Healings Of Jesus

John 4:43-54 After the two days he left for Galilee. ⁴⁴ (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) ⁴⁵ When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. ⁴⁶ Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. ⁴⁷ When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. ⁴⁸ “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” ⁴⁹ The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” ⁵⁰ “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. ⁵¹ While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. ⁵² When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” ⁵³ Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed. ⁵⁴ This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee. John 20:31

Centurions Servant Luke 7 & Mother–daughter is demon Possessed Matt. 15

John tells us there was an official in Capernaum, whose son is sick and close to death. Now Capernaum was about 20 miles away from Cana… That may not seem like a big deal to you and me, but then it was a significant distance. He heads out to meet Him. (7-10 hours)

This man, a royal official, (nobleman) was in a position of power and influence. He most likely worked for Herod Antipas in some way. It also means that he’s a fairly wealthy person. He probably doesn’t want for much, as far as material things go.

A DESPERATE FAITH: His son was “close to death”. He was desperate for a miracle. And in his desperation, he turned to Jesus. He put all his trust, all his hope, in Jesus. This is a powerful lesson for us. It teaches us who to turn to in desperate situations.

A HUMBLE FAITH: He was not too proud to seek help, to admit he was powerless in the face of his son’s sickness. He knew that his status, his wealth, his influence, none of these were going to save his son. But he believed that Jesus could.

A PERSISTENT FAITH: It’s clear this nobleman is in a desperate, humbling situation. This guy who was used to giving orders, and being in charge; has been reduced to a beggar.

He “begged” Jesus to come and heal his son. He didn’t just ask once and then give up. He persisted. He was determined to get Jesus’ help. This shows us that faith is not passive. It is active. faith requires persistence.      The nobleman’s faith teaches us to be persistent in our faith, to not give up when we don’t get an immediate answer.          Luke 11 Neighbor-Bread   Luke 18  persistent widow

2 Samuel 12:16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground. After 7 days the child dies.

2 Samuel 12:20-23 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate. ²¹ His attendants asked him, “Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!” ²² He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ ²³ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

A TRUSTING FAITH: When Jesus told him, “Go, your son will live”, the nobleman took Jesus at His word. He didn’t demand proof. He didn’t ask for a sign. He simply believed and trusted Jesus’ words.

This (for me) is the most powerful aspect of the nobleman’s faith. It was a faith that trusted in Jesus’ word, even without seeing the evidence. This is the kind of faith that pleases God – a faith that trusts in Him, even when we can’t see the outcome. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

A CONTAGIOUS FAITH: While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. So he and his whole household believed. His faith led others to faith. This is a powerful reminder for us that our faith is not just for us. It is also for those around us. Our faith can lead others to believe in Jesus.

 John 5:1-13 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. ^{[4]  5} One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” ⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” ⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” ⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, ¹⁰ and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.” ¹¹ But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ”¹² So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” ¹³ The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there.         (Superstition-Urban Legend)

If there were people genuinely healed by the waters of the Pool of Bethesda, they weren’t the only unusual healings in the Bible.

Women with the issue of blood (Mark 5-Matthew 9)

Some were healed when the shadow of Peter fell upon them (Acts 5)

Some were healed when Paul’s handkerchiefs were laid upon them (Acts 19)

In our text a man had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.  Jesus’ asks him a simple question: “Do you want to get well?” But his answer isn’t a simple “yes”, but an explanation/excuse of why he couldn’t. He said, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”   (ME-YES)

I found myself confronted with a stark reality. This man, who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, had grown accustomed/comfortable with his condition.

He had grown accustomed to his limitations. He had grown accustomed to his excuses.

He had spent the better part of his life waiting for something to happen, waiting for someone to help him, waiting for his circumstances to change.  His excuses were not just words. They had become the reality of his life. He had given up hope his condition would ever change.

In the midst of his excuses, Jesus offers a simple command: “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

With this command of Jesus, the man has a choice: He can continue to offer excuses, or he can choose to obey, to get up, to pick up his mat, and to walk.

 In the same way, we too have a choice. We can continue to offer excuses, or we can choose to obey, to rise above our circumstances, and step into the possibilities that God has for us.

I love the way Jesus is always giving people seemingly impossible commands. But when he does, There’s only two choices: We can either obey the command that Jesus gives us, or we can continue to make excuses as to why we can’t do it.

 John 5:14-15 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” ¹⁵ The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Jesus found him because He was concerned for his spiritual health, not only his physical health. (Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you) Living a life of sin is worse, and will bring a worse result, than being crippled for thirty-eight years.