John 4

ST JOHN

CHAPTER 4

Jesus teaches a woman of Samaria—Men must worship the Father in spirit and truth—Those who harvest souls gain eternal life—Many Samaritans believe—Jesus heals a nobleman’s son.

1 WHEN therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)

3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.

4 And he must needs go through Samaria. [ Or the best road to go from Galilee to Jerusalem was by going through this Samaria. ]

5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, [ This city was anciently called Shechem. ] near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. [ The place in which Abram first stopped on his journey from Haran to Canaan. Also it was Where God first appeared to Abraham, and promised to give the land to his seed. Lastly it is where Abram first built an altar to the Lord, and called upon his name, Gen. 12:7. The present name of this city is Neapolis, or Naplouse. So something about this spot here. First it is in the northern kingdom. Jesus comes to a women who is Samaritian(she is a northern kingdom Israelite), and she is in the northern kingdom(location), on top of one of these mountains where there used to be a temple, a place where the priests used to have an altar. Jesus is here on a spiritual mission, he is not here to over power Rome, as he will later tell the woman if you knew who I was you would seek after the living water that I can provide. She will recognize that he is the Messiah because her understanding of the scriptures might be as we can say "not Judiahized" or they are the prue doctrine that was expounded by the prophets, and have not been altered. She was brought up with the correct tradition about the Messiah. She was not a believer that you could only talk with God at the temple in Jerusalem - since they had destroyed all of the other temples through out the land. ]

6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. [ About 12 o'clock or the middle of the day. Drawing water in the middle of the day indicates she is avoiding the other women of the town. In an arid desert environment tasks such as this were performed in the cool of the morning or evening, not in the heat of the day (cf. Gen. 24:11). It would be immediately obvious to anyone that the woman was outcast, yet Jesus speaks to her. ]

7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: [ It was the custom that the women would be the one' typically to fetch water. Such that those who wished to get wives went to the wells where young women were accustomed to come and draw water; and it is supposed that women of ill fame frequented such places also. ] Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.

8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) [ As such there was no man present except him. (2 Ne. 7:2). This comes as a direct fulfillment of Isaiahs prophecy "wherefore when I came, there was no man". This encounter is here to demonstrate that the God of Israel has not forgotten His children, he will always remember his covenants with them. (2 Ne. 7:2-3) ]

9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, [ Suggesting that Christ being a Jew would want to maintain the customs of the Jews which were that they were under no kind of obligation to the Samaritans - they would not borrow anything from them - they would not drink out of the same cup or well with them - nor would they sit down to a meal with a Samariatan. Hence the words at the end of this verse - the Jews have no dealings with them. ] which am a woman of Samaria? [ According to the Anchor Bible (AB) the Pharisaic custom was Samaritans were ritually impure from birth. The custom at that time among Jews was that no man would ever speak to a woman in public (this tradition is still adhered to today by Hasidic Jews). so, this is a doubly bad according to Phariseeism because it is a Samaritan woman he is talking to. Thus, Jesus is disregarding race and sex based conventions. And note the woman's shock at Jesus' defiance of these norms. ] for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. [ An expression, that was common to the inhabitants both of the east and of the west, it always meant spring water, in opposition to dead, stagnant water contained in ponds, pools, tanks, or cisterns. The spiritual interpretation on this passage has its roots in the OT, see Isa. 33:16, Isa. 44:3, Isa. 55:1-2, Jer. 2:13, Jer. 17:13. In the Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis taught a hard saying. In these children's stories, the great lion, Aslan, is a symbolic representation of the Savior, and they should be read with that truth in mind. In the quotation below, Jill, a new visitor to the land of Narnia, Aslan's kingdom, is wandering in a wood. She is thirsty and hears the sound of a stream in the distance. She heads in the direction of the stream, her thirst increasing. When she finds it, however, she stops, for there next to its bank sits a great lion. “Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion. “I am dying of thirst,” said Jill. “Then drink,” said the Lion…. “Will you promise not to—do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill. “I make no promise,” said the Lion. Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer. “I daren't come and drink,” said Jill. “Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion. “Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer. “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.” “There is no other stream,” said the Lion. (The Silver Chair [New York: Collier Books, 1970], pp. 16–17.) There is no other stream. We must drink or die. We must walk his path or be forever lost. We must feast on his bread or starve. We must see by his light or wander hopelessly in the darkness. We must build on his rock or forever feel the shifting sands beneath our feet. This is the one truth about the path that Satan desperately wants to hide. ]

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: [ "oute antlhma eceiv", Thou hast no bucket. Good water is not plentiful in the east; and travelers are often obliged to carry leathern bottles or buckets with them, and a line also, to let them down into the deep wells, in order to draw up water. If the well was in our Lord's time, as has been suggested, the well would have thirty-five yards deep, it would require a considerable line to reach it; and with such it is not likely that even the disciples of our Lord were provided. The woman might well say, The well is deep, and thou hast nothing to draw with; whence then hast thou that living water? ] from whence then hast thou that living water? [ Or it would appear that she responded - that you do not have what is required to obtain living water, no rope, no bucket. so how can you claim to have living water of which you speak. ]

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water [ The water found her in Jacob's well. ] shall thirst again:

14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him [ Provide the source for. ] a well of water springing up into everlasting life. [ What is the purpose of the water for which the Savior speaks? Everlasting life; eternal life which is life in his presence. To which he is the source - we must beleiev in him, we must follow him and the gospel in order to gain eternal life. Christ is using water as a symbol to teach the woman at the well a really important spiritual principle. He’s teaching her that like water, which is the source of physical life, fertility and growth, that he and his doctrine is the source of spiritual life, the life of the soul. He’s teaching her that if she will drink from his doctrine, which contains the source of everlasting life, that it will nourish her spirit. It will sprout like a seed and grow within her, enlarging her soul, enlightening her understanding and expanding her mind until symbolically the tree of life, the tree of everlasting life has taken root within her, and reached full bloom within her soul. Christ is teaching that his living water is the source of that spiritual growth. ]

15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, [ While she may not fully understand the meaning of what the Savior is saying - she is at least interested in his message. Why does the Lord use this woman to announce himself? Well if we go back to the Prophecies of the Old Testament(Ezekiel 23) the Lord used a parable to describe Israel and the parable was that the Lord married two sisters and both of the sisters were adulterers. They committed adultery they were not faithful to him their husband. One of these adulterous women represented the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the other represented Judah and the Lord says in this Parable that because of the adultery of his first or the first wife the Northern Kingdom of Israel that she was you know taken and destroyed by her lovers meaning the kingdom of Assyria. The second wife did not learn from the adultery of the first wife and that you know she was scattered to the winds as well Christ is going to this adulterous woman at the well because it is a symbol of him coming and calling the house of Israel and you know forgiving the adulteress for the for the past history and offering to be a savior unto her still and that is what Isaiah was is talking about in Isaiah 50, 2 Ne. 7. ] that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, [ The Lord knows that she does not have a husband. So he makes reference to him for a couple of reasons. 1) To call her attention to the state that her life is currently in, 2) to allow her to see that he knew her secert actions and life but more importantly he knew her heart; as such he was qualified to teach her of far more importnat things - eternal things. ] and come hither.

17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

18 For thou hast had five husbands; [ It is not clear that this woman was a prostitute: she might have been legally married to those five, and might have been divorced through some misbehaviour of her own, not amounting to adultery; for the adulteress was to be put to death, both by the Jewish and Samaritan law, not divorced: or she might have been cast off through some caprice of her husband; for, in the time of our Lord, divorces were very common among the Jews, so that a man put away his wife for any fault. ] and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: [ nun on eceiv, ouk esti sou anhr. could be translated as: "There is no husband whom thou now hast", or "Thou hast no husband now": probably the meaning is, "Thou art contracted to another, but not yet brought home: therefore he is not yet thy husband". So the Savior is not chastizing her per se; Because it is not likely that a woman so far advanced in years as to have had five husbands should have now been found living in adultery with a sixth person. ] in that saidst thou truly.

19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. [ A prophet but not the Messiah of which he is trying to teach. ]

20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; [ Probably pointing to Mount Gerizim, at the foot of which Sychar was situated. The patriarchs had worshipped here-Jacob builded an altar on this mountain, and worshiped the true God: see Gen. xxii. 2; xxxiii. 20. ] and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, [ The woman is focused on where you are supposed to worship. Jesus begins to teach her it is not where you worship but how you worship that matters. ] worship the Father. [ Our Father in Heaven. ]

22 Ye worship ye know not what: [ The Samaritians worshipped the same God that the Jews did; however they did not believe in the writing and works of the prophets. In addition; they also worshipped idols - so in essence they really were not sure whom they were worshipping. The Samaritans only accepted the first five books of the old testament at the time, and had their own version of the temple worship at Mount Gerizim. They had rejected many prophets and writings concerning Gods plan for his children. From Christs statement I would think that he was condemning their false worship. However, I think his statement lends to greater condemnation of the Jews. Because, from this statement and other statements he made to the jews (scribes and pharisees) condemning them for false teaching they must have had enough writings to know he was the messiah but were hiding them. Also the Jews did still have the right to the priesthood, even if they had gone apostate to a degree. I think his saying basically solidifies that they did not have the priesthood. We know that Lehi had the priesthood, and he was from Manasseh. The Samaritans were also of Joseph from both Manasseh and Ephraim. So it's not that they couldn't have the higher priesthood, but didn't any longer at the time of Jesus. ] we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. [ Salvation seems here to mean the saviour, the Messiah, as it does Luke ii. 30; Acts iv. 12: and so the woman appears to have understood it, ver. 25. The Messiah was to spring from the Jews-from them, the preaching of the Gospel, and the knowledge of the truth, were to go to all the nations of the world. It was to the Jews that the promises were made; and it was in their prophetic Scriptures, which the Samaritans rejected, that Jesus Christ was proclaimed and described. See Isa. xi. 3. ]

23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. [ Or for into them God hath promised His Spirit. ]

24 God is a Spirit: [ First we know that this in direct contradiction to D&C 130:22 if we take it as a description of the physical nature of God. But we only need go to the previous verse to find that it says that the Father expects us to worship him in spirit and in truth, and then repeated again in this verse. So let's look at this from that fact then that God is a Spirit. Yes that is true we all are spirits, and we must worship him in a spiritual sense; yet it also says in truth meaning as he really is as well. This was first penned as "pneuma o theos" which in no way can be used to agrue that we are speaking of the coporal nature of God, and better imply's the correct manner in which we are to worship God. We began this discussion as Jesus discusses the Samaritan woman beginning in verse 7. Thus, the chiasm follows the pattern:

A - The time is coming when physical worship will be done away.

- - B - The Samaritan's physical imitation of Jewish religious customs has resulted in ignorance.

- - B - True worshipers will worship God in spirit and in truth.

A - The time to worship in spirit and truth is now. The descending portion of the chiasm focuses on the futility of performing the ritualistic works that the Samaritans have copied form the Jews. And, the ascending portion of the chiasm states that the inward spiritual conviction of the worshiper is to be the motivating factor in worshiping God. This being the case, the use of the statement "God is a Spirit" as a proof to support the idea that God hasn't got a physical body is out of the context.

PNEUMA: pnyoo'-mah from pneo a current of air. ie. breath (blast) or a breeze; by anal. or fig. a spirit. ie. (human) the rational soul (by impl) vital principle, mental disposition etc. or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's Spirit, the Holy Spirit - ghost life, spirit(-ual, ually), mind.

The Expositor's Bible Commentary (Vol. 9, page 56) "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth" carries one of the four descriptions of God found in the New Testament. The other three are "God is love" (1Jn 4:8,16) "God is light" (1Jn 1:5) and "God is a consuming fire" (Heb 12:29).... The KJV rendering of pneuma ho theos as "God is a spirit" is misleading. Greek grammar has no indefinite article; it's inclusion is at the translator's discretion, whose decision, hopefully, is based on context and other scripture. The point Jesus was trying to make here is not that God is one spirit among many. Rather Jesus was seeking to lift the conversation into the sphere of the spiritual and heavenly since the woman kept referring to human ancestry, Mount Gerizin, and traditional worship practices. The anarthrous construction and Gr. word order place the emphasis on the essential character of God; thus the essence of true worship must be on God's terms and in accord with his nature.... True worship is that of the spirit, which means that the worshiper must deal honestly and openly with God. She, on the contrary, had been furtive and unwilling to open her heart to God.

Word Biblical Commentary (Vol. 36, page 62) "God is Spirit" defines God, not in his metaphysical being, but "according to his work in the world." The clause is parallel in this respect with 'God is light' and 'God is love'; "All these statements describe God's mode of action and working" (Schlatter 126, so also Bultman: "The is God's miraculous dealing with man which takes place int he revelation... 'God is defines the idea of God by saying what God means, viz. that for man God is the miraculous being who deals wonderfully with him, just as the definition of God as refers to him as the one who deals with men out of his love and in his love," 190-92) A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels (page 673) When Jesus, in His conversation with the woman of Samaria, identifies Spirit with the Being of God. He at once proceeds to foreshadow the abiding result, as well as the condition of man's approach to Him. The arena, so to speak, upon which the activity of the Divine Spirit displays His manifold and world-wide character, is the human spirit. If we are to offer to God a spiritual worship and apprehend clearly the methods by which He quickens human life, the first and last requisite is that we shall be in the Spirit (Jn 4:24 cf Ro 8:15f, Eph 2:18) it is not enough, though it is perfectly true, to say that 'the spirit in man responds to the Spirit of God' (Westcott Gospel of St. John on 4:23) The spirit in man becomes the spirit of man (Ro 8:16) and acting, as it does, in harmony with the Spirit of God, is guided into all the truth. (Jn 16:13) Henceforth man's spiritual home is within the region of that absolute truth which the Person and the work of Jesus were destined to disclose and make real.

Anchor Bible (Vol. 29, page 172) This is not an essential definition of God, but a description of God's dealings with men, it means that God is Spirit towards men because He gives the Spirit (14:16) which begets them anew. There are two other such descriptions in the Johannine writings "God is light" and "God is love." These too refer to the God who acts: God give the world His son, the "light of the world" (3:19; 8:12;9:5) as a sign of His love.

Interpreter's Bible (Vol. 8, page 527-528) This is one of the three Johannine affirmations about the divine nature, cf I Jn 1:5;4:8 "God is light" "God is love". This conception is common to Jewish and Greek thought. Isa 31:3 brings out the Hebraic opposition between flesh & spirit. Yet in relation to the conditions of worship more than this is implied. Moore (Judiasm I:223) warns us against a possible confusion of thought. "The principle that God cannot be seen in any natural object nor imaged by man's hands in any likeness is frequently called a doctrine of the 'spirituality' of God. If 'spirit' were taken in the biblical sense, there would be no other objection to the phrase than its abstractness; but in modern use spirit is the contrary of matter, and 'spiritual' equivalent to 'immaterial.' In this sense the spirituality of God is a philosophical theory derived from the Greeks, not a doctrine of Judiasm in biblical times or thereafter, any more than Jewish monotheism is a doctrine of the unity of God in the metaphysical sense." The main thought here is that the highest part of a man's nature should be attuned to God, who is spirit, and that his worship must be based upon the reality of the God, who he approaches in devotion. The sense of the divine reality arises from God's own initiative. He it is who seeks such worshipers, and bestows the spirit of truth. Note the IV on this verse puts it into harmony with the interpretations given in these various commentaries above. The IV addition "For unto such hath God promised his Spirit" is paralleled by 14:16-17. ] and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. [ ]

25 The woman saith unto him, I know [ Instead of "oida" which is "I know", several versions read, "oidamen", or "we know" . suggesting that she is implying that Samaritans expected the advent of the Messiah. Though they did not receive the prophetic writings, yet the tradition of the advent of the Messiah, which was common among the Jews, and founded on promises contained even in the books of Moses, was generally received among the Samaritans also.] that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. [ Remember that the woman is a Samaritan here as such she had a belief of a "Taheb", or a teacher of the Law who would come and teach the true nature of worship. This was distinctly different from the Hebrew messiah. so, the Woman from Samara is either confused or more likely wanting to reject what Jesus has said, and she defers to
the Taheb. ]

26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. [ This time the Savior does not dodged the question as he has with the Jews; with Whom do men say that I am; NO this time he responds with an emphatic ""ego eimi" or I AM Taheb or the Great I AM. ]

27 ¶ And upon this came his disciples, [ Back from the town were they had gone to buy meat. ] and marvelled that he talked with the woman: [ The disciples were a little taken back; surprised if you were by the fact that the Savior was talking to the Samaritian woman. This was in direct violation of the traditions of the Pharisee's. Because it was contrary to the custom of the eastern countries; and there are many canons, among the rabbins, against it. To the present time, if a man meet even his own wife in the street, he does not speak to her; and this is done to keep up the appearance of a chastity and temperance of which the eastern world knows nothing. They might wonder how a Samaritan, in whom they could expect no spirituality, could listen to the conversation of their Master, who never spake but about heavenly things.] yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? [ But none of the disciples questioned the Savior why he was talking to her. This act alone by the disciples in the rpesence of the woman showed that they recognized the Savior and his authority as they deferred to his authority; to his law - so that it did not matter what customs there were, what laws there were all were subject to the real master - the Savior. Since none question him which denoted a public act of respect for the Savior. ]

28 The woman then left her waterpot, [ Symbolic that she leaves her physical water for spiritual water. ] and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, [ She rushes off to town to tell everyne what she has learned. ]

29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: [ According to Jewish tradidion the Messiah would be able to tell the secrets of peoples hearts. See Isa. 11: 2, 3.] is not this the Christ?

30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

31 ¶ In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. [ What message do you think that he was trying to put forth to the apostles? He can use the power of hunger to teach them of eternal things; to learn to rely on th epowers of heaven as the Lords servants. ]

33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, [ Suggesting that the salvation of souls is of more importance than life itself. OR he is suggesting that eating, drinking, all things, should be directed to the accomplishment of this great work. ] and to finish his work. [ Which is what? To bring to pass the immortality an eternal life fo man. The Savior was there as part of the creation of man and is now here to work out the atonement for man. ]

35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? [ Ordinarily it takes around four months from seed-time to harvest, and that a man, after he had sowed his seed, must wait patiently till the regular and natural harvest is ready. Things are different with the Savior, he has sown seeds with the woman just a few hours ago was beginning to bring forth fruit. As he follows up with the example here:] behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; [ What would they have seen coming at that time? more than likely it would have been the Samaritans who were beginning to arrive, guided by the woman from the well who had already begun to receive the gospel in her life.] for they are white already to harvest. [ As the moisture content begins to evaporate from the grain ( wheat, oats, barley ) the heads begin to turn golden white. ]

36 And he [ Who? The Savior in reference to himself. ] that reapeth receiveth wages, [ So in this case the reaper and the sower are the same person. What is the wages that the Savior receives for reaping the sould of the children of men? He recieves the gratification of knowing that he made it possible for men to be saved and enjoy eternal life with him. somthing without him it would not have been possible. ] and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

37 And herein is that saying true, [ So he is suggesting to the disciples that they are to go forth and reap the bounty (save the souls) ] One soweth, [ Who are the one's who would have been the sowers for the disciples? 1) The ancient prophets who prepared the people, 2) The Savior himself 3) The disciples would also sow seeds that they themselves would not reap. ] and another reapeth. [ Who were the reapers? The disciples were the ones who now came with the authority to reap to save the souls of men through declaring repentance and to those that accepted baptism and the ordinances of the kingdom. ]

38 I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

39 ¶ And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

40 so when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.

41 And many more believed because of his own word; [ They came believing what the woman from the well had told them; now they knew for themselves. ]

42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, [ or the promised Messiah ] the Saviour of the world.

43 ¶ Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.

44 For Jesus himself testified, [ He bore his own witness that the proverb found in Matt 13:57 was true - ] that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.

45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.

46 so Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, [ Or an officer of the King's court. sometimes referred to as "a little king" ] whose son was sick at Capernaum.

47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, [ What does this suggest? that maybe his faith was limited. A true believe would suppose that God could heal someone no matter if God was there with them or not. Which prompts the response from the Lords as follows: ] and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.

48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. [ Do you suppose that he was telling the nobleman that he had faith but was still lacking in faith. Another teaching moment. If he had no faith he would not have come and asked the Savior at all; but he felt that the Savior needed to be there to do the job - So the Savior teaches him to exercise greater faith than he has to this point and return home with faith and his son will be fine. In addition the Savior might be contrasting the differences in the two types of people - those who were found at Samaria - who lived a more simple life and were more inclinded to believe his words (The use of the plural "ye" here is suggesting that he is referring to more than this one man - the Jews in general who were by nature much more unbelieving - sometimes even after seeing a miracle. ]

49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. [ Note that the nobleman - one who was used to getting his way does not back down. He continues to ask Jesus to come to his house to heal his son; suggesting that he still does not believe that the Savior can work the miracle on his son from a distance. All of this the Savior had preceived in his response. ]

50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word [ Did he really believe it or was it that he really had no choice? Did he leave saying if I get home and my son is alive I will believe? ] that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. [ What has the Lord taught the nobleman here? If the Lord would have journeyed with the nobleman to his home the nobleman would have never known of th epower of the Savior. He would have still been left to believe that the Savior woul dneed to be present to enact his power for healing the child. But becuase he did not go and the man returned without the Savior he would have known that the power of the Savior was far greater that he had preceived. So the nobleman did not entirely get his way - his so was saved which was the most important thing; however the Savior did not return with him. What do you suppose the nobleman was saying as he left the Savior? What would you have been saying? Do you think that the nobelman beileved that the Savior had healed his son - or would he have just passed it off to chance? How do miracles only change us if we see them for what they are if not they have no real value? ]

51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.

52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. [ The question at hand is whether he got well before he asked the Savior to heal him or if it was close to the time that he had asked for the blessing. Again an indication of the amount of faith that he had. ] And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.

53 so the father knew that it was at the same hour, [ The nobleman was left with no doubt that it was the power of the priesthood that had interviened into his son's life and saved him. ] in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. [ Imagine what the family was saying when the child was sick - why does God want to punish us; then the complete reversal of gratitude that God in his mercy has saved their son from death at that time. ]

54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.