The Power of Jesus' Healing

Jesus arrives in Galilee
The Power of Jesus' Healing
Getting To Know Jesus - 023 - Volume 02
Next time you become ill and need surgery or serious medical attention, wouldn’t it be nice if you could get that help without having to go to the doctor’s office? Just make a phone call and he you would not have to be exposed to other people’s illnesses. Doctor would not have to come visit!
Jesus gets news that John the Baptist has been put in prison because he spoke against Herod marrying his brother’s wife (we’ll cover this in a future lesson). Jesus now arrives in Galilee some six months after the Feast of the Passover. This is where He will spend most of the remainder of His ministry.

Jesus has to protect Himself! – Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14a; Luke 4:14-15; John 4:43-45
Jesus’ return after John’s arrest suggests that He wants to make Himself less available to Herod less His purpose is interrupted. Luke suggests that it is the Holy Spirit who motivates Jesus to go to Galilee. Have you ever felt a strong urging to go somewhere or do something? Could that urging have been the Holy Spirit working in your life? Jesus is in the life-changing business. How has He changed your life?

John mentions that a prophet is seldom accepted in his own neighborhood. This is most likely a reference to the resistance that Jesus experienced when in Jerusalem. Jesus will later make this same observation of His reception in Nazareth where He grew up. It is a sad commentary when we reject someone because we knew him or her when (in the past) instead of accepting him or her now! Most of the prophets and Apostles were rejected in their home communities.

The Galileans welcome Jesus because many of them saw what He did in Jerusalem at the Passover and have told others about Him. Jesus is now able to go and teach in all of their synagogues because He has championed an injustice that especially affected Galilean Jews. He confronted the priests with their greed and price gouging in the selling of animals for the sacrifices.

Wealth cannot buy health! – John 4:46-47
Ah, Jesus returns to Cana of Galilee, where He had changed the water into wine at a wedding recently! Word has gotten around the region that Jesus is in the area. A royal official from Capernaum whose son is sick, hears about Jesus and goes to Cana to ask Jesus to heal his son. The road from Capernaum to Cana is 18 to 25 miles uphill (2,000+ ft. change in elevation)! 6-8 hours by foot.

At first, Jesus balks at the request because many people are more impressed with sensationalism and want a miracle instead of enduing the hard labor that makes for success. Jesus’ hesitancy has nothing to do with this man’s position, popularity or power. Can you accept people regardless of their race, vocation, social status or wealth?

At this point in His life, Jesus’ popularity is more for what He has done than for who He is. Faith in Jesus as a miracle worker is not the same as faith in Him as the Son of God, our Lord and Savior. Sometimes Jesus has to work on us before He can work for us!

Jesus can heal without being there! – John 4:48-50
The official came to Jesus because he believes that Jesus can heal his son. He continues to plead with Jesus to come to Capernaum and heal his son. He is persuaded that the only hope for His son is a miracle for healing by Jesus. He has ample access to doctors and they have been unsuccessful.

Jesus’ reply is for him to go home, his son will be okay. He trusts Jesus (a step of faith) and leaves. Faith = key, trust = lock, obedience = turning the key in the lock. Even the noblest leaders and the most affluent or powerful are reduced to beggars in the presence of Jesus. There are some situations that only God can heal but most of the time He uses doctors and medicine to do it!

Proof of Jesus’ power! – John 4:51-54
As the royal official from Capernaum is returning home, some of his servants are traveling to Cana to tell him that the boy is okay. The life-threatening fever is gone and the child is back to normal. The official inquires about when the boy got better and they tell him. He recalls that this s the same time that Jesus told him to go home, the boy will be okay.
This is the second miracle recorded by John and done by Jesus in Galilee. Jesus did some miracles in Jerusalem, but no others in Galilee until now.

CONCLUSION
Have you ever been seriously ill or had someone in your family that survived an illness that could have been fatal? How did you feel upon your or their recovery? Did you see God’s hand in their recovery? Did you want to tell others what God did and praise Him for His mercy and grace in bringing about healing?

It isn’t the miracles in your life that matter, but who Jesus is! What are you doing to build that relationship with Him?

God Bless and have a great week.

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