John 4:53 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." And he himself believed, and all his household.

NIV: 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.

NASB: So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, 'Your son is alive'; and he himself believed, and his entire household.

CSB: The father realized this was the very hour at which Jesus had told him, "Your son will live." So he himself believed, along with his whole household.

NLT: Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, 'Your son will live.' And he and his entire household believed in Jesus.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.

The father mentioned here is some kind of nobleman or court official. He had traveled from Capernaum to Cana, to ask Jesus for healing on behalf of his son (John 4:46–47). In his grief, the man insisted that Jesus come back to make his son well (John 4:49). Jesus made a point about the difference between knowing something and trusting something. By telling the man to go back home, Jesus was testing his faith—trust—in what he was being told (John 4:50).

The man had to wait quite some time. Cana and Capernaum are nearly twenty-five miles apart, or about forty kilometers, and the prior verse refers to the moment of healing as "yesterday." This means several things. First, the boy was healed exactly when Jesus spoke the words. Second, this was done at a distance, meaning Jesus' powers were not limited by space or distance. Third, the man's prayer had been answered long before he knew about the answer.

There are two critically important applications of the healing of the official's son. First, biblical faith requires "trust," not simply knowledge or hope. Christian faith is not blind faith, nor is it based on absolute proof. Rather, it's the choice to rely on what we do know, despite what we don't know.

Second, this event proves that God may answer our prayers without making us aware. The man's son was healed at the very moment Jesus spoke, but he didn't find out until the next day (John 5:52). Simply because we haven't seen proof of God's work does not mean He's done nothing.

John 4:46–54 records the second of Jesus' seven miracles in the gospel of John. The primary lesson of this miracle is the importance of biblical ''faith,'' which is really ''trust.'' Some people won't believe—won't actually ''trust'' in Christ—without seeing a miraculous event. Jesus then asks the miracle-seeker to act in trusting faith: to leave without any hard proof that his request has been granted. As it turns out, the man has actual, trusting belief, and obeys. He finds his faith has already been rewarded on his way home. This also demonstrates the fact that God may sometimes answer our prayers long before we know He's done so.

Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman who is drawing water from a well. He confronts her about sin, yet He also comforts her with the truth of the gospel. Even though He knows her sins, He still seeks after her, and those like her. The woman returns to town, eventually bringing many people to meet Jesus. The disciples, meanwhile, are reminded of the purpose of their mission. Jesus also heals the son of a government official in a way that demonstrates the importance of trusting faith, rather than reliance on spectacle.

John chapter 4 continues the use of contrast. Jesus goes from conversing with an educated, powerful, prestigious man (John 3:1–2) to talking to an outcast, unlearned, self-conscious woman. The combination of this passage, along with Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus, makes an important spiritual point: the gospel is for all people, in all places, and all times. Christ can reach each person exactly where he or she needs to be reached.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls "signs"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.