PLEASE BE A BLESSING TO US!
Roof Contribution Announcement
Matthew 16:18 ESV
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
New Bethel AME Church is asking for your assistance, as we continue to maintain our local assembly for a place of fellowship and worship. We have a goal to obtain funding to replace our roof by the end of this calendar year. We are asking you to partner with us in making a monthly or one-time donation. There are multiple ways to make your contribution. Please feel free to give online via New Bethel’s website (http://www.newbethelameredtop.com), via the donate icon, Givelify, or mail your contribution to the address listed below. Please add the comment ‘roof donation’. We appreciate your continued efforts
Lord I thank you.
Sunday School Lesson
December 29
Lesson 5 (KJV)
David’s Prayer
Devotional Reading: Psalm 89:19–37
Background Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:17–25; 1 Chronicles 17:16–27
1 Chronicles 17:16–27
16. And David the king came and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
17. And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God.
18. What can David speak more to thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant.
19. O Lord, for thy servant’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.
20. O Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
21. And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?
22. For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, Lord, becamest their God.
23. Therefore now, Lord, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.
24. Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.
25. For thou, O my God, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house: therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee.
26. And now, Lord, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
27. Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O Lord, and it shall be blessed for ever.
Key Verse
O Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.—1 Chronicles 17:20
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Summarize the content of David’s prayer.
2. Explain the importance of David’s prayer in its historical context.
3. Recall prayers he or she prayed silently in class and offer them anew to the Lord daily throughout the week.
HOW TO SAY IT
| Molossia | Moe-lahs-ee-yah. |
| Pharaoh | Fair-o or Fay-roe. |
| Sinai | Sigh-nye or Sigh-nay-eye. |
| Yahweh (Hebrew) | Yah-weh. |
Introduction
A. Time-Out
Many parents use the time-out method of discipline when their children misbehave. If a child has crossed the line in some way, he or she must go to a designated place for time-out. In some cases, the child must go to his or her room, and certain privileges are withheld. Some parents have the child sit in the corner of a room for a period of time, with no interaction with anyone. In either situation, the child is to think about what he or she has done and (perhaps) resolve it to avoid future time-outs.
Time-outs can also be opportunities for children to calm down, whether or not misbehavior was a factor in their hyperactivity. Walking away from an overly stimulating situation can allow children to return to interactions more calmly. The time away helps them to deal with the situation more appropriately. The same principle applies to any coach who takes a time-out at a critical juncture during a game to refocus the team.
In today’s lesson, King David took a time-out from an overwhelming situation to sit before the Lord and talk about things. David’s focus in this prayer is not repentance or a plea for help. Instead he praises God for the many good things the Lord has provided for him.
B. Lesson Context
Lesson 3 examined the special promise that God made to David in response to David’s desire to build a house for God, one suitable for the ark of the covenant (1 Chronicles 17:11–14). Instead, the Lord announced His intention to build an eternal house, kingdom, and throne for David. That promise is fulfilled in the kingdom of the son of David, Jesus.
The prophet Nathan reported to David all of the Lord’s words concerning who would build a house for whom (1 Chronicles 17:15). That must have amazed David! We do not know how much time passed between Nathan’s message and the prayer that David offered in response to the magnificent promise—today’s text. Most likely it was not very long. The gratitude in David’s heart for God’s generosity had to be expressed; he could not keep it to himself. A second record of this prayer is found in 2 Samuel 7:18–29. The similarities are striking; any differences of note will be discussed in the commentary below.
| What Do You Think? How will you realign your priorities to be able to reserve time and space for rest and spiritual reflection? Digging Deeper |
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Past Blessings
(1 Chronicles 17:16–22)
A. David’s Smallness (vv. 16–18)
16. And David the king came and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?David sits awestruck at the message he has just heard from Nathan. His seated posture may strike us today as casual. In his day, however, it is a posture of high respect for someone of greater honor. Likely David is sitting back on his heels, not on a plush throne or comfortable couch. King David knows that there is a much greater king to whom he must give allegiance (Psalm 5:2, 7, 8).
The prayer begins in great humility with words similar to David’s reflections in Psalm 8:4. David’s question here is very personal because of the promise he has been given. He views himself as unworthy of such treatment. David’s humble Who am I contrasts with the arrogance of the Pharaoh in Egypt, who asked of Moses in derision, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?” (Exodus 5:2). Pharaoh’s mind-set could be that of any ruler who believes he or she is an authority above God and need not be concerned about what God expects of earthly rulers. Such arrogance leads only to destruction (12:29–33; 14:5–28).
David alludes to how far the Lord has brought him. He was the youngest son of a farming family (1 Samuel 16:11–13). The Lord had previously mentioned David’s humble beginnings as a shepherd (1 Chronicles 17:7). David went from literally tending the sheep to becoming the metaphorical shepherd of God’s covenant people (Psalm 78:70–72).17. And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O Lord God.
David knows that what God has done for him to this point is not small—a comment David would acknowledge is quite the understatement. He now reflects on what the Lord has planned for David’s future. The Lord has told David of His plans for a great while to come, which include a kingdom and a throne with no end. Such treatment befits someone of high degree—someone worthier, more honorable and impressive than a lowly former shepherd like David.
David refers to himself as God’s servant 10 times throughout this prayer. This repetition emphasizes his humility, especially when considering the amazing promise God has made. Referring to God as Lord at the same time positions David as a person who works on God’s orders, not under his own authority. The repetition also contrasts David’s status, high by human standards, with God’s status, compared to whom no human has high status. David may be king of Israel, but he embraces his status as a mere servant of Israel’s true king.
| What Do You Think? What steps can Christians take to ensure that prayers are offered in a spirit of humility and patience? Digging Deeper |
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What can David speak more to thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant.
At this point, David appears to be out of words to express his gratitude to the Lord. He acknowledges that the Lord knows him, a truth on which David elaborates in song, writing, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it” (Psalm 139:6).
B. God’s Greatness (vv. 19, 20)
19. O Lord, for thy servant’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.
David confesses the dual reasons for the Lord’s generous dealings with him. Because of His love for David, God has chosen to bless David in this extraordinary, far-reaching manner (2 Samuel 7:16, 25; Isaiah 9:7; 37:35; 55:3). God has also demonstrated His greatness to David in keeping with His own heart. Here the word heart carries much the same connotation as the Lord’s name, summarizing the Lord’s character or reputation. God takes great pleasure in doing great things and in making great promises to His faithful servants—to those who, like David, desire to honor Him with their daily lives and their future plans (2 Chronicles 16:9).
| What Do You Think? What guardrails can we erect to ensure we remain humble when God blesses us? Digging Deeper |
O Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.David acknowledges that the Lord is unique (compare Isaiah 44:6; 46:9). Indeed, not only is there no other god like Yahweh, He is the only God. This is a clear statement of monotheism, one of the central tenets of Old Testament, and indeed biblical, theology (Deuteronomy 4:35; 1 Samuel 2:2; Psalm 18:31; Isaiah 44:6; Mark 12:29b).
David’s many conquests to this point have brought him and Israel into contact with other people groups and nations who worship and serve other gods instead of the Lord (1 Chronicles 11:4–25; 14:8–17). These peoples, who have seen the Lord work on behalf of David and Israel, have had to acknowledge that their own gods are weak and powerless compared to Israel’s God (compare Moses’ experiences in Exodus 8:10; 9:14; 15:11). God’s working on behalf of Israel has led their ears to ring with testimonies about how special the Lord really is.
This verse reflects on a fundamental understanding of who God is. Today we live in a world saturated with pluralism—the idea that one belief system is as good as any other. No religion has the right to claim to possess the truth or claim that its god is the only god. David disagrees. The Lord God who has revealed himself in the Bible as the one who creates (Genesis 1:1), sustains (Acts 17:28), redeems (Isaiah 47:4), and shepherds (Psalm 23) is indeed the only God. It is good for us to include such an acknowledgment whenever we pray. Then we are better able to reject the barrage of pluralistic thinking that confronts us daily.C. Israel’s Uniqueness (vv. 21, 22)
21. And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people, whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt?
God has chosen to express His power and uniqueness through His covenant with the nation of Israel. Just as there is no God like the Lord, there is no nation like His people Israel.
Much of what makes God unique is His holiness. Because of the nation’s relationship with God, Israel could also rightly be called holy in the sense of being special and set apart from the other nations. God blessed the Israelites by redeeming them from bondage in Egypt (Exodus 6:6) and then by driving out the nations that were residing in the promised land (Joshua 1:11). In so doing, God magnified His own name. Just as the Lord was able to take David from being a humble shepherd to being king of Israel, so He was able to take Israel from being of inferior status among the nations to make it a nation of His covenant people (Deuteronomy 7:7, 8; 9:1).
The greatness and terribleness of the Lord’s name is recognized by the nations that God defeated on behalf of Israel (Psalm 102:12–17). “Terribleness” means that God incites terror, not that He is “awful” in the modern sense. It was His reputation (which is what name refers to) that caused the residents of Jericho to fear Israel (Joshua 2:9–11).
| What Do You Think? What can you do to strengthen your witness in terms of recalling God’s past actions? Digging Deeper |
No Place Like It
The Republic of Molossia began as a joke. Ruled by self-proclaimed benevolent dictator Kevin Baugh, Molossia (population: 6) is located primarily on Baugh’s front yard and backyard in Nevada. The currency of Molossia is the valora; its value is tied to the cost of a tube of chocolate chip cookie dough. Molossia remains at war with East Germany and enforces bans on guns, walruses, catfish, onions, and anything from Texas except pop star Kelly Clarkson. Truly, there is no nation like the Republic of Molossia!
King David announced with all certainty that no nation was like Israel. Israel was ruled by God, not a self-proclaimed dictator. Israel was not at war with a nonexistent country but had been freed from a world power (Egypt). Israel was a land of milk and honey, not cookie dough! Baugh may pretend to be a sovereign ruler, but God’s people need not pretend. We are ruled by the almighty God. There is no one like Him!
—J. E.
22. For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, Lord, becamest their God.
No other nation has received “most favored nation” status as Israel has. God bestowed that honor (along with accompanying responsibilities) when He established His covenant with the nation at Mount Sinai and designated them as His “peculiar treasure … above all people” (Exodus 19:5).
II. Future Blessings
(1 Chronicles 17:23–27)
A. For His Glory (vv. 23, 24)
23. Therefore now, Lord, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.
Having recounted the Lord’s faithfulness to both him and to the nation of Israel, David now asks the Lord to establish that same faithfulness to him by bringing to pass all that the Lord has promised to David and his house (compare 1 Kings 8:22–26).
24. Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.
David desires that God keep His word, not solely so that David may benefit and receive all the good things God has promised, but so that the Lord’s reputation as a faithful, covenant-keeping God may receive additional acclaim. This concern for God’s name to be magnified for ever offers great insight into what made David a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).
David also desires that Israel be recognized as the people whom God has singularly blessed. The continuation of his house, especially on the throne in Jerusalem, depends on Israel continuing as a nation. Of course, in Jesus we know that Israel did not have to continue to exist as a political entity for God to keep His promises. Christians today form the spiritual Israel over which Jesus reigns eternally (1 Peter 2:9, 10, 25).
Antiestablishment?
Antiestablishment became a buzzword of the 1960s. Young people saw many wrongs perpetuated by society and began to question “The Establishment,” the adults of the day. Ironically, the antiestablishment merely created an establishment of its own. T-shirts and jeans became the new establishment’s uniform in opposition to the suits and ties of their parents. The evening martini was replaced by a joint, and ballroom dancing was rejected in favor of freestyle frolicking. And for all the passionate jargon, world problems remained unsolved. The generation promising to fix world problems is now being blamed by the younger generation for causing them!
David recognized that the solution to Israel’s problems was not to make a new establishment, but to submit to what God established. The throne of David was established by God to last forever. That true establishment still exists, ruled by the eternal son of David—Jesus. What is your role in spreading the establishment of God’s kingdom?
—J. E.
B. For His Servant (vv. 25–27)
25. For thou, O my God, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house: therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee.
David’s prayer has been grounded in the solemn promise the Lord made to build him an house. Based on that sure word of the Lord, David has been stirred in his inner being to come to the Lord in prayer. It may be that, like David, our most fervent words spoken to God in prayer will come when they are based on the words He has spoken to us.
| What Do You Think? What are some appropriate ways to respond to fellow believers who claim that God told them to take or not take certain actions? Digging Deeper |
Many outstanding books on prayer have been written over the years, but the Bible remains the best guide to prayer that one can use, in part thanks to David himself. One need only search the psalms to find David’s prayers, available for the edification of God’s people throughout generations. God promised to give us the confidence to come to Him in prayer boldly (Hebrews 4:16). Daniel’s awareness of the approaching end of the 70-year captivity of God’s people (as foretold by the prophet Jeremiah) gave him the courage to pray and plead for God’s mercy on His exiled people (Daniel 9:1–3).
26. And now, Lord, thou art God, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant.
The root of the Hebrew word promised can also be translated “word” (1 Chronicles 10:13; 15:15; etc.). The Lord has always “worded” His goodness to us in an abundance of promises. The strongest evidence of His goodness came when the Word became flesh and we could “read,” not just the promise but the promise maker, on a deeply personal level (John 1:1, 14).
Grace was just as amazing to David in the Old Testament as it is for us under the new covenant. Any Christian might voice a similar prayer when he or she considers how abundant the Lord’s goodness has been. We too have been given royal treatment, though our lives are riddled with sin and rebellion. God has lavished His mercy on us and made us His children. The apostle John says it well: “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).
27. Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O Lord, and it shall be blessed for ever.
Once more we see David expressing his desire that the Lord experience pleasure by blessing David’s house. The prayer has been devoted to glorifying God, not David. David’s two main motivations are the nature of God’s blessings (abundant and sure) and David’s deep comprehension of his own status as a mere servant whom the Lord has looked on with favor.
Although David’s heir Solomon will turn from the Lord later in his life, the Lord will tear the kingdom away from Solomon’s son, not Solomon himself. The reason? “For David thy father’s sake” (1 Kings 11:12). God will also promise not to remove the entire kingdom but will leave one tribe for Solomon’s son “for David my servant’s sake” (11:13; see 11:32, 36). Even after the nation divides, the Lord continues to honor David’s legacy of faithful service. God will delay His judgment of the kingdom and of Jerusalem “for David his servant’s sake” (2 Kings 8:19; see also 19:34; 20:6).
David likely could not have anticipated the for ever nature of the fulfillment of God’s promises to him even as he trusted that they would be eternal (Psalms 16:11; 21:6). It was noted in lesson 3 that this fulfillment would come about through the coming of the great son of David, Jesus. He would establish the house, kingdom, and throne that God said would last forever (1 Chronicles 17:14). David’s position may be likened to that of the Old Testament prophets who, according to Peter, yearned to know more of how their prophecies would be fulfilled but were told that the time would come later, not within their lifetimes (1 Peter 1:10–12; compare Hebrews 11).
Although David’s prayer ends at this point, it is not hard to imagine that this devoted servant of the Lord remained seated for some time, simply reflecting on the mercies of God toward him and delighting in all that the Lord had promised.
Conclusion
A. Upward and Inward
All of us would do well to incorporate time-outs into our daily routine like David did. These times help us develop the sense of gratitude that fills David’s prayer. David begins his prayer astonished at what God has just promised to provide for him. That God had promised to bless not only David but also his future house was an awesome thought. We can be assured, as David was, that God is sovereign in the present because of His past actions. He can take our lives and do great things with them, far beyond what we could have imagined.
The other ingredient of prayer to be gleaned from our study deals with the matter of who we are. Today many people revel in self-improvement, self-gratification, and self-fulfillment. Usually the test of whether we are functioning at our highest levels is whether we are able to be independent. We expect to handle all sorts of problems—at home, at work, at church—on our own. When we begin to break down and think we might need help, we buy self-help books and resources. Such so-called solutions really mask the genuine root cause of humanity’s problems. Any solution that leaves God the Creator out of the equation is doomed to failure. In the spiritual realm, the measure of our maturity is not our independence but our dependence on the Lord. If any of us asks the question, “Who am I?”, the answer should be clear: “I am a servant of the Lord.”
David found it difficult to come up with words to express his wonder at all that the Lord had promised to do for him. At times, we as followers of Jesus must also confess to being unable to express our gratitude for all we have been given because of His grace. What more can we say? Let our lives each day reflect our conviction that the God to whom David prayed and whom he served is our God. May such sacred times of prayer be part of our walk with the Lord as well.
B. Prayer
Father, stir us to give prayer the priority it must have in these perilous times. May we pray and live as people who know the truth that there is no other God but You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
The most important time of any day is spent with God.
KID’S CORNER
The Power of Truth, Signs, and Wonders
Sunday December 29, 2019 and January 5, 2020
John 4:43-54
John 4:43-54
(John 4:43) After the two days He went forth from there into Galilee.
Jesus led the Samaritans to saving faith in Him by words, not miracles. As a prophet, He told the woman at the well about her past and her sins. In addition, He shared words with her that so totally transformed her that when she went and told the townspeople about Jesus being the Messiah, they rushed out to meet Him. Those who listened to Jesus then “believed because of his word” (John 4:41). After spending two days teaching them more about God the Father and himself as the Son of God, for Jesus had said they had been worshiping what they did not know, they came to know that Jesus is truly the Savior of the world (John 4:22, 42). Their increasing understanding of Jesus began with Jesus being known as a prophet, then as the Messiah, and finally as the Savior of the world. Jesus being the Savior of the world is good news for the world. Since then, the knowledge of Jesus as the Savior of the world has traveled around the world. Having completed the work His Father had given Him in Samaria, Jesus went on to Galilee with His disciples.
(John 4:44) For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
Though born in Bethlehem of Judea, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus made their home in the town of Nazareth in Galilee. In Matthew 13:53-58, Mark 6:1-6, and Luke 4:16-30, you can read more about how the townspeople of Nazareth rejected Jesus, refused to honor Him, and tried to kill Him.
(John 4:45) So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.
Many Galileans had gone to the Passover festival in Jerusalem and they had seen Jesus perform many miracles. Perhaps some of them had even heard about Jesus cleansing the temple. Remember: in John 2:23, we learned, “When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing.” The Galileans welcomed Him for His healings and miracles and perhaps because some of them also believed in His name. Ideally, those who believed in Jesus would believe in Him because of His words, as did the believing Samaritans (who were despised by the Jews), and then want to know Jesus better.
(John 4:46) Therefore He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum.
Upon returning to Galilee, Jesus went to Cana, where He had performed His first sign in Galilee, and where “His disciples believed in Him” (John 2:11). Now, we learn that Jesus had traveled through Samaria to heal a man’s son before he died, and this became His second sign in Galilee. Jesus’ signs “revealed His glory,” and John made special mention of some of these signs. However, Jesus refused to perform “signs” on demand to prove who He was or to prove He had authority to do His Father’s will (see John 2:18). Jesus performed “signs” to meet real human needs, and meeting real human needs revealed His glory, “the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Jesus revealed His glory supremely when He died on the cross and rose again to save us from our sins. Now, Jesus will help a member of King Herod’s royal court, and this will become a sign.
(John 4:47) When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death.
When Jesus left Nazareth, He made His home in Capernaum, where this royal official may have learned about Jesus (Matthew 4:13). Having ministered to a woman despised by the Jews, Jesus will now minister to a member of Herod’s court, also despised by the Jews. Jesus came to be the Savior of the world, to save sinners and give them eternal life; so, John shows us how Jesus ministered to the rich and the poor, to the honored and the despised, to the young and the old, and to others. Jesus showed God’s love for all people, but some still rejected Him. When this royal official heard that Jesus had returned to Galilee, he traveled the twenty miles from Capernaum to Cana to see Him. Probably based on reports, this father believed Jesus had the power to save his son from death.
(John 4:48) So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.”
Samaritans in Sychar believed Jesus “because of His word.” To make a point, Jesus told these Galileans that they would not believe Him or believe in Him unless they saw “signs and wonders.” Jesus wanted the crowd and this man to believe because of His word, not because He worked signs and wonders in an effort to compel their belief; then, they would want to learn more about Him, come to know Him as more than the Messiah, and truly seek to know Him as their Savior. Unhappily, no matter how many signs and wonders Jesus performed, some still refused to believe in Him, which fulfilled the word of the prophet Isaiah (see John 12:36-43)
(John 4:49) The royal official *said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
The father had not come to Jesus seeking signs or wonders in order to believe in Jesus. He had come because He believed the reports he had heard about Jesus. He believed that Jesus could heal his son, if Jesus would go to his son before his son died. He believed reports, even as the townspeople believed the reports of the Samaritan woman. Jesus chose not to work a sign or wonder before the crowd (see John 4:48). But Jesus did work a sign by healing the father’s son in an unexpected way—in a way the crowd would not see.
(John 4:50) Jesus *said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off.
Just as God spoke the world into existence in the beginning, and just as Jesus was and is the Word of God, and just as “all things came into being through Him,” Jesus spoke the word and healed the father’s son. The darkness of disease could not overcome the light and words of Jesus (see John 1:1-4). Jesus did not need to go see the boy, but the father needed to believe and obey Jesus. He needed to obey and “G0” back to his son. He needed to believe and not beg in unbelief for Jesus to come, see, touch, and personally heal his son. The father did not need to believe for Jesus to heal his son. Jesus was not dependent of the father’s faith to make his son well. Jesus healed his son the moment Jesus said, “your son will live.” Upon hearing Jesus’ words, “your son will live,” the man “believed the word that Jesus spoke to him;” therefore, he started on his way back to Capernaum. Without seeing a sign, before the crowd the man showed his faith in Jesus when he obeyed Jesus. It is a wonder the man stopped begging Jesus and believed Jesus—such is the power of Jesus’ word. Believing in Jesus is the beginning of the Christian life that soon leads to believing Jesus, loving Jesus, and obeying Jesus.
(John 4:51) As he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was living.
The father’s faith in and obedience to Jesus was rewarded the moment Jesus healed his son, and then before he reached home his slaves found him and told him that his son was alive. In this way, Jesus overcame any fears and worries that the father might have had before he reached home to see if his son was actually saved from death according to Jesus word.
(John 4:52) So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. Then they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”
In Jesus’ day it usually took at least a day to travel between Capernaum and Cana. Jesus had spoken the word at 1:00 pm, and at 1:00 pm Jesus healed the father’s son without needing to see him or prescribe a treatment for him. By speaking the word of healing, Jesus did what only God, the Son of God, could do. The first time the father learned of this miracle was from his slaves, and he would soon confirm their words when he saw his son.
(John 4:53) So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives”; and he himself believed and his whole household.
From their experience of this sign and wonder, the official’s whole household believed in Jesus, and from that point on they would obviously seek to know more about Jesus. Just as one woman’s transformation led to many in her town coming to faith in Jesus, because Jesus had saved their son from death, the physical saving of this boy led those in his household to come to faith in Jesus—both slave and free believed in Jesus.
(John 4:54) This is again a second sign that Jesus performed when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
Though no one outside Capernaum saw this second sign, and though the residents of Cana may have never learned that this boy was saved from his disease and fever, Jesus knew and His disciples came to know that this was the second sign that Jesus gave them in Galilee. Jesus’ first sign depended on His presence, and the obedience of the servants to Jesus’ words when He told them to put water in the water jars that Jesus then changed into wine. Jesus’ second sign did not rely on His presence in Capernaum or on the obedience of the father or anyone else. Jesus “simply” spoke the word and healed the boy. Still, the father obeyed Jesus’ command and then the next day he learned that Jesus had healed his son. In these first four chapters of John’s gospel we see the power of Jesus’ words demonstrated and the importance of believing Jesus’s words and obeying Jesus’ words.
The Power of Truth, Signs, and Wonders
Sunday December 29, 2019 and January 5, 2020
John 4:43-54
Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the ——-he went his way (John 4:50—KJV). Jesus *said to him, “Go; your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started off (John 4:50—++++++++ NASB). Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way (John 4:50—NRSV).
Some people believed in Jesus because of signs and wonders. Jesus even said that some people would not believe in Him unless they saw signs and wonders. After Jesus’ resurrection, when the Apostles talked about Jesus, they performed signs and wonders that helped some believe in Him. From Romans 15:18-19, the Apostle Paul wrote that “by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God,” he “fully proclaimed the good news of Christ.” In 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul wrote “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, signs and wonders and mighty works.” Unfortunately, signs and wonders can be counterfeited and are sometimes unreliable. In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, Paul warned, “The coming of the lawless one is apparent in the working of Satan, who uses all power, signs, lying wonders, and every kind of wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” To avoid spiritual deception, people must “love the truth.” To believe reasonably and truly, people must consider the words of Jesus rather than trust solely in signs and wonders. In John 18:37, Jesus declared, “For this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” Without signs and wonders, Samaritans in Sychar believed the words of Jesus and accepted Him as Savior. Without signs and wonders, a royal official traveled twenty miles from Capernaum to Cana, believed Jesus’ words, returned home, and found his son saved by Jesus’ word.
Thinking Further
The Power of Truth, Signs, and Wonders
Sunday December 29, 2019 and January 5, 2020
John 4:43-54
Name _____________________________
1. Why was Jesus welcomed when He went to Galilee?
- What are the two signs that Jesus gave when He was in Galilee?
- What kind of person went from Capernaum to Cana to see Jesus? Why did he go to see Jesus?
- What did Jesus do to meet the person’s need? Why do you think Jesus met his need in this way?
- How do we know the person who went to see Jesus believed Jesus?
Discussion and Thinking Further
- Why was Jesus welcomed when He went to Galilee? Because they had seen what Jesus had done at the Passover festival in Jerusalem.
- What are the two signs that Jesus gave when He was in Galilee? Jesus changed water into wine at a wedding in Cana, and by saying the word Jesus healed a boy who was about to die when Jesus was in Cana and the boy was in Capernaum.
- What kind of person went from Capernaum to Cana to see Jesus? Why did he go to see Jesus? The person was a royal official (of the court of King Herod) and a father of a boy who was sick and about to die. He went to ask Jesus to come to Capernaum and heal his son.
- What did Jesus do to meet the person’s need? Why do you think Jesus met his need in this way? In Cana of Galilee, Jesus spoke the word and healed the boy in Capernaum. He healed him in this way because most of the crowd around Him in Galilee were there to see signs and wonders and He knew they would not believe without signs and wonders. Jesus wanted them to believe the way the Samaritans had come to believe “because of His word.”
- How do we know the person who went to see Jesus believed Jesus? The father immediately obeyed Jesus and left for home when Jesus told him “Go; your son will live.” Without seeing a sign or wonder, the father believed Jesus “because of His word.” This is the type of faith that Jesus wanted people to possess.
The Power of Truth, Signs, and Wonders
Sunday December 29, 2019 and January 5, 2020
John 4:43-54
Name _____________________________
John 4:43-54 Word Search
R O Y A L N G Y P H Y F T X C
X N D P H F J D N R W V L B G
P R L C E O X E A P O A H E K
X N S V G C U F R S X P J L T
O B I N O D J S O U K N H I F
M L F C A E X N E B S D B E H
U H M J S E Z Y D H L A U V T
A O L U C U L A S U O K L E Z
N F S G A Y J I G P S L R E A
R F D H N L B W L T V N D L M
E I E K A T M Q R A P L B X K
P C O C A E D U J X G E J U Y
A I G X Z F E S T I V A L D H
C A F E V E R O R G J K O A U
R L S T S N G I S L Y L I R B
Prophet
Galileans
Jerusalem
Festival
Cana
Royal
Official
Son
Fever
Capernaum
Judea
Signs
Believe
Live
Household
True and False Test
The Power of Truth, Signs, and Wonders
Sunday December 29, 2019 and January 5, 2020
John 4:43-54
Name _____________________________
Circle the True or False answers. Correct the False statements by restating them.
- Jesus and His disciples traveled through Samaria on their way to Galilee. True or False
- Many Galileans liked to see Jesus’ signs and wonders, but they did not honor Him as a prophet by believing what He said. True or False
- Jesus went to Capernaum, where He had changed water into wine. True or False
- A royal official came to Jesus and begged Him to come to Capernaum and heal his son before he died. True or False
- Jesus told the man that He was too tired to travel back to Capernaum, that He could not go and heal his son until the Sabbath. True or False
- Jesus said, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” True or False
- Because Jesus did not need to go to Capernaum to heal the father’s son, he said to the father, “Go; your son will live.” True or False
- The father believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and left to go home without begging Jesus further. True or False
- Jesus performed a miracle in Cana so the Galileans could see the boy healed twenty miles away in Capernaum, but they still would not believe Jesus’ words. True or False
- The father learned from his slaves that the fever left his son at the exact time Jesus had said, “Your son will live.” True or False
John 4:43-52 True and False Test Answers
- True
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
- False
10.True
Prayer
Father, stir us to give prayer the priority it must have in these perilous times. May we pray and live as people who know the truth that there is no other God but You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.