John Chapter 4

Home Group Meeting – February 15, 2006
Healing of an Official’s son – A question of FAITH

A. Review of last week’s meeting
Jesus can give us Living Water: [This water is Eternal Life]
Jesus’ meets with a Samaritan woman: [and teaches that we must worship the Father in Spirit and Truth. Worshipping in Spirit means location is not important and Worshipping in truth means that we must be true to God and ourselves]

B. The Living Water ( … continued)

Read John 4:27-42

1. How do the disciples react to the situation when they return (v27)?

They are surprised because in that era, it was unacceptable for a man to talk to a woman in public.

2. Why did the woman leave her water jar when she went back to the town (v28)?

She was in such a rush to announce to everybody that she has met the Messiah she didn’t care for the water jar.

3. In her rush back to the town, how did the people react to her testimony? Why (v28-30)?

They are moved to investigate the situation. Probably because she had a questionable lifestyle and wasn’t trusted, they townsfolk didn’t believe her immediately and wanted to see for themselves.

4. What happened to the other Samaritans as a result of the woman’s testimony? What two reasons do they give for their belief in Jesus (v39-42)?

Many became believers.
They became believers because of (1) the woman’s testimony and (2) because they heard for themselves.

5. [Question to consider]. The rest of the Samaritans later say, “we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world”. Why is it so special to the Samaritans to learn this? Why is it so special for us?

For centuries they were shut out of God’s grace, they were considered second-class citizens in the eyes of the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem. The excluded are now included. They discovered that Jesus’ love is so wide and undiscriminating to include them (as well as the whole world). John 3: 16 states, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shlal not perish but have eternal life”. That is, God’s love is for all of us, including Jews, Samaritans.

Even today, we shouldn’t think that the church is exclusive. Nor is it for perfect people. And, there are no perfect people. Jesus loves all of us and came to save all of us, even prostitutes and deceiving tax collectors. We are all sinners but Jesus came for us. We repent for wrongdoings, follow him, worshipping Him in Spirit and Truth.

The Fighting Temptations. Starring Cuba Gooding Junior, Beyonce. Cuba loses his high-flying job as an advertising executive. But his Aunt leaves him an inheritance of $150,000 on the condition that he make a choir for the local church (in rural America) and take it to the singing contest and win it. He does this, but lack good singers. There are some in the prison, the church doesn’t like to have these murderers and cheats. But the reality is, the church is for sinners, and at the end of the day, we are all sinners, and God loves all of us despite this shortcoming.

C. Healing an Official’s son – a question of FAITH

During his two days in Samaria, Jesus’ words convinced not only the woman at the well but many of the town that he is the Saviour of the world. Back in Galilee the crowd clamours for signs and wonders. Jesus seems reluctant to satisfy them until a distressed parent brings his urgent request.

Read John 4:43-54

6. Galilee is where Jesus grew up. It is his hometown but Jesus said, “a prophet has no honour in his own country” (v44). Then, why did the Galileans welcome Jesus?

They were interested in seeing more miracles. They were welcoming not the Messiah, but only a miracle worker who would amaze them.

If you recall, Jesus’ first miracle was at the wedding banquet at Cana where he turned water into wine. This story must have spread in the region, so people were expecting Jesus to perform more miracles which was why many of them probably came out to see him.

7. Why did the royal official travel from Capernaum to find Jesus? Locate Cana and Capernaum on the map.

His son was gravely sick.

8. Ask two people to read aloud the brief conversation between Jesus and the father. Start with v47 reworded as a direct quotation from the official. What is Jesus hoping to see in this man’s faith?

From Jesus’ perspective, he healed the boy, but to Jesus, He was more concerned about something else. What was that? Healing the boy was easy, but through the miracle of healing the boy, the official and his whole house believed in Jesus (v53).

Our lives on in this world are only temporary. What is more important is our spiritual salvation because the soul is eternal. This is what Jesus wants to heal.

9. [Question to consider]. What is “faith” to you?

The Cambridge Dictionary meaning of faith is: “great trust or confidence in something” eg, “I have faith in this doctor to heal me”. It can also mean “loyalty”, eg “He is faithful to his wife!”

In the context of Christian faith, it is closer to the first definition above. That is, faith is, believing that Jesus is the Saviour of the world and that He will give us eternal life (3:16).

There are other usages of the word, “faith” in the Christian Context. For me, I see “faith” as surrendering yourself to God and completely trusting that God will lead, guide you in the right way always, even when things are difficult, eg the story of Noah. When Noah was building His boat, it was in the middle of the desert, no one had even seen the rain. Everyone ridiculed Noah because of the impossibility of rain in the middle of the desert. But he did this for 120 years. He trusted the God. Noah built a boat in the middle of the desert when he had never even seen the sea.

When we trust in God like this we are worshipping Him. This pleases God. C.S. Lewis said, “The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become – because he made us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be…. It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own”.