Sunday 20th October 2024. Trinity 21.

Pastor Pete Myers explains John 4:46-54.

How does faith grow?

How does faith grow?

How does faith grow?

Healing services. Amazing miracles. Flashy meetings. Attractive groups: One of the themes of John’s Gospel is the contrast between true faith and false faith.

That theme begins after Jesus’ first miracle at Cana in Galilee, which John alludes to by reminding us of it in v. 46,

So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.

And now in this passage, Jesus explicitly warns against a faith that is based on signs and wonders, v. 48:

So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

But in this passage, we see faith growing: v. 47: this man comes to Jesus; v. 50: The man believed; v. 53: he himself believed, and all his household

But if even incredible things like signs and miracles do not produce faith like this, then: How is faith produced? and How does it become stronger?

In other words: How does faith grow?

Jesus shows us two things in the way he deals with this father: Faith shrinks as we seek great works. and Faith grows as we hear Jesus’ Word.

Faith shrinks as we seek great works

The first of those: Faith shrinks as we seek great works.

Please look again at vv. 46-47:

So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

As John tells us, Jesus has already performed a miracle in Cana, nd now this official has heard Jesus has returned. So, Jesus’ reputation precedes him. And on the basis of that reputation this official has a fledgling faith:

Which means he trusts both in Jesus’ power to help his son, and in Jesus’ positive attitude toward him—his willingness to help. But the man’s faith is weak, it is in some way flawed. Verse 47 tells us:

he went to him and asked him to come down

The man sees some kind of physical restraint on Jesus’ power. How does Jesus respond to a man like this? Someone who has very weak faith… on the one hand he’s not an ardent atheist, but on the other, he doesn’t confidently trust Jesus.

…Jesus preaches to him Law and Gospel.

First, the Law, v. 48:

So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

Jesus directly addresses and rebukes the man’s problem: don’t put your faith in the wrong place; don’t wait for the wrong thing. Signs and wonders, great healings, works of power: these are not a foundation for true faith, they do not nourish true faith.

And for that reason: if we look for them, our faith will not grow, it will shrink.

Faith shrinks as we seek great works

But just hearing the Law is not enough. The Law on its own does not bring faith. So, the man still doesn’t understand and he replies, v. 49:

The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

He still needs Jesus to physically come to his house. He still doesn’t understand. So Jesus also preaches the Gospel, v. 50:

Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.

So, hearing the Law and the Gospel, the man finally believes.

So many people today claim to grow faith precisely through signs and wonders, in exactly the way that Jesus rebukes here: As we said at the beginning: —Healing services. —Amazing miracles. —Flashy meetings. —Attractive groups.

It’s not hard to find people who claim that works of power are the key to faith. And the reason we can so easily hear people preaching that is because that is what we want to be told.

Jesus’ statement in v. 48 is not just about this man, it’s not just about a particular group of people: It’s a statement about everyone to everyone: When he says these words, he’s saying them to you and me:

“Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

I basically want glory. I want impressive things. I want an easy life. I want to avoid suffering. I want victory. I want signs and wonders. I don’t want God to address me on his terms, I want him to address me on my terms.

And because my heart is like that… …it is easy to find people all around who will preach to me exactly what I want to hear.

Faith grows as we hear Jesus’ Word

But in this passage, notice how John does not describe this man as believing until he has heard Jesus preach to him the Law and the Gospel. Verse 50 again:

The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him

That’s why the second thing Jesus shows us here is: Faith grows as we hear Jesus’ Word.

Now, with even the smallest faith we have everything. As Jesus says in Matthew 17:20:

if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.

Because all people who have faith in Jesus have all of Jesus. But to talk of faith as weaker or stronger is to speak of how firmly we hold it.

If my grip on faith is weak, I am in danger of losing it. If my faith is strong, that means I am holding it more firmly. And our faith is always either diminishing or growing.

This man’s faith began as he heard Jesus’ Word, now his faith grows as he sees Jesus’ Word fulfilled, verses 51-53:

As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 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.

The man had believed without seeing. Jesus had given him his Word, and without seeing his son, the man had believed Jesus’ Word.

This is the nature of faith.

Faith is trusting what God says. As Hebrews 11 verses 1 and 3 tell us:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen… By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God,

Faith is trusting God’s Word, his promises, and so faith always looks forward to the future. But as faith looks back, it sees that God does what he says.

So, our faith grows as it hears God’s Word and looks forward, and is encouraged when it looks back and sees God’s Word fulfilled.

And presumably this is why the man’s whole household believed: because having a now stronger faith, he spoke Jesus’ Word to the household.

Faith grows as we hear Jesus’ Word. And so look at how Jesus has dealt with this man. Everything Jesus does is to help this man grow in faith: Jesus did not go to the man’s house. Jesus preached the Law by rebuking the man’s false basis for faith. Jesus preached the Gospel by giving the man a Word of promise to trust.

And Jesus’ Word was fulfilled in such a way, as to help the man look back with hindsight, and see that Jesus’ Word is trustworthy.

This is how Jesus deals with us today.

Our hearts want glory, impressive things, an easy life. We want to avoid suffering, we want victory. We want signs and wonders.

And because we want those things, it’s not hard to find people who are preaching them.

But, Jesus doesn’t preach what we want to hear, he preaches what we need to grow in faith.

Jesus takes you seriously. Jesus’ love for you is long term, substantial, and significant. He doesn’t just tell you what you want to hear.

How does faith grow?

So, How does faith grow? Faith shrinks as we seek great works. Faith grows as we hear Jesus’ Word. As verse 54 says:

This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

The first sign he did in Cana had a mixed response.

Some believed because of what they saw. Jesus didn’t entrust himself to those people.

But others believed in the Word Jesus spoke. Those people had true faith: faith that brings all the benefits of Jesus; faith that grows and is strengthened.

How will we respond to Jesus’ Word this week?