should understand that they were entering into other men’s labors.
Very few souls are ever saved through the ministry of a single person. Most people have heard the gospel many times before they ever accept the Savior. Therefore, the one who finally leads a person to Christ should not exalt himself as if he were the only instrument God used in this marvelous work.
Many Samaritans Believe in Jesus. (John 4:39-42)
4:39 As a result of the simple and forthright testimony of the woman of Samaria, many of her people believed on the Lord Jesus. All she said was, “He told me all that I ever did,” and yet that was sufficient to bring others to the Savior. This should be an encouragement to each of us to be simple, courageous, and direct in our witness for Christ.
4:40 The reception given to the Lord Jesus by the Samaritans was in marked contrast to that of the Jews. The Samaritans seemed to have some real appreciation of this wonderful Person, and they urged Him to stay with them. As a result of their invitation, the Lord stayed there two days. Just think how privileged this city of Sychar was, that it should entertain the Lord of life and glory during this period of time!
4:41, 42 No two conversions are exactly alike. Some believed because of the testimony of the woman. Many more believed because of the words of the Lord Jesus Himself. God uses various means in bringing sinners to Himself. The great essential is that there should be faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is wonderful to hear these Samaritans bearing such clear testimony to the Savior. There was no doubt in their minds at all. They had complete assurance of salvation based not on the word of a woman, but on the words of the Lord Jesus Himself. Having heard Him and believed His words, the Samaritans had come to know that this was indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. Only the Holy Spirit could have given them this insight. The Jewish people apparently thought that the Messiah would be for them alone. But the Samaritans realized that the benefits of Christ’s mission would extend to all the world.
The Second Sign: Healing of the Nobleman’s Son. (John 4:43-54)
4:43, 44 After the two days which He spent among the Samaritans, the Lord turned His footsteps northward to Galilee. Verse 44 seems to present a difficulty. It states that the reason for the Savior’s moving from Samaria to Galilee was that a prophet has no honor in his own country. And yet Galilee was His own country, since Nazareth was a city located in that region. Perhaps what the verse means is that Jesus went into some part of Galilee other than Nazareth. In any case, the statement is certainly true that a person is not usually appreciated as much in his own home town as he is in other places. One’s relatives and friends think of him as a mere youngster and one of themselves. Certainly the Lord Jesus was not appreciated by His own people as He should have been.
4:45 When the Lord returned to Galilee, He was given a favorable reception because the people had seen all the things He had done in Jerusalem at the feast. Obviously the Galileans referred to here were Jews. They had gone down to Jerusalem to worship. There they had seen the Lord and had witnessed some of His mighty works. Now they were willing to have Him in their midst in Galilee, not because they acknowledged Him to be the Son of God, but because they were curiously interested in One who was arousing so much comment everywhere He went.
4:46 Again the village of Cana was honored by a visit from the Lord Himself. On the first visit, some of the people had seen Him turn water into wine. Now they were to witness another mighty miracle by Him, the effect of which would extend to Capernaum. The son of a certain nobleman … was sick at Capernaum. This man was undoubtedly a Jew employed by Herod, the king.
4:47 He had heard that Jesus had been in Judea and had now returned to Galilee. He must have had some faith in the ability of Christ to heal because he came directly to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his dying son. In this sense, he seems to have a greater trust in the Lord than most of his fellow countrymen.
4:48 Speaking not only to the nobleman, but to the Jewish people in general, the Lord reminded them of a national characteristic, that they desired to see miracles before they would believe. In general, we find that the Lord Jesus was not as pleased with a faith that was based on miracles as He was with that which was based on His Word alone. It is more honoring to Him to believe a thing simply because He said it than because He gives some visible proof. It is characteristic of man that he wants to see before he believes. But the Lord Jesus teaches us that we should first believe, and then we will see.
Signs and wonders both refer to miracles. Signs are miracles that have a deep meaning or significance. Wonders are miracles that cause men to be amazed by their supernatural qualities.
4:49 The nobleman, with the persistence of true faith, believed that the Lord Jesus could do his son good, and he wanted a visit from the Lord more than anything else. In one sense, his faith was defective. He thought that Jesus would have to be at the boy’s bedside before He could heal him. However, the Savior did not rebuke him for this but rewarded him for the measure of faith which he did exhibit.
4:50 Here we see the man’s faith growing. He exercised what faith he had, and the Lord gave him more. Jesus sent him home with the promise, “Your son lives.” The son had been healed! Without any miracle or visible proof, the man believed the word of the Lord Jesus and started for home. That is faith in action!
4:51, 52 As he was now nearing home, his servants came out to meet him with the happy news that his son was well. The man was not at all shocked by this announcement. He had believed the promise of the Lord Jesus, and having believed, he would now see the evidence. The father inquired of the servants as to the time when his son got better. Their answer revealed that the healing was not gradual; it had taken place instantly.
4:53 There could now be not the slightest doubt about this wonderful miracle. At the seventh hour of the previous day, Jesus had said to the nobleman in Cana, “Your son lives.” At the very same hour in Capernaum, the son had been healed, and the fever had left him. From this the nobleman learned that it was not necessary for the Lord Jesus to be physically present to work a miracle or answer prayer. This should encourage all Christians in their prayer life. We have a mighty God who hears our requests and who is able to work out His purposes in any part of the world at any time.
The nobleman himself believed, and his whole household. It is apparent from this and similar verses in the NT that God loves to see families united in Christ. It is not His will that there should be divided families in heaven. He takes care to record the fact that the whole household believed in His Son.
4:54 The healing of the nobleman’s son was not the second miracle in the Lord’s entire ministry up to this point. It was the second sign Jesus performed in Galilee after He had come from
Amen!
Please pray the Holy Spirit-The Paraclete will use these sermons and studies to bring many to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Tell someone today how much you Love Jesus Christ!
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