John 4:48

Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. THEN SAID JESUS, EXCEPT YE SEE SIGNS AND WONDERS [ seemeia (G4592) kai (G2532) terata (G5059)]. The latter word expresses simply the miraculous character of an act; the former the attestation which it gave of a higher presence and a divine commission. (See the note at John 6:26.) YE WILL NOT BELIEVE. The poor man did believe, as both his coming and his urgent entreaty show. But how imperfect that faith was, we shall see, and our Lord would deepen it by such a blunt, and seemingly rough, answer as He made to Nicodemus ...

43-54 The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, are no hinderance to the knowledge, mercy, and power of our Lord Jesus. Christ gave an answer of peace. Christ's saying that the soul lives, makes it alive. The father went his way, which showed the sincerity of his faith. Being satisfied, he did not hurry home that night, but returned as one easy in his own mind. His servants met him with the news of the child's recovery. Good news will meet those that hope in God's word. Diligent comparing the works of Jesus with his word, will confirm our faith. And the br...

Verse 48. _EXCEPT YE SEE SIGNS AND WONDERS_, c.] Our Lord does not tell this man that he had no faith, but that he had not _enough_. If he had had _none_, he would not have come from Capernaum to Cana, to beg him to heal his son. If he had had _enough_, he would have been contented with recommending his son to our Lord, without entreating him to go to Capernaum to heal him which intimates that he did not believe our Lord could do it at a distance. But the words are not addressed to the nobleman alone, but to all the Galilean Jews in general; for our Lord uses the _plural_ number, which he never does when addressing an _individual_. These people differed widely from the people of Sychar: they had neither a love of the truth, nor simplicity of heart; and would not believe any thing from heaven, unless forced on their minds by the most striking miracles. They were favoured with the ministr...

EXCEPT YE SEE SIGNS ... - This was spoken not to the nobleman only, but to the Galileans generally. The Samaritans had believed without any miracle. The Galileans, he said, were less disposed to believe him than even they were; and though he had performed miracles enough to convince them, yet, unless they continually saw them, they would not believe....

EXPOSITION JOHN 4:1 7. _The ministry and revelation of the Lord to those beyond the strict compass of the theocracy. _This passage describes an incident of consummate interest, and records a specimen of our Lord's intercourse with individuals, and the reaction of that instruction upon the disciples. The event is a solitary chink through which the light of historical fact falls upon an otherwise darkened and unknown period of the Saviour's life. When we skirt a forest we see at intervals, where by some accident of growth the light falls upon a narrow space, a miniature world of life and loveliness of every kind, suggesting what might happen if every square yard of the forest could receive a similar illumination. Every day of that wondrous life of Christ may have been equally full of meaning to some souls. "These things are written, that

THEN SAID JESUS UNTO HIM,.... With some degree of roughness in his speech, and severity in his countenance, in a way of reproof for his unbelief, as if he could not heal his son without going down to Capernaum along with him: EXCEPT YE SEE SIGNS AND WONDERS YE WILL NOT BELIEVE. This was the cast of the Jews every where, both in Judea and Galilee; they required signs and miracles to be wrought, in confirmation of Christ's being the Messiah, and which indeed was but right; and Christ did perform them for that purpose: but their sin of unbelief lay in this, that they wanted still more and more signs; they could not be contented with what they had seen, but required more, being sluggish and backward to believe. Our Lord seems to say this chiefly for the sake of the Galilaeans, that were about him; who, though they might be acquainted with his former miracles, when among them, of turning wat...

CHAPTER 4 _ 1. He Must Needs Pass Through Samaria. (John 4:1 .)_ 2. At Sychar's Well; Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. (John 4:6 .) 3. The Woman's Witness and the Believing Samaritans. (John 4:27 .) 4. His Return to Galilee. (John 4:43 .) 5. The Second Miracle, the Healing of the Nobleman's Son. (John 4:46 .) In the Gospel of Matthew the Lord told His disciples not to go into the way of the Gentiles and not to enter into any city of the Samaritans. (Matthew 10:5

THE HEALING OF THE SON OF THE KING'S OFFICER. The narrative is plain and needs little comment. The similarity of the story to Matthew 8:5 ff. (Luke 7:2 ff.) has often been noticed since the time of Irenæ us. The main points, healing at a distance, the father's faith, the healing at that hour (_cf._ Matthew 8:13) are the same. And many of the peculiarities may be designed to bring out the lesson it is meant to teach, the superiority of faith which believes because of the word to that which rests on miracle. The mention of Cana, not necessary from this point of view, suggests real knowledge. The seventh hour is not incompatible with yesterday. Jews reckoned the evening after sunset as belonging to the next day. We should say at one o-

EXCEPT YE SEE SIGNS AND WONDERS, YE WILL NOT BELIEVE. Jesus had just come from Sychar where, without. miracle, but because his words and character met the needs of their souls, the people believed on him and declared him "the Christ, the Savior of the world." The nobleman, in his sore distress, has some faith, caused only by the fame of the "signs and wonders" wrought. His faith is still imperfect, far below the holy trust of the Samaritans. He is the type of. class whose belief depended on outward signs, while. higher, nobler faith, is that which recognizes in Jesus the Bread of life, that satisfies the hunger of the soul.. "sign" was. miracle wrought as. proof; the term "wonder" does not demand such. motive for the miracle....

BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS (John 4:1-9)...