John 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.
I don’t know about you, but when I read the Bible, I am looking for something that stands out, something to grab hold of, a foothold, something to stand on for the day. Some days I think, “There’s nothing here!” There is, of course, but sometimes I don’t see it. Other times there is so much truth that I don’t know which route to take. I feel like a Labrador retriever at a picnic trying to decide where to put his attention.
For me today, John 4 was that way. There is a fascinating story starting in John 4:36 about a nobleman who had a son on death’s door. He came to Jesus to ask Him to do something about it. He was a desperate man, as people that pray usually are. People without problems do not pray; people that are not sinners cannot be saved. That is just the way it is.
In John 4:46 it says, “And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.” Jesus was in Cana. This man was some miles away in Capernaum, but he had heard about Jesus and what He had done. He came to ask help for his son. He was a nobleman, a subject of the court who may well have had some contact with royalty. I would like to look at a few characteristics of this man’s noble faith. It is not that this man was noble in the sense that he was intrinsically virtuous, but he had a noble object for his faith, namely Jesus of Nazareth.
Notice what the Bible clarifies for us. Verses 47-48 say, “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 Jesus said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.” He seems to brush this man off. Did Jesus know this man’s heart? Of course He did, but He was testing this man’s faith.
In verse 49 the nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down ere my child die.” He wasn’t here to get into a theological argument with Jesus. He was persistent. This nobleman’s faith was a persistent faith.
Second, it was a bold faith. The Bible says in verse 50, “Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus hath spoken unto him, and he went his way.” This man passed Jesus’ test. If this man had just been looking for a sign, then perhaps he would have been put off by Jesus’ response to him. But the Bible says that he believed Jesus’ words. He had no sign that what Jesus said had actually happened, but he believed Jesus. This faith involved risk; it was bold.
It was also a precise faith. Notice verses 51-52, “And as he was now going down, his servant 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 the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth…” Verse 52 indicates that his son was healed precisely when Jesus gave the word.
Another characteristic of this noble faith is that it was a contagious faith. Verse 53 says, “And himself believed, and his whole house.” It was contagious. He believe Jesus’ word for the specific need that he had, and that led to believing Jesus, Who He is and what He can do. And, the nobleman’s whole house followed him and made individual decisions about Who Jesus is.
Lastly, it was a justified faith. All his asking, going, seeking, and believing was justified. Verse 54 says, “This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.” Jesus had tested this faith by saying, “You are just looking for a sign.” But this man said, “Please help!” Then the Lord did a miracle and that was a sign of Who He is.
Today you may not be noble. In fact, anyone who prays is not noble because they are needy. But a noble faith is a faith worthy of the King. That is what this man did and what I should do today.