43 After the two days he departed to Galilee.
44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
Jesus has spent a few days in Samaria, foreign territory and impure land by Jewish standards. Samaria is the land that used to be occupied by the ten northern Tribes of Israel, after being overtaken by multiple Gentile invasions they were intermixed with Gentile populations losing both their religious purity and ethnic purity. The land of Samaria represents a special bad taste for Jews. This was not just a non-Jewish population, they were a living symbol of mixing the sacred and non-sacred. What is curious about this location is that they are very welcoming to Jesus despite him being a Jew by the Samaritan standards, and John recalls Jesus’ saying that “a prophet has no honor in his own country”. This phrasing is mentioned in the other Gospels too but is specifically used as a lament for his rejecting in his hometown of Nazareth whereas here John is using it to highlight the positive of his reception in Samaria and Galilee, both considered “Gentile land” even though Galilee had significant Jewish populations.
45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast.
46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Caperna-um there was an official whose son was ill.
Upon arriving in Galilee from Samaria Jesus receives the warm welcome that was being referenced before in opposition to the rejection he received in his home town of Nazareth. The Galileans seem to be fully aware of Jesus’ works this early in his ministry so his fame is already before him this is the cause of their excitement at seeing him unlike the Samaritan earlier in the Chapter is sees him as the Messiah. This is quite a big shift in appreciation. “Wow you showed them at Jerusalem” vs “You are the Messiah” is a huge difference and we shouldn’t skip that. He goes into Cana, the village where Jesus performs “the first of his signs” where he turns purification water into wine at a wedding feast. An official is there, this would likely be a lower ranking official of Herod Antipas’ administration.
47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
The Herodian official hears of Jesus’ arrival and goes to him in Capernaum to beg him, in person, for his sons healing. His son as is at the point of death, no explicit reason given. Many people love to point to demonic activity as misunderstood health issues and consider them supernatural rationalisations but the Gospels have zero issue with saying someone is sick, even to the point of death, because they just are. This is one of those moments. For a Herodian official to beg like this is an act of great humility, he also goes in person when he most likely could have sent a servant in his stead. This highlights the mans faith and again, humility. Something that Jesus holds very highly.
48 Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way.
Jesus says what almost sounds like an external monologue, it sounds like a thought that he is saying out loud for our benefit like a main character in a story. Since Jesus actually is the main character of reality I think this is fitting for him to do. The man will not believe (like those Samaritans to perceived Jesus to be the Christ) unless he sees signs and miracles, so Jesus will perform one.
The man assuming that Jesus needs to actually do something beyond will the boys health to renewal petitions Jesus further to come with him to his son before he dies. Jesus just says “Go; your son will live”. The mans expectations vs Jesus’ healing is kind of less extravagant. We all expect a big show but Jesus as the author of reality itself can simply will something to be. The man accepts that Jesus has done the healing and goes back on his way to his son.
Similar to that of exorcisms, bodily healings were known to happen but just like the exorcists there was a whole preparation, utensils, assistance and medicines. Jesus does not need these things so to his original audience this is shocking, it should be to us as well but we’ve normalised a lot of this language and we forget just how supernatural this is.
51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living.
52 So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”
53 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.
Upon his return to his home the man bumps into his servants, he must be quite a wealthy official since he has these, and they inform that his son as recovered from the near death illness. If they did not mention the timeshift in these verses it could read like this is all happening one of the other instantly but its not. He bumps into the servants the next day and his son was healed at the seventh hour the day previous, the moment he was speaking to Jesus. This would be about 1PM.
Now the mans belief changes, he already believed something about Jesus because he went to him to seek his help, but it was that of the Galilean appreciation we mentioned. Kind of like marvelling at a magician, its wonderful and entertaining whereas the faith Jesus received from Samaritans was life-saving. This is the new faith the man has received along with his entire household.
54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
John records seven signs during Jesus’ ministry in his Gospel. The first being the Wedding Feast at Cana, now we Jesus saving a boy from death itself as his Second Sign. Signs are wonders and miracles by themselves but when lined up, paint a larger picture of what Jesus came to do. John’s Gospel is what we call supplementary. He is purposefully writing for his disciples who have already read the Gospels and listened to his oral tradition he taught in Ephesus when he was Bishop there. By highlighting the signs he’s adding a dot-to-dot image for his disciples of something they may not perceive on their own.
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