The Gospel of John 

John 4:48–54

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son

1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
5. Slowly and carefully read the passages of Scripture.
6. Reread them. From memory, determine the central points.
7. Jesus returns to Cana of Galilee, where His first “sign” occurred. At Capernaum, on the NW tip of the Sea of Galilee (or Sea of Tiberius), lived a man whose son was deathly ill. He had heard of Jesus and hoped He might heal his son.
8. He was an “official,” whether Jew or Gentile is unknown.
9. Jesus’ response is extremely noteworthy. “Unless you see signs and wonders…” This statement by Jesus could well be the focus of this particular episode.
10. The official pleaded, and Jesus tells him his son will live. This the man believed and returned home to Capernaum.
11. As the father was on his way home, his servants met him on the road and announced the son was recovering.
12. When questioned as to when the son’s recovery began he learns it was at the same time that Jesus said the boy would live. At the seventh hour (either 1pm Jewish time or 7pm Roman time), a fever had left him.
13. Upon the basis of the healing the official “believed” as well as all those in his household.
14. John the Apostle asserts this healing was the “second sign that Jesus did.”
15. Were all those who were healed during Jesus’ ministry born anew? Certainly not, is the obvious answer. Signs and wonders, especially healings are problematic, both then and now. See Matthew 24:24 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1–12.