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EXEGESIS VERSES 25-26:

GNT John 4:25 le,gei auvtw/| h` gunh,( Oi=da o[ti Messi,aj e;rcetai o` lego,menoj Cristo,j\ o[tan e;lqh| evkei/noj( avnaggelei/ h`mi/n a[pantaÅ

NAS John 4:25 The woman *said to Him, h` gunh,( (d.a. + n-nf-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s) "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); Oi=da (viPFa--1s; "I know") o[ti (conj.; indir. disc.) Messi,aj (n-nm-s) e;rcetai e;rcomai (vipdep.--3s) o` lego,menoj le,gw (d.a. + adj.ptc./p/p/nm-s; "He who is being called") Cristo,j\ (n-nm-s) when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." o[tan (conj.; "when/whenever") evkei/noj( (remote dem.pro./nm-s; "that One") e;lqh| e;rcomai(vsaa--3s; "might come") avnaggelei/ avnagge,llw (vifa--3s; "He will declare/disclose/inform/provide information"; used 14x) a[pantaÅ a[paj (ap-an-p; "all things") h`mi/n evgw,(npd-1p; "to us")

GNT John 4:26 le,gei auvth/| o` VIhsou/j( VEgw, eivmi( o` lalw/n soiÅ

NAS John 4:26 Jesus *said to her, o` VIhsou/j( (d.a. + n-nm-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvth/| (npdf3s) "I who speak to you am He." Lit. "I myself am the One speaking to you" VEgw, (npn-1s) eivmi, (vipa--1s) o` lalw/n lale,w (d.a. + subs.ptc./p/a/nm-s) soiÅ su, (npd-2s)

ANALYSIS VERSES 25-26:

Jesus in the preceding verses has declared to the woman things only a prophet would know.

His words about a new era, coupled with His previous disclosure about her personal life, have put her on the track of thinking about Messiah.

The big question here is, from what source did the woman derive her information regarding her knowledge of knowing that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ)?

While this analysis will explore how her knowledge could be derived from the Samaritan’s understanding of the scripture’s they accept, another source was available to them, which your Pastor-Teacher concludes is their primary source of information in this regard and will be revealed in the forthcoming analysis of 4:37.

The Samaritans, although rejecting all of the OT after the Pentateuch, had their own ideas about Messiah.

Their understanding is no doubt, based on their interpretation of Deut.18-19.

However, as with the Jews, their interpretation was fuzzy at best.

In fact, in the Samaritan writings "Memar Marqah", Messiah is referred to as bht/Taheb (the ‘restorer’ or ‘returning one’) and regarded Moses as the one whom would return.

This fits their theology since they only regard Moses’ writings as sacred.

Therefore, the Samaritan’s are looking for a "Prophet" that would fit this bill.

Therefore, it could be within this frame of reference that the woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ).

The verb "I know" harks back to Jesus’ earlier proclamation regarding worshiping with a lack of knowledge versus knowledge intact in verse 22.

It points to the common denominator of both Jewish and Samaritan beliefs and that is a messianic expectation.

Even though Jesus has revealed the gross failure of Samaritan theology in rejecting scripture, by implication, the woman is saying that there is one area that she is willing to "worship" and that she has knowledge of i.e., the appearance of Messiah.

The terms "Messiah" and "Christ" both mean "The Anointed One" and however distorted her thinking was concerning the prophet of Deuteronomy, she regarded Him as equal with God.

This is the force behind her closing comment that when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.

Whomever they thought Messiah would be, they understood that He was God’s ultimate spokesman and representative as Moses was pictured to be in Deut.5:4,5; vs.4 - "The Lord spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire", vs.5 – "while I was standing between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord;…".

It was the Samaritan belief then, that the One called Christ would be a prophet that would provide information concerning the entirety of God’s plan beyond that already provided by Moses in the Pentateuch.

Now, this remarkable stranger whom she perceived as a prophet, has provided a ruling on worship that surpassed understanding of the Samaritans and even the Jews.

The stage is now set for evangelism to occur:

The woman regards Jesus as a prophet and therefore God’s spokesman.

He has authenticated His office in her mind and she links the truth of His words to her expectation of "The Prophet", Messiah.

She understands that He who is called Christ is absolute authority regarding the Plan of God, (brought out by the perfect tense of "I know").

Jesus now only has to declare the truth of His person to her by stating "I who speak to you am He".

If the woman truly is positive (which she is cp. vs.39), she will accept His terse statement as truth and believe.

Her confused and distorted viewpoints theologically that will affect her Ph2 function are academic to this situation based on her continued +V or not.

If she continues to accept Jesus’ words as truth, then it is only a matter of time for a correct understanding of BD to be had. Cp. Vss.40-42.

But the primary issue regarding this unbelieving Samaritan woman has been resolved i.e., she identifies Jesus as Messiah.

THE WITNESS OF THE WOMAN

EXEGESIS VERSES 27-30:

GNT John 4:27 Kai. evpi. tou,tw| h=lqan oi` maqhtai. auvtou/ kai. evqau,mazon o[ti meta. gunaiko.j evla,lei\ ouvdei.j me,ntoi ei=pen( Ti, zhtei/j h; Ti, lalei/j metV auvth/jÈ

NAS John 4:27 And at this point His disciples came, Kai. (cc) evpi. (pd; "upon/at") tou,tw| ou-toj (near dem.pro./dn-s; "this thing/this point") auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) oi` o` maqhtai. maqhth,j (d.a. + n-nm-p) h=lqan e;rcomai (viaa--3p; "came/arrived") and they marveled that He had been speaking with a woman; kai, (cc) evqau,mazon qauma,zw (viIPFa--3p; "marveled/wondered at/surprised/amazed") o[ti (conj. causal; "that/because") evla,lei\ lale,w (viIPFa--3s; "had been speaking") . meta, (pg) gunaiko.j gunh, (n-gf-s; "a woman") yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why do You speak with her?" me,ntoi (conj.; "yet/however/nevertheless") ouvdei,j (adj.card.pro./nm-s; "no one") ei=pen( le,gw (viaa--3s) Ti, ti,j (interr.adj./an-s; "what thing?") zhtei/j zhte,w (vipa--2s; "seek/want/search for") h; (cc; "or") Ti, ti,j (interr.adj./an-s; "why/what reason?') lalei/j lale,w (vipa--2s) metV meta, (pg) auvth/jÈ (npgf3s)

GNT John 4:28 avfh/ken ou=n th.n u`dri,an auvth/j h` gunh. kai. avph/lqen eivj th.n po,lin kai. le,gei toi/j avnqrw,poij(

NAS John 4:28 So the woman left her waterpot, ou=n (infer.conj.; "so/therefore"; looks back to the preceding context) h` gunh, (d.a. + n-nf-s) avfh/ken avfi,hmi (viaa--3s; "left/departed/abandoned") auvth/j (npgf3s) th.n h` u`dri,an u`dri,a (n-af-s; "waterpot") and went into the city, kai, (cc) avph/lqen avpe,rcomai (viaa--3s; "went/to go away from") eivj (pa) th.n h` po,lin po,lij (n-af-s; "the city"; ref. to Sychar, the same city the disciples went to vs.8) and *said to the men, kai, (cc) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) toi/j o` avnqrw,poij( a;nqrwpoj (n-dm-p; "to the men")

GNT John 4:29 Deu/te i;dete a;nqrwpon o]j ei=pe,n moi pa,nta o[sa evpoi,hsa( mh,ti ou-to,j evstin o` Cristo,jÈ

NAS John 4:29 "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; Deu/te deu/te(adv.; "Come here"; used with a plural subject and denotes some exitement) i;dete o`ra,w (vimp./aa--2p; "see for yourselves") a;nqrwpon a;nqrwpoj (n-am-s) o[j (rel.pro./nm-s) ei=pe,n le,gw (viaa--3s) moi evgw, (npd-1s; "to me") pa,nta pa/j (ap-an-p; "all things") o[sa o[soj (rel.pro./an-p; "as much as/all that") evpoi,hsa( poie,w (viaa--1s; "I did/had done") this is not the Christ, is it?" mh,ti (inter.part.; "this is not, is it?" used in questions to indicate the expectations of a negative answer) ou-toj (near.dem.pro./nm-s; "this one") evstin eivmi, (vipa--3s) o` Cristo,jÈ (d.a. + n-nm-s)

GNT John 4:30 evxh/lqon evk th/j po,lewj kai. h;rconto pro.j auvto,nÅ

NAS John 4:30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him. evxh/lqon evxe,rcomai (viaa--3p) evk (pg) th/j h` po,lewj po,lij (d.a. + n-gf-s) kai, (cc) h;rconto e;rcomai (viIPFdep--3p; denotes continuous action and implies a large crowd; "they were coming") pro,j (pa) auvto,nÅ auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Christ)

ANALYSIS VERSES 27-30:

At the point of Jesus profound revelation to the unnamed woman, His disciples came upon the scene, returning from their mission to the nearby city to buy provisions.

Upon their arrival (God’s perfect timing), they were astounded and marveled that He had been speaking with a woman.

John does not record any reflections of the disciples regarding the fact that this woman was a Samaritan, only that it was a woman.

In order to appreciate fully the impact of their surprise concerning the situation, one must understand the Jewish mentality regarding women.

While this mentality may belong to men in general, the fact is that Jewish rabbis promoted a legalistic, unhealthy and unbiblical view of women and men’s relationships to them.

Ostensibly/seemingly their purpose in promoting and maintaining a strict separation between men and women was to avoid the appearance and occurrence of sexual impropriety.

It is recorded that one of their sayings expressed the impropriety of carrying on a conversation with a woman by stating, "A man shall not be alone with a woman in an inn, not even with his sister or his daughter, on account of what men may think. A man shall not talk with a woman in the streets, not even with his own wife, and especially not with another woman, on account of what men may say."

However, it is apparent from other sources that the desire to avoid that, which was or may appear unseemly, was not the only sentiment expressed concerning women.

It was not merely discourse in public places that was frowned upon as one states, "talk not much with womankind. If this is true of a man’s own wife; how much more of his fellow’s wife."

The rabbis regarded women as inferior to men in every way, a fact which is expressed in a very ancient Jewish prayer that says, "Blessed are you O Lord….who has not made me a woman".

Although the Jews acknowledged the study of the Law to be the greatest good in life, they discouraged women from studying it at all per Rabbi Eliezer who said, "If any man gives his daughter a knowledge of the Law, it is as though he taught her lechery/exaggerated lustfulness".

These attitudes were rampant among men of that day and even within Jesus’ disciples own thinking since they regarded marriage as not desirable if divorce could not be for any cause other than adultery. Mat.19:10

But, it must be obvious by Jesus actions that He did not sanction this attitude and God did not sanction this legalistic approach.

Many unbiblical attitudes about women exist and men are wise to avoid the extremes on either side.

The fact that women are not equal to men physically and they were created to be man’s helper and remain in a position of obedience to authority, does not render them less in the plan of God. 1Pet.3:7

The extremes that women are absolutely the equal of men or that women are to be regarded as only here for man to do with as he pleases, should be totally avoided.

Legalist Judaism had managed to take what should have been a healthy and natural relationship between men and women and turn it into the appearance of an unseemly, distasteful or even a sinful act.

So much for Jesus, the perfect righteous standard, in His approach in this regard, huh?

Even though the disciples were taken aback when they came back to the well, not one of them said what they were thinking.

There first of the two potential questions they wanted to ask was directed toward the woman, "What do You seek?", while the second was toward Jesus, "Why do you speak with her?".

The intent of the questions is to reveal their desire to interrogate both Jesus and the woman and could be rendered, "what business do either of you have being in this suspicious situation?"

The author reveals here the impact of the legalistic upbringing of the disciples being a desire to put their nose into business where it did not belong.

Yet, to their credit, no one of the group pursued an invasion into this private matter and they kept their mouths shut.

With the revelation that Jesus has made to her, timed with the return of the disciples, a natural change in circumstance provides an appropriate moment for the woman to exit the scene.

Keeping with the purpose of John’s gospel, he records the witness and the evangelistic zeal the woman carries with her after her conversation with Jesus.

This reflects a characteristic of positive volition in that it desires others to know the truth.

Obviously she is quite excited about the fact that she has spoken with the man that she perceives to be the promised Messiah.

Here emotional state is observed by the phrase, "the woman left/abandoned her waterpot".

She was so excited that she completely forgot the initial reason she was at the well in the first place.

As she returns and goes into the city, she immediately begins talking to the people/men ("men" in the dative and plural number can refer to "mankind" cp. Mat.6:15).

The adverb "Come" reflects her insistence for those she encounters to follow her and see through first hand observance "a man who told me all the things that I have done".

Her invitation is an obvious exaggeration but in principle was true and would appeal to other Samaritans who also believed Messiah would be able to do so.

Her question at the end of vs.29, "this is not the Christ, is it?", is phrased in such a way as to expect or demand a negative answer, although it is obvious she was hoping for a positive response or affirmation to her own conclusion.

One thing that must be considered is that this woman did not have the best reputation in town, therefore her demeanor must have impressed these people so that they went out of the city traveling the short distance to the well and were coming to Him.

The Greek shows an extended period of time of coming to Him implying many participants.

JESUS’ FOOD

EXEGESIS VERSES 31-34:

GNT John 4:31 VEn tw/| metaxu. hvrw,twn auvto.n oi` maqhtai. le,gontej( ~Rabbi,( fa,geÅ

NAS John 4:31 In the meanwhile the disciples were requesting Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." VEn (pL of time) tw/| to, (dLns+) metaxu. (adv.; "between/meanwhile/prep. + d.a. + adv. = in the meantime/during the interval") oi` o` maqhtai. maqhth,j (d.a. + n-nm-p) hvrw,twn evrwta,w (viIPFa--3p; "were requesting/urging/asking") auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s; ref. Christ) le,gontej( le,gw(circ.ptc./p/a/nm-p; "while saying") ~Rabbi,( (n-vm-s) fa,geÅ evsqi,w (vimp.aa--2s; "eat")

GNT John 4:32 o` de. ei=pen auvtoi/j( VEgw. brw/sin e;cw fagei/n h]n u`mei/j ouvk oi;dateÅ

NAS John 4:32 But He said to them, de, (ch) o`(dnms; acts as a pronoun; "He/the man") ei=pen le,gw (viaa--3s) auvtoi/j( auvto,j (npdm3p; "to them") "I have food to eat that you do not know about." VEgw. (npn-1s; "I myself") e;cw (vipa--1s) brw/sin brw/sij (n-af-s; "eating/consumming a meal"; translated 'food' but emphasis is on the act of eating; used 11x) fagei/n evsqi,w (inf. of purp./aa; "to eat") h]n o[j(rel.pro./af-s; "that 'food/eating'") u`mei/j su, (npn-2p; "you yourselves") ouvk ouv (neg. +) oi;dateÅ oi=da (viPFa--2p; "do not know about/no knowledge of")

GNT John 4:33 e;legon ou=n oi` maqhtai. pro.j avllh,louj( Mh, tij h;negken auvtw/| fagei/nÈ

NAS John 4:33 The disciples therefore were saying to one another, oi` o` maqhtai. maqhth,j (n-nm-p) ou=n (infer.conj.; "therefore") e;legon le,gw (viIPFa--3p; "were saying") pro,j (pa) avllh,louj( avllh,lwn (reciprocal pro./am3p; "one another"; another of the same kind) "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" Mh, (neg. +) ti.j (ind.pro./nm-s; with neg. = "no one") h;negken fe,rw (viaa--3s; "brought/to bear/to carry") auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s) fagei/nÈ evsqi,w (inf. of purpose/aa; "to eat")

GNT John 4:34 le,gei auvtoi/j o` VIhsou/j( VEmo.n brw/ma, evstin i[na poih,sw to. qe,lhma tou/ pe,myanto,j me kai. teleiw,sw auvtou/ to. e;rgonÅ

NAS John 4:34 Jesus *said to them, o` VIhsou/j( (d.a. + n-nm-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvtoi/j auvto,j (npdm3p) "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, VEmo.n evmo,j (possessive adj.--nn1s; "My/mine") brw/ma, brw/ma (n-nn-s; "food") evstin eivmi, (vipa--3s) i[na (cc; "in order that/for the purpose of") poih,sw poie,w (vsaa--1s; "I might do/might accomplish") to. qe,lhma (d.a. + n-an-s; "the will") tou/ o` pe,myanto,j pe,mpw (d.a. + subs.ptc./a/a/gm-s; "of He who sent/the one having sent") me evgw, (npa-1s) and to accomplish His work. kai, (cc) teleiw,sw teleio,w (vsaa--1s; "I might complete/perfect/accomplish/finish or bring to an end") auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s; ref. to 'He who sent') to. e;rgonÅ (n-an-s; "the work")

ANALYSIS VERSES 31-34:

In the meanwhile during the interval between the woman going to the city and returning with the other Samaritans (vss.28 cp. 30), John brings the narrative back to what was occurring at the well.

The disciples having returned from buying provisions and food were requesting Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat".

Whatever they were thinking about regarding the situation they came upon, they remained mute in that regard and now were focused in on fulfilling their desire for food.

The imperfect of "were requesting" implies they themselves already were eating and insisting that He too needed physical nourishment.

The fact is that during this recess of the woman and other’s presence, is a good opportunity for Jesus to eat a quick bite of lunch.

But, He chooses not to do so in order to teach them a lesson on priorities.

The priorities established evolve around that which sustains physically versus that which sustains spiritually.

Jesus informs them that He has food to eat that they do not know about.

The noun He uses for "food/brw/sij" means literally the act of eating sustenance/nourishment/livelihood.

It emphasizes the source or substance of what one is partaking for digestion and 2x is translated "rust" (Mat.6:19,20) denoting the corrosive action on metal.

He is telling them that He has a source of taking sustenance that supports life beyond the normal means that they recognize.

Jesus puts distance between Himself and the disciples as seen in the emphasis on the pronouns "I" and "you" in vs.32.

The perfect tense of "do not know" declares they lack knowledge with regard to this food and their ignorance carries with it existing results.

In other words, Jesus has a superior knowledge and source regarding what is most important to one’s existence and until the disciples figure this lesson out, they will at best maintain a substandard/less than adequate quality of spiritual life.

The disciples, as is typical, validate the truthfulness behind Jesus’ proclamation that they do not know by taking His words in a literal sense in vs.33.

Because their eyes only had vision to satisfy their immediate physical need, therefore they responded by saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?"

Here Jesus is talking about food that they do not know about, so in their thinking one of them must have brought Him something to eat, unnoticed.

To emphasize their frame of mind, John denotes that the disciples did not even consider that their "Rabbi/teacher" might actually be trying to teach them something since they don’t bother asking Jesus what He meant, but rather deferred to one another for their answer.

The word "one another/avllh,lwn" means "another of the same kind" and condemns all of the disciples in their failure to "GAP" or even seek the meaning to what Jesus said to them.

Jesus does not let His disciple’s distraction with one another and their own thinking deter Him from concluding His lesson and emphatically says to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me".

The subjunctive mood of "to do" indicates potential and iterates that Jesus in His humanity, volitionally has to make this choice Himself.

It does not matter what they may be thinking or what food they may have, for Him personally, His source of nourishment is to do the Divine will of the Father.

He is stating that in the spiritual realm, one is not built up or sustained by physical food, rather it demands spiritual food.

By using a simple and well understood act of being hungry and eating food to nourish the body, He establishes a higher priority being that God's will and adherence to it takes precedence even to this most basic physical need.

This is in opposition to the attitude of some believers who seem to view any sort of sacrifice or inconvenience as something to be avoided at all costs.

The priority of the Son of God was doing God’s will even if that meant that He had to forego some need in His own life, which He regularly faced this test throughout His ministry (no sleep, food, no privacy, no real home, etc.).

Our narrative as the example denotes it was the will of God to evangelize the woman, teach the disciples about priorities and continue to evangelize the town’s people, even though it meant skipping lunch.

Jesus knows that by pursuing God’s will first, God will in turn provide for Him the necessary physical needs of life. Mat.6:25-34

He not only emphasizes the supreme importance of that will in terms of priority, but declares the personal satisfaction of doing God’s will and that is to accomplish His work.

Again, the subjunctive mood of "to accomplish/complete" is a personal or individual desire of Jesus and hinges on His fulfilling God’s will for Him at the 1^st advent.

The work that Jesus was here to complete refers to the entire agenda for Messiah, which would continue to lead through Samaria and eventually culminate on the cross.

In the life of Christ, there was a sense in which failure to fulfill the Divine will would leave the work of God unfinished, i.e. providing salvation for mankind.

By application, what was true for Jesus in His niche is true for every believer.

Each of us has a particular course to run that is individualized and we must complete our course, in order to fully accomplish the work of God for our own life.

When a believer fails to execute the known will of God in a timely manner because of a non-essential, he or she wastes a golden opportunity for Divine Good and demonstrate themselves as an unfaithful servant.

Observations:

Don’t place physical needs above spiritual needs.

Since you first priority is to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, your life must be set up around Bible class.

This may mean individual sacrifices such as missing your meals at times, coming when you don’t feel like it or not 100% physically well, sacrificing additional income not necessary for living grace, missing some great entertainment or other pleasure pursuits, missing an hour of sleep, having to delay or reschedule activities we think are so important, etc.

You will be called on to sacrifice in God’s plan, so do not resist or resent the application.

Sacrifice may come in the form of functioning under you spiritual gift.

Be sensitive to others when they say they don’t have time regarding what you may like to do with them since we all have our schedules we are prioritizing around BD and don’t judge in this regard.

Don’t have the attitude that others can sacrifice and you can ride on their efforts.

Those who do apply in fellowship will have a satisfaction and inner nourishment that those who do not apply will not have.

Don’t let other’s miss-focused approach to God’s plan deter or interfere with the known established priorities God has for you personally.

It is obvious here that Jesus could have ate with the others, but He chose to delay any hunger in order to fulfill God’s plan for His life.

EXEGESIS VERSES 35-38:

GNT John 4:35 ouvc u`mei/j le,gete o[ti :Eti tetra,mhno,j evstin kai. o` qerismo.j e;rcetaiÈ ivdou. le,gw u`mi/n( evpa,rate tou.j ovfqalmou.j u`mw/n kai. qea,sasqe ta.j cw,raj o[ti leukai, eivsin pro.j qerismo,nÅ

NAS John 4:35 "Do you not say, u`mei/j su, (npn-2p; "you yourselves") ouvc ouv (neg.) le,gete le,gw (vipa--2p) 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? o[ti(cc; intro.ind.disc.; not translated) evstin eivmi, (vipa--3s; "there are/it is") :Eti (adv.; "yet/still") tetra,mhnoj (ap-nm-s; "period of four months") kai, (cc) e;rcetaiÈ e;rcomai (vipdep--3s) o` qerismo,j (d.a. + n-nm-s; "the harvest/harvest time") Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, ivdou, (part.; "Behold/listen!") le,gw (vipa--1s) u`mi/n( su, (npd-2p) evpa,rate evpai,rw (vimp./a/a--2p; "lift up/raise"; idiom - "look around") u`mw/n su, (npg-2p) tou.j o` ovfqalmou.j ovfqalmo,j (n-am-p; "the eyes") kai, (cc) qea,sasqe qea,omai (vimp./a/dep--2p; "look at/on,/observe/view attentively/ contemplate the subject/time") ta.j h` cw,raj cw,ra (d.a. + n-af-p; "fields/cultivated or plowed lands") that they are white for harvest. o[ti (conj.purpose; "that"; completes the thought of theomai - "see that") eivsin eivmi, (vipa--3p) leukai, leuko,j (a--nf-p; "white/light/brilliant") pro,j (pa) qerismo,nÅ qerismo,j (n-am-s)

GNT John 4:36 h;dh o` qeri,zwn misqo.n lamba,nei kai. suna,gei karpo.n eivj zwh.n aivw,nion( i[na o` spei,rwn o`mou/ cai,rh| kai. o` qeri,zwnÅ

NAS John 4:36 "Already he who reaps is receiving wages, h;dh (adv. "now/already") o` qeri,zwn qeri,zw (d.a. + subs.ptc./p/a/nm-s; "he who reaps/harvests the crops"; ptc. = reaper) lamba,nei lamba,nw (vipa--3s; "is receiving") misqo.n misqo,j (n-am-s; "wages/reward/ recompense/ money received for work/salary") and is gathering fruit for life eternal; kai, (cc) suna,gei suna,gw (vipa--3s; "is gathering/collect/gather/gather together") karpo.n karpo,j (n-am-s; "fruit") eivj (pa; "for/into") zwh.n zwh, (n-af-s; "life") aivw,nion( aivw,nioj (a--af-s; "eternal/everlasting") that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. i[na (conj.purpose; "in order that") o` spei,rwn spei,rw (subs.ptc./p/a/nm-s; "he who sows/plants/ scatters seed via broadcasting") kai, (adjunctive use; "also/and") o` qeri,zwnÅ qeri,zw (subs.ptc./p/a/nm-s; "he who reaps") cai,rh| cai,rw (vspa--3s; "may or might rejoice") o`mou/ (adv.; "together")

GNT John 4:37 evn ga.r tou,tw| o` lo,goj evsti.n avlhqino.j o[ti :Alloj evsti.n o` spei,rwn kai. a;lloj o` qeri,zwnÅ

NAS John 4:37 "For in this case the saying is true, ga,r (explan.conj.) evn(pL) tou,tw| ou-toj (dem.pro./dn-s; "this case/previous statement) ` o` lo,goj (n-nm-s; "the word/saying") evsti.n eivmi, (vipa--3s) avlhqino,j (a--pred.n/m/-s) 'One sows, and another reaps.'

o[ti (conj. intro.indir.disc.) :Alloj (a--nm-s; allos + allos = one...another) evsti.n eivmi, (vipa--3s) o` spei,rwn spei,rw (subs.ptc./p/a/nm-s; "the sower") kai,(cc) a;lloj (a--nm-s; "another") o` qeri,zwnÅ qeri,zw (subs.ptc./p/a/nm-s; "the reaper"; lit. "One is the sower and another the reaper")

GNT John 4:38 evgw. avpe,steila u`ma/j qeri,zein o] ouvc u`mei/j kekopia,kate\ a;lloi kekopia,kasin kai. u`mei/j eivj to.n ko,pon auvtw/n eivselhlu,qateÅ

NAS John 4:38 "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; evgw, (npn-1s; "I myself") avpe,steila avposte,llw (viaa--1s; "to send with a commission") u`ma/j su, (npa-2p; "you yourselves") qeri,zein qeri,zw (inf.purp./p/a; "to reap") o] o[j (rel.pro./an-s; "that which") u`mei/j su, (npn-2p; "you yourselves") ouvc ouv (neg.) kekopia,kate\ kopia,w (viPFa--2p; "Labored/toiled/worked hard for" ) others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." a;lloi a;lloj(ap-nm-p; "another/others") kekopia,kasin kopia,w (viPFa--3p; "have labored") kai, (conj.) u`mei/j su, (npn-2p; "you yourselves") eivselhlu,qateÅ eivse,rcomai (viPFa--2p; "have entered into") eivj (pa) auvtw/n auvto,j (npgm3p) to.n o` ko,pon ko,poj (n-am-s; "labor/work/intense labor")

ANALYSIS VERSES 35-38:

Jesus continues to drive home the importance of placing God’s will first and application of it.

He anticipates any of the disciples continued insistance for Him to eat and arguing that there was plenty of time for Him to do so and still perform God’s work.

Since they arrived on the scene at the tail end of Jesus conversation with the Samaritan woman, they are not privy to the potential +V that Jesus had witnessed.

Therefore, their eyes only on their own desires and agenda disregard any urgency in the situation and the responsibility behind the evangelizing Jesus has injected.

He employs an agricultural metaphor to "wake them up to the spiritual reality in front of them".

The words, "Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’?" are designed to bring out the issue of "timing" in God’s plan.

In other words, He is saying that even they recognize there is a "proper time" for things to occur in life.

This clause has occasioned many debates as to whether or not Jesus is quoting a parable that was common at the time or whether He was referring to actual conversation that had gone on by the disciples.

If he is referring to a proverb then it is unique in that there is no attestation of such a saying in any extant records and the meaning behind it implies that there is plenty of time before harvest and therefore what? One does not need to be in a hurry about things? Or take your time in life because what is going to happen is going to happen?

Though the suggested meaning may seemingly imply the demeanor of the disciples at the moment, it lacks authenticity, wisdom and reality that are attached to and taught by the meanings of proverbs. (It doesn’t contain a true proverbial flavor.)

Suggestions as to why this is a direct statement made recently and not a proverb:

The adverb "yet/still" implies time at the present and would not be necessary in a proverb that would be applicable at any time.

It was not a period of four months between sowing and harvesting of wheat in Palestine, but six months (harvesting to occur Apr/May).

Again, there is no record of such a proverb.

Everytime John uses the words, "you all say/do you all not say" it denotes real people making a current statement.

It makes better sense that Jesus is reminding them of a recent observation they had made regarding the time of season and employs that observation as the lead into the metaphor.

It further provides a clue chronologically in John’s gospel regarding the time of Jesus’ ministry now being late 30 AD or early 31 AD.

Therefore, a time period of some 9 months has passed from Jesus’ first Passover (2:13) to His encounter with the Samaritan woman during which His ministry has been primarily in Judea while advancing to its norther region and into Samaria.

Some object to this time rendering by saying that Jesus arrived at the well hot and tired and was seeking water to quench His thirst, however:

The text does not say He was hot, merely tired (4:6).

People need water year round, not only in the summer.

Jesus uses their recent observation to make His own observation regarding the time for harvest.

He emphatically proclaims, "Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest".

Jesus again is using the "earthly things" to teach "heavenly things".

But what may be true in time in the physical realm, is not necessarily the case in the spiritual realm.

Whether there were any wheat fields in the immediate area or not, the disciples knew they were still green and not ready for harvest.

He challenges the disciples to "look around" and see what He is proclaiming.

The fields being white for harvest refers to the golden color of the wheat at the time it matures. (The word "white/leuko,j" means "bright,shinig, brilliant.)

Since He is obviously not referring to physical wheat fields, He is making it plain to the disciples that He was referring to the approaching masses of Samaritans already coming to them (vs.30).

At the time of harvest, the farmer is not concerned with his meals, sleep, fatigue, health or otherwise, he is focused in on only one pressing issue; the window of opportunity of getting the crops into the barn.

His statement indicated that the Samaritans were ready to be harvested, i.e. evangelized.

He is proclaiming that +V has surfaced and the time is "ripe" to labor at gathering it in.

Although the wheat harvest is still some four months away, the time is now for the spiritual harvest of souls, and this pressing issue explained His refusal to stop and eat.

Jesus here reemphasizes and sets the example that spiritual priorities must take first place and all other things, even necessary things must be set-aside at certain times.

One must be willing to endure personal sacrifice and discomfort at certain times to fulfill the pressing will of God.

Application: Do not criticize believers who forego certain things in order to make the necessary application that must be done at a certain time.

Application. You would be better off asking yourself why this believer is willing to sacrifice and all you can do is complain about what they are doing or how difficult you personal niche is.

Application: It should bother your conscience when you see someone making an application that you would not lift your hand to fulfill or to help out if possible.

Some applications, here evangelism, will demand a basic disruption of your routine lifestyle.

The time comes to make a sacrifice and step up to the plate, and just as quickly the opportunity is past.

Jesus is telling His disciples by implication that if they don’t get their "eyes" off themselves and "pull their heads out" spiritually, be ready and aware of the spiritual reality around them, they will miss the times God’s plan has for them to "perform His work".

Verse 36 continues the metaphor with emphasis on a two-fold result stemming from "bringing in the crops" in a timely manner.

The first phrase, "already he who reaps is receiving wages", refers to the present result that a farm hand would experience, a paycheck.

The second phrase, "and is gathering fruit for life eternal" recognizes the present result of the diligent worker as it applies to the +V that responds to the gospel.

In this particular instance, Jesus is "the reaper".

The wages/reward that Jesus is receiving is the full blessing that comes to Him both in time (SG2) and eternity (SG3) due to His faithfulness and willingness to sacrifice His own "well-being" on behalf of evangelizing others.

His Ph2 and Ph3 blessings from God continue because His food is "to do the will of Him who sent Me".

Jesus enjoyed uprecedented blessing from the Father due to His willingness to fulfill His will at all times, no matter the personal cost or inconvenience. Joh.10:17

The benefit Jesus receives in time is the enjoyment/self-satisfaction of having a direct involvement in evangelizing another sheep who the Father has given Him, which will translate to many other Samaritans shortly (cp.vs.39). Joh.10:27-29

This in turn is parlayed as part of His accumulated SG3 package of rewards. Mat.5:12; 6:1,2,5; 10:42; 1Cor.3:14; cp. Joh.3:35 for Jesus’ reward.

The Ph3 emphasis of gathering fruit for life eternal refers to the process of harvesting crops and putting them away in storage to enjoy in the future.

Though the term fruit/karpo.j can refer to divine good production indicating SG3, it also can refer to the converts of one’s ministry. Rom.1:13

So while Jesus is continuing to receive His own reward, He is also producing a future reward for those who respond to His evangelizing.

In this sense, they too will enjoy the benefits of SG3 that comes with life eternal.

The act of presenting the gospel to these Samaritans and harvesting them for the kingdom will result in SG3 for the Lord and SG3 for the converts while fulfilling God’s plan under the Doctrine of Election and Calling.

Therefore, the two-fold result of one who reaps is reward for themselves and reward for the convert.

Application: Some believers never seem to recognize that spiritual issues are pressing because they are consumed with other "pressing" issues that yield no such benefits.

Application: Believers who disregard MPR and application of truth, like their cosmic counterparts are engaged in worthless things, which pays no wage from God and accrues no eternal benefits. Joh.3:20

The final phrase of vs.36, "that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together" indicates two different "workers" involved in the harvest coming to fruition.

The sower represents one who evangelizes but does not enjoy immediate results of conversion.

The reaper represents one who evangelizes with immediate conversion.

Jesus is teaching that there are those who present the truth of BD (here Ph1 gospel) to others but the timing of the recipient’s +V is not ready, though the seed has been planted.

Others may come along later and again faithfully present the truth and the timing is right for the individual to believe and the evangelist enjoys that experience.

While it is possible for the one sowing and the one reaping to be the same individual, it is equally possible for them to be two different individuals.

In the case of two individuals, the common denominator for both the sower and the reaper is that they rejoice together in the final outcome.

When and if, two different people were involved in the planting and harvesting of a large tract of land, they would both be equally happy at the final outcome.

Likewise, when someone comes to Christ or doctrine, it does not matter who did the planting and who did the reaping, both are to rejoice in the final result.

There is no competition between adjusted believers when engaged in application of BD.

In the case of the Samaritans including the Samaritan woman, the fact that one sows and another reaps indicates previous evangelizing had occurred in this area.

That is the force behind the phrase "For in this case/situation the saying is true" in vs.37a.

Staying within context of the situation, Jesus is stating that in seeing the ultimate result of conversion of the Samaritan woman and forthcome villagers, He is the reaper, not the sower.

The word "a;lloj/one…another" means another of the same kind and refers to another adjusted communicator who has traveled through this region prior to Jesus’ arrival.

The best solution to resolving who the sower was, would be in the person of John the Baptist.

It has already been noted that John and his disciples were north of this location in Aenon near Salim thus providing opportunity for them to pass this way also. Joh.3:22

It further helps clarify why the Samaritan woman responded to Jesus’ prophesy of 4:21-24 in the manner of "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ)" in vs.25. (Cp. Analysis Joh.4:25-26 points 3,4)

The work of John and his disciples in this region arousing Messianic expectation with his teaching that he was the forerunner of Messiah, seems to have paved the way for Jesus appearance.

While John the Baptist was the one who sows, Jesus was Himself another who reaps.

Jesus then applies the principle of sowing and reaping directly to the disciples in vs.38.

He informs them that they personally have not laid any of the groundwork while enduring the rigors of the ministry such as John the Baptist, and their commission is based on reaping that for which they have not labored.

The final phrase, "others have labored, and you have entered into their labor" demonstrates that the course of their ministry is based on their faithful predecessors having gone before them including Jesus’ ministry as well as John’s.

The word translated labored/kopia.w emphasizes the result of hard work in becoming "weary or tired" (cp.4:6), while the final word Labor/ko.poj emphasizes the effort or energy put into intense work.

Jesus provides a stark contrast as to the disciples approach to doing God’s will by worrying about food and their own comforts and well being, compared to John and others preceeding them who have exhaustively and fastidiously "plowed" the fields in their commitment to God’s plan.

Not until they get their "eyes" off self and start making the hard core applications that doctrine demands will they be considered worthy of the same recognition such as John in being "a faithful and hard worker for the Lord".

Though in time that they also will be sowers as well as reapers is true, for now they ride on the "coattails" of others and have "big footsteps" to follow in their ministries, when compared to John and Jesus.

Application: While we can and should enjoy the benefits of other’s application in the local church, we must recognize our own responsibility to share in the labor of others doing our own "hard work" of application as God demands and provides.

Jesus’ metaphor becomes an immediate reality for His disciples as they see souls from the Samaritan village reaped (vss.39-42).

The details of this metaphor explained:

God is the Lord of the harvest; therefore all +V will be harvested. Mat.9:37-38

The fields represent areas of +V. Cp. Luk.8:5-8 where "soil" = volition.

The mature crops white for harvest represent those in time that are ready to believe.

To look on the fields represents the obligation of adjusted +V through spiritual discernment, to recognize the opportunities to proclaim the gospel as God reveals and provides.

Sowing represents prior evangelization.

Reaping represents the act of evangelizing with immediate conversion.

Wages represents the full blessings of SG2 and 3 for the adjusted "worker" who faithfully represents the "good news" to others.

Gathering fruit for life eternal represents the action of the one who reaps as it directly applies to the one evangelized and converts in its effect:

Towards the continued collection of believers in time per God’s plan under the principle of election and calling. Rom.8:30

Towards the resultant accumulation of SG3 for all whom make the SAJG.

The sower and the reaper who rejoice together represents all adjusted +V who in time had input in the evangelizing of +V and the fact that both the sower and the reaper share in the blessings that are bestowed upon those who faithfully apply in this area.

This principle of evangelizing illustrates that conversion is determined by whether the individual is +V (ripe for harvest) and that it is the responsibility of other believers to faithfully represent the truth at all times, since we do not know who ultimately will be positive or when one’s +V will surface.

It further destroys any arrogance that one may have by claiming other’s conversion was dependent soley upon their "work".

Beware of evangelists who like to throw out numbers who have been saved under their ministry.

THE HARVEST

EXEGESIS VERSES 39-42:

GNT John 4:39 VEk de. th/j po,lewj evkei,nhj polloi. evpi,steusan eivj auvto.n tw/n Samaritw/n dia. to.n lo,gon th/j gunaiko.j marturou,shj o[ti Ei=pe,n moi pa,nta a] evpoi,hsaÅ

NAS John 4:39 And from that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him de, (cc) VEk (pg) evkei,nhj evkei,nh (remote dem.pro./g/f-s; "that") th/j h` po,lewj po,lij (d.a. + n-gf-s; "city"; ref. vss.28,30) polloi. polu,j (adj.pro.-nm-p; "many/much") tw/n o` Samaritw/n Samari,thj (d.a. + n-gm-p) evpi,steusan pisteu,w (viaa--3p; "believed"; ref. saving faith) eivj (pa) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s) because of the word of the woman who testified, dia, (pa; "because of"; denotes agencey) to.n o` lo,gon lo,goj (d.a. + n-am-s) th/j o` gunaiko.j gunh, (d.a. + n-gf-s; subjective gen. produces the action; "the woman") marturou,shj marture,w (circ.ptc./p/a/gf-s; "who testified/after testifying") "He told me all the things that I have done." o[ti (cc; indir.disc.) Ei=pe,n le,gw (viaa--3s; "He told") moi evgw, (npd-1s) pa,nta pa/j (ap-an-p; "all the things") a] o[j (rel.pro.an-p; "that") evpoi,hsaÅ poie,w (viaa--1s; "I have done/I did")

GNT John 4:40 w`j ou=n h=lqon pro.j auvto.n oi` Samari/tai( hvrw,twn auvto.n mei/nai parV auvtoi/j\ kai. e;meinen evkei/ du,o h`me,rajÅ

NAS John 4:40 So when the Samaritans came to Him, ou=n (infer.conj.; "So/therefore") w`j (temporal part.; "when") oi` o` Samari/tai( Samari,thj (d.a. + n-nm-p) h=lqon e;rcomai (viaa--3p) pro.j pro,j (pa) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s) they were asking Him to stay with them; hvrw,twn evrwta,w (viIPFa--3p; "asking/requesting/urging") auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s) mei/nai me,nw (inf.purpose/aa; "to stay/remain") parV para, (pL; "with/alongside") auvtoi/j\ auvto,j (npdm3p) and He stayed there two days. kai, (ch) e;meinen me,nw (viaa--3s) evkei/ (adv.; "there/at that place") du,o (card.adj./af-p; "two") h`me,rajÅ h`me,ra (n-af-p)

GNT John 4:41 kai. pollw/| plei,ouj evpi,steusan dia. to.n lo,gon auvtou/(

NAS John 4:41 And many more believed because of His word; kai, (cc) pollw/| polu,j (ap-dn-s + ) plei,ouj polu,j (comp.ap/nm-p; idiom = "Many more/all the more") evpi,steusan pisteu,w (viaa--3p) dia, (pa) to.n o` lo,gon lo,goj (d.a. +n-am-s) auvtou/( auvto,j (npgm3s)

GNT John 4:42 th/| te gunaiki. e;legon o[ti Ouvke,ti dia. th.n sh.n lalia.n pisteu,omen\ auvtoi. ga.r avkhko,amen kai. oi;damen o[ti ou-to,j evstin avlhqw/j o` swth.r tou/ ko,smouÅ

NAS John 4:42 and they were saying to the woman, te, (cc; "and so") e;legon le,gw (viIPFa--3p; "they were saying") th/| h` gunaiki. gunh, (d.a. + n-df-s) o[ti (conj.indir.disc.) "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, Ouvke,ti (adv.; "no longer/no more") dia, (pa; "because of") th.n h` (dafs; + ) sh.n so,j (possessive adj.-af2s; "your/yours" + ) lalia.n lalia, (n-af-s; "speech/conversation"; d.a + adj. + noun = "what you said/your specific verbal input") pisteu,omen\ pisteu,w (vipa--1p; "we keep on believing/we keep on being convinced") for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world." ga,r (explan.conj.) auvtoi. auvto,j (npnm1p; "we ourselves") avkhko,amen avkou,w (viPFa--1p; "have heard") kai, (ch) oi;damen oi=da (viPFa--1p; "know") o[ti (ch; "that"; emphasizes the result of hearing and knowing) ou-toj (near dem.pro./nm-s; "this One") evstin eivmi, (vipa--3s) avlhqw/j (adv.; "indeed/truly/surely") o` swth,r (d.a. +n-nm-s; "the Savior/deliverer/one who rescues") tou/ o` (dgms) ko,smouÅ ko,smoj (n-gm-s)

ANALYSIS VERSES 39-42:

The author continues the narrative using the mild adversative de,/And rather than kai, or avlla., to denote that while there is a change in subject, it is not totally divorced from the previous context of Jesus teaching on sowing and reaping nor is it exclusively an extension of the teaching.

The aorist tense of the verb believed in verses 39 and 41, indicate the SAJG has been made. Cp 1:12

Within the context of the evangelism taking place, there are two disctinct agents evangelizing brought out by the preposition "because of/dia, in vss.39, 41.

One agent is the unnamed woman in vs.39 and the other is Jesus in vs.41.

The fact that it was the woman that was instrumental for evangelizing many of the Samaritans is further supported by the words "So when/infer.conj. ou-n – "therefore" and the temporal particle w`j – "when" in vs.40 showing it was after the fact based on the what happened in vs.39 that the Samaritans arrived at the well.

While it is understood that "sowing" and "reaping" can go hand-in-hand, the emphasis of our verses is on "reaping" and the potential continued impact it has on other +V yet to convert.

In other words, in an area of +V/"fields white for harvest", the conversion of one can lead to the conversions of others no matter who initially labored in evangelizing.

In verse 39 the phrase, "because of the word of the woman who testified" illustrates the impact of Jesus "reaping" her as a convert and in turn she now becomes a "reaper" herself.

It was her testimony about her encounter with Jesus and His prophecy regarding her checkered past that "from that city of Sychar, many of the Samaritans believed in Him".

While her statement that He told me all the things that I have done is somethat exaggerated, it points towards her full conviction that Jesus was who and what He said He was.

In her mind, even though Jesus didn’t literally tell her everything of her past, He could have, because He was Messiah.

The impact of her conviction and truthful openess regarding herself in light of her "colorful reputation" without doubt had impact on the villagers who were themselves positive.

This points out the following principles:

Positive volition can exist anywhere and often is found among those who society views as less than socially acceptable.

God can use anyone to get people’s attention and sometimes the worse the individual, the greater the impact.

Jesus never disregarded anyone in terms of potential positive volition, especially those who were not "socially acceptable". Mat.9:10; 11:19

Do not think that God cannot use you due to some real or perceived shortcomings you possess.

Once again, we see the concept of the witness to the truth and the importance of this in the A/C.

This woman was not the one anyone would have picked to "evangelize" others, but her faith was such that she could not restrain herself from telling others of her find.

Another obvious principle here is that people talk about what occupies their attention and the things that they think are truly important.

Some have little to say about the plan of God due to a lack of interest and zeal on their own part.

Those who did believe the woman made it a point to head for the well immediately and "came to Him" whom they "believed in".

Verse 40 centers on the first initial wave of +V from Sychar whom anxiously wants to meet this "Jew".

Upon their arrival, they reflect a deep desire to fellowship with Him and were asking Him to stay with them.

The irony here cannot be missed; A Jew generally disliked by Samaritans (and vice versa) meets a woman of questionable morals, talks to her for a short time, she returns to those who have osctracized her proclaiming truth, and now the Samaritans are begging and urging Him to stay with them, which He does for two days.

Positive volition makes for relationships that transcend beyond social standards.

It brings people together and has no regard for political, economic, social, geographic, racial boundaries or even personalities or common likes and dislikes.

Believers who adhere to and accept the truth are united in the Royal Family and come to love one another, backgrounds aside.

During the period that Jesus stayed there, a second wave of +V surfaced and many more believed because of His word.

The initial sowing by John, reaping by Jesus and the woman opens the door for continued reaping by Jesus illustrating the principle of "gathering fruit for life eternal".

The result of Jesus visit was two-fold:

It produced a conversion even larger than the first.

Both groups received Divine viewpoint to counter the religious human viewpoint they were raised in.

His word refers to the gospel Ph1 and whatever additional doctrine needed to orient the Samaritans spiritually in their thinking.

Verse 42 ends this particular scenario and serves to illustrate:

The limitations of the woman in her evangelistic role.

The necessary ingredients for new believers to become well grounded spiritually.

The phrase "and they were saying to the woman" refers to the first group of believers who accepted her testimony in and of itself as all that was necessary to come to saving faith.

There statement, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe", expresses the fact that initially they did believe based on her word that Jesus was the Messiah.

The present tense of "believe/keep on believing" in this verse however, goes beyond the initial saving faith and indicates the continued matriculation/regestering of information necessary to support and enhance their initial faith.

In one sense, this woman was a key and important figure in what has transpired, but based on her own limitations doctrinally, she has no more to offer.

She could only proclaim what she knew.

While her initial testimony was sufficient to evangelize, they now need additional truth to confirm and support what they have accepted.

Though their statement may be insensative and infer a lack of appreciation for the one who brought them to Messiah, it carries with it the fact of reality.

While there is a sense in which people may come to the truth based on another’s witness, sooner or later they must go to the source itself if they want to maintain firm confidence in their belief.

That is the force of their continued explanation to her in the final clause, "for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world".

The perfect tense of "have heard" and "know" demonstrates that any doubt that may have been present after their initial saving faith had occurred, has been permanently removed.

Jesus’ face to face teaching while he was with them served to re-enforce and escalate their +V to a higher level.

It promotes the priniciple that even though you may believe the witness of another, not until you engage in a first hand experience with the truth does the truth really have it’s full impact.

Application: This is why the student must personally attend Bible Class and have a "hands on" approach with the Bible, as it is taught, in order to acquire full confidence and maintain a firm belief in the faith.

The phrase, "Savior of the world" is only used here and in 1Joh.4:14.

In fact, the title "Savior" is only used two other times in the gospels; Luk.1:47 in Mary’s acknowledgment of Christ as her Savior and Luk.2:11 in the message of the angel to the shepherds of Christ’s birth.

It is a phrase that deals primarily with His mission at the first advent of providing salvation as a potential for all men (unlimited atonement).

He is not merely the Savior of the Jews, He is Savior of the entire world, all people, in all places, at all times. 1Tim.4:10

Whether people ever avail themselves of the eternal deliverance that He purchased with His sacrifice at the cross, does not change the fact that He has paid the spiritual price necessary to procure salvation for everyone.

This phrase proposes that Jesus taught the doctrine of the necessity of the cross during His stay.

In addition this phrase indicates that these Samaritans have oriented to the mission of Christ at the first advent.

Ironically, this puts these "lowly" Samaritans ahead of even Jesus own disciples spiritually in their orientation to God’s plan. Mat.16:21-23

Though the Samaritans had even a more messed up theological background than the Jews, it did not hinder their +V and adherence to the truth when it was presented correctly.

It further implies that the Samaritan viewpoint of Messiah was not wrapped up in the political expectations as with mainline Judaism denoting another difference in their theology.

Principle: +V Believers who hook up with sound doctrine lacking knowledge enter the doctrinal arena with an attitude of humility because of their ignorance and when they hear the truth tend to more readily accept and adhere to it. This is compared to those who have preconceived notions that something is the truth when it is not and then have to overcome that influence when the truth is taught. Mat.18:1-4 cp. Jam.1:21

Principle: Not based on any righteous application of their own, it can’t go unnoticed that because of the rift between mainline Judaism and the Samaritans, a natural separation was intact. In this case, the Samaritans escaped the pitfall of influence regarding Messiah’s appearance, which "hamstrung" the majority of Judaism i.e., looking for a "political king". Joh. 6:15

INTERLUDE IN GALILEE

EXEGESIS VERSES 43-45:

GNT John 4:43 Meta. de. ta.j du,o h`me,raj evxh/lqen evkei/qen eivj th.n Galilai,an\

NAS John 4:43 And after the two days He went forth from there into Galilee. de, (cc) Meta. (pa; "after") ta.j h` du,o (d.a. + a-caf-p) h`me,ra (n-af-p) evxh/lqen evxe,rcomai (viaa--3s; "He went forth/to go out from") evkei/qen (adv.; "from there/from that place") eivj (pa) th.n h` Galilai,an\ Galilai,a(d.a. + n-af-s)

GNT John 4:44 auvto.j ga.r VIhsou/j evmartu,rhsen o[ti profh,thj evn th/| ivdi,a| patri,di timh.n ouvk e;ceiÅ

NAS John 4:44 For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. ga,r (explan. conj.) VIhsou/j (n-nm-s) auvto,j (npnm3s) evmartu,rhsen marture,w (viaa--3s; "testified/bore witness to the truth") o[ti (conj. ind. disc.) profh,thj (n-nm-s) e;ceiÅ e;cw (vipa--3s) ouvk ouv (neg.) timh.n timh, (n-af-s; "honor/respect/price/a set value"; used 1x in John) evn (pL) th/| h` ivdi,a| i;dioj (d.a. + a--Lf-s; "one's own") patri,di patri,j (n-Lf-s; "own country/homeland/hometown)

GNT John 4:45 o[te ou=n h=lqen eivj th.n Galilai,an( evde,xanto auvto.n oi` Galilai/oi pa,nta e`wrako,tej o[sa evpoi,hsen evn ~Ierosolu,moij evn th/| e`orth/|( kai. auvtoi. ga.r h=lqon eivj th.n e`orth,nÅ

NAS John 4:45 So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, ou=n (infer. conj.; "So/therefore") o[te (conj.; "when") h=lqen e;rcomai (viaa--3s) eivj (pa) th.n h` Galilai,an( Galilai,a (d.a. + n-af-s) oi` o` Galilai/oi Galilai/oj (d.a. + ap-nm-p; "the Galileans") evde,xanto de,comai (viadep.--3p; "received/ welcomed favorably or warmly") auvto,j (npam3s) having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; e`wrako,tej o`ra,w (circ.ptc./PF/a/nm-p; "after having seen") pa,nta pa/j (ap-an-p; "all things") o[sa o[soj (correlative pro./an-p; "as many as") evpoi,hsen poie,w (viaa--3s; "He did") evn (pL) ~Ierosolu,moij ~Ieroso,luma (n-Ln-p) evn (pd; "at") th/| h` e`orth, (d.a. + n-df-s; "the feast"; ref. 1st passover 2:13) for they themselves also went to the feast. ga,r (explan. conj.) auvtoi. auvto,j (npnm3p; "they themselves") kai, (adjunctive; "also") h=lqon e;rcomai (viaa--3p; "went") eivj (pa) th.n h` e`orth,nÅ e`orth, (n-af-s)

ANALYSIS VERSES 43-45:

After the two days Jesus spent at Sychar, He continued His initial plan of vs.3 and went forth from there into Galilee.

In spite of the enthusiastic welcome and fruitful results He had with the Samaritans, Jesus never lost sight of His goal of returning to Galilee.

He had been in Galilee for a period after His public exposure by John as the Messiah, performing the miracle in Cana. Joh.2 cp. 4:46

It was during this time Aug.-Sep. 29 AD – April 30 AD that He began His public ministry and called His disciples in a formal sense.

There is no question that they have been with Him since the feast of 2:17,22; 3:22; 4:8 etc. onward.

It is important to realize that Jesus’ ministry has already included the some 6-month period in Galilee before it relocated to Judea for the past approximately 9 months.

This realization is needed to correctly determine what Jesus is saying in vs 44, "For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country".

Many view this statement, as referring to Judea while the alternative is where He is going now, Galilee.

The fact is, is that Jesus has already made this comment while He was previously in Nazareth earlier in His ministry. Luk.4:22ff

Though He was born in Bethlehem in Judea, His residence while growing up and the place where His relatives lived was in Nazareth of Galilee. Luk.4:14,16 cp. again 22 where they knew His earthly father Joseph.

The axiom/self-evident truth of the matter is that Jesus only makes this comment in connection with Galilee, more specifically Nazareth. Mat.13:54 cp. 57; Mar.6:1 cp. 4

This is also the force of the words, "his own country" which implies a place of residence to include relatives. Mar.6:4

What may seem perplexing about this statement is why is it stated now when vs.45 on the surface seems to show the opposite of rejection.

The answer is found in differentiating what Jesus perceived regarding His ministry and what the Galileans perceived regarding Him.

This is supported by the words "So when" of vs.45 that relates the reception of the Galileans as being based on the real truth concerning them in vs.44, no matter how they may have overtly and surfacely responded to Him.

Jesus was not fooled by the initial hospitality and welcome that He received, He knew that under the surface there existed a hostility that would surface from time to time and would eventuate in His murder.

While Jesus was given a degree of respect by those in Israel including Galilee, nowehre did they state of Him what the Samaritans had come to believe, that He was the Savior of the world.

He never lost sight of the reality of His ministry as stated in 1:11 and knew what was behind the façade of men (2:24).

In addition, Jesus knew that prophets throughout Israel’s history had met with hostility and rejection, often being killed by those to whom they had been sent. Mat.5:12; 23:29,30,31,34,37

Even though He was returning "home", there was no delusion with regard to the Galileans as with the Judeans, they would overall reject Him.

The statement of vs.44 explained:

A prophet is one who has been commissioned by God with a particular knowledge and message that he is to communicate to those to whom he is sent.

He has Divine approval and sanction.

His message is often one of judgment and warning that arouses the hostility of those who are offending God.

The term honor refers to the proper value of something or someone; here it points to the fact the people do not treat the prophet with the commensurate respect and honor due him.

The reason he receives especially bad treatment from those who have been most closely assiciated with him is the basic principle that familiarity breeds contempt.

Therefore, the prophet, God’s spokesman to a particular group is rejected and mistreated due to personal familiarity and a lack of regard for his true worth.

Priniciple: Adjusted believers who tell you hard things about issues related to the plan of God are doing you a great service and like prophets, have your best interest at heart. Pro.27:6

Another explanation for why John inserted this comment in vs.44 relates to what actually was occurring in vs.45.

On the surface it appears that when He came to Galilee, the Galileans warmly, enthusiastically received Him.

The reason they were so friendly is explained by the remainder of the verse, "having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast", therefore they were eyewitnesses of all His miracles. Joh.2:23

Though they were impressed by the miracles, they were not committed to the fact that Jesus was the Savior of the world, nor was there any deep commitment to the truth that He was teaching.

Again, the irony stands out regarding His own people and those He just left; the Samaritans received Jesus and acknlowledged Him and all that He said apart from any signs or miracles whereas these people are only focused on the supernatural and did not truly appreciate who Jesus was.

As a believer it is wise not to be taken in by the initial response of people to God’s plan because it may be superficial and short lived as with the Galileans.

Like Jesus, we must recognize that some will turn on you even after years of ministering the truth to them.

Biblical Christianity is a "religion" of rejection, often coming from those whom you are closest to and would most like to see make it spiritually.

In order to remain oriented to God’s plan and to fully appreciate and understand Christ, you must be willing to endure the heartache and rejection from those you love in your continued pursuit of the truth to the end.

This is one aspect of the sufferings of Christ. Phil.1:29; 2Cor.1:5

THE SECOND SIGN AT CANA

EXEGESIS VERSES 46-48

GNT John 4:46 V/Hlqen ou=n pa,lin eivj th.n Kana. th/j Galilai,aj( o[pou evpoi,hsen to. u[dwr oi=nonÅ kai. h=n tij basiliko.j ou- o` ui`o.j hvsqe,nei evn Kafarnaou,mÅ

NAS John 4:46 He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. V/Hlqen e;rcomai (viaa--3s) ou=n (inf.conj.; "therefore") pa,lin (adv.; "again/once more") eivj (pa) th.n h` Kana, (d.a. + n-af-s) th/j h` Galilai,aj( Galilai,a (d.a. + n-gf-s) o[pou(adv.; "the place where") evpoi,hsen poie,w (viaa--3s) to. u[dwr (d.a. + n-an-s) oi=nonÅ oi=noj (n-am-s; "wine") And there was a certain royal official, whose son was sick at Capernaum. kai, (cc) h=n eivmi, (viIPFa--3s; "there was") ti.j (ind.adj./nm-s; "a certain") basiliko,j (pred.adj./nm-s; "royaly official/of or belonging to royalty or king/regal/a minister or officer of a court") ou- o[j (rel.pro./gm-s; "whose") o` ui`o,j (n-nm-s; "son") hvsqe,nei avsqene,w (viIPFa--3s; "to be sick/ill) evn (pL) Kafarnaou,mÅ (n-Lf-s)

GNT John 4:47 ou-toj avkou,saj o[ti VIhsou/j h[kei evk th/j VIoudai,aj eivj th.n Galilai,an avph/lqen pro.j auvto.n kai. hvrw,ta i[na katabh/| kai. iva,shtai auvtou/ to.n ui`o,n( h;mellen ga.r avpoqnh,|skeinÅ

NAS John 4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him, ou-toj (demon.pro./nm-s; "this one") avkou,saj avkou,w(circ.ptc./a/a/nm-s; "while having heard") o[ti(conj.; intro. ind. disc.; "that") VIhsou/j (n-nm-s) h[kei h[kw (vipa--3s; "had come/arrived/to be present") evk (pg) th/j h` VIoudai,aj VIoudai,a (d.a. + n-gf-s) eivj (pa) th.n h` Galilai,an Galilai,a (d.a. + n-af-s) avph/lqen avpe,rcomai (viaa--3s; "he went/departed") pro,j (pa) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s) and was requesting Him to come down and heal his son; kai, (cc) hvrw,ta evrwta,w (viIPFa--3s; "was requesting/asking urgently") i[na(conj. purpose) katabh/| katabai,nw (vsaa--3s; "he might come down") kai, (cc) iva,shtai iva,omai (vsad--3s; "heal/cure/make whole/restore") auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) to.n o` ui`o,n( ui`o,j (d.a. + n-am-s) for he was at the point of death. ga,r (explan.conj.; "for") h;mellen me,llw(viIPFa--3s+; "at the point of/was about/destined for") avpoqnh,|skeinÅ avpoqnh,|skw (+comp.inf./pa; "death/to die/perish")

GNT John 4:48 ei=pen ou=n o` VIhsou/j pro.j auvto,n( VEa.n mh. shmei/a kai. te,rata i;dhte( ouv mh. pisteu,shteÅ

NAS John 4:48 Jesus therefore said to him, o` VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-nm-s) ou=n (inf.conj.) ei=pen le,gw (viaa--3s) pro,j (pa) auvto,n( auvto,j (npam3s) "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe." VEa.n eva,n (conj. +) mh, ( + neg. = "unless/except") i;dhte( o`ra,w (vsaa--2p; "you all see/seeing that requires physical participation") shmei/a shmei/on (n-an-p; "signs/marks/tokens that point to something greater") kai, (cc) te,rata te,raj (n-an-p; "wonders/something so unusual it demands close attention/something that points to future events"; used 16x and always in connection with the word "signs") ouv mh, (double neg.; "absolutely/positively will not") pisteu,shteÅ pisteu,w (vsaa--2p)

ANALYSIS VERSES 46-48:

Even though Jesus faced contempt of others, it does not dissuade Him from fulfilling God’s itenerary for Him in His ministry.

He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee returning to the village at which He performed His first miracle where He had made the water turn into wine.

That the author reaffirms His first miracle declares that it was a true historic reality and not some story, parable, metaphor or other diluted perception.

While the Galileans overall were negative and only had a façade of interest, there is still no doubt that many people were attracted to Him as verse 45 denotes.

But even though many flocked to Him and even believed in Him, it did not mean they were committed to Him or His teaching.

Of those who had received information that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, there was a certain royal official who had a son who was sick some 20 miles away at Capernaum.

When he heard that Jesus was in close proximity, he went to Him at Cana to implore Him to come down and heal his son for he was at the point of death.

The word, "come down" denotes a higher elevation of Cana versus Capernaum, which is located on the Sea of Galilee.

This royal official was most likely from Herod’s court and the plural of "you people", which includes the official in vs.48 indicates He was a Jew.

This scenario has elements of another similar healing recorded in Mat.8:5-13; Luk.7:1-10, but is not the same since the synoptic accounts for one thing places Jesus in Capernaum at the time.

The imperfect tense of "was requesting" indicated that this was not an isolated asking, but one that was made repeatedly over a period of time.

It further indicates that Jesus did not initially respond to him and do what he desired.

There was no doubt that the man was troubled and probably emotionally involved and that he recognized the fact that this was not some childhood or temporary illness from which his son would recover.

He knew that he was about to die.

After his continuous attempts to get Jesus’ "ear", when Jesus finally did address him, the words He said seem harsh and without further content one might suppose He has no intention of doing anything for this man.

It is also clear that He has a wider audience in view according to the plurals of see and believe in vs.48.

The man was typical of the Galilean mentality and those around that they were the type of people who only believed as long as they could see something overtly on which they could base their faith.

In this regard, they are a distinct contrast and inferior to the Samaritans who simply believed based on the testimony of a scarlet woman and the word of Jesus.

Jesus states the case in the strongest possible terms when He says, unless you see signs and wonders, you absolutely will not believe.

The fact remains however, that when they did observe signs and wonders, there were some among them who would and did believe.

Therefore, God provided what was necessary to harvest what +V existed in Galilee.

But it is still evident that Jesus is not even mildly impressed with this type of person and recognizes that they are lacking spiritually.

Take away the glorious miracles and test these people with doctrine and they would turn away faster than a Baptist preacher invited to a beer party.

Although certain people only believed based on what they could see, they did believe and were accepted by Christ for salvation. Joh.6:37

The phrase signs and wonders is used 16x and as mentioned the word wonders is never used apart from the word signs.

Signs are those things that point to something greater and represent the aspect of Jesus’ miracles that point to the fact that He was no ordinary man, but the Son of God.

Wonders represent the aspect of the miracles that elicit awe and command the attention of those who witness them and is a non-verbal means of communicating that indeed what the signs point to has God’s approval.

A faith based on a quantity of these signs and wonders is still faith and is sufficient in some cases to produce salvaton (vs.53).

However, this type of mentality that relies on the overt manifestation of God’s power does not and cannot produce a stable believer.

Watch out that you only trust God when things are "going good" and He is overtly blessing you, while other times when the going gets tough and you do not "see" Him operating in your life in an overtly positive way and you become faithless.

While we should not be impressed with the Galileans, neither should we lose sight of the fact that Jesus will give this man what he desires.

This should be an encouragement to us that even when we fail to faithrest and are faithless and waver with respect to God, He still has our best interests at hand and will do what we truly need. 2Tim.2:13

EXEGESIS VERSES 49-54:

GNT John 4:49 le,gei pro.j auvto.n o` basiliko,j( Ku,rie( kata,bhqi pri.n avpoqanei/n to. paidi,on mouÅ

NAS John 4:49 The royal official *said to Him, o` basiliko,j( (d.a. + ap-nm-s; "The royal official") le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) pro,j (pa) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s) "Sir, come down before my child dies." Ku,rie( ku,rioj (n-vm-s) kata,bhqi katabai,nw (vmaa--2s) pri.n pri,n (temporal conj. of time; "before") mouÅ evgw,(npg-1s) to. paidi,on (d.a. + n-an-s; "young child/infant") avpoqanei/n avpoqnh,|skw (temporal inf./aa; equivalent to temporal clause; "dies")

NAS John 4:50 Jesus *said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." o` VIhsou/j( (d.a. +n-nm-s) le,gei le,gw (vipa--3s) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s) Poreu,ou( poreu,omai (vimp./p/dep.--2s; "go your way/leave here and go there") sou su, (npg-2s) o` ui`o,j (d.a. + n-nm-s) zh/|Å za,w (vipa--3s; "lives") The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he started off. o` a;nqrwpoj (d.a. + n-nm-s) evpi,steusen pisteu,w (viaa--3s) tw/| o` lo,gw| lo,goj (d.a. + n-dm-s) o]n o[j (rel.pro./am-s; "that") o` VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-nm-s) ei=pen le,gw (viaa--3s) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s) kai, (ch) evporeu,etoÅ poreu,omai (viIPFdep.--3s; "he started off/departed to")

GNT John 4:51 h;dh de. auvtou/ katabai,nontoj oi` dou/loi auvtou/ u`ph,nthsan auvtw/| le,gontej o[ti o` pai/j auvtou/ zh/|Å

NAS John 4:51 And as he was now going down, de, (cc) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s; "he himself") h;dh (adv.; "now") katabai,nontoj katabai,nw (circ.ptc./p/a/gm-s + gen. of pers.pro. = gen. absolute; "as/when he himself was going down") his slaves met him, saying that his son was living. auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s; "his") oi` o` dou/loi dou/loj (d.a. + n-nm-p) u`ph,nthsan u`panta,w (viaa--3p; "met/to meet someone") auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s) le,gontej le,gw (circ.ptc./p/a/nm-p; "saying) o[ti (conj. ind. disc.) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) o` pai/j (d.a. + n-nm-s; from paidos; "son/child of a young age") zh/|Å za,w (vipa--3s; "keeps on living")

GNT John 4:52 evpu,qeto ou=n th.n w[ran parV auvtw/n evn h-| komyo,teron e;scen\ ei=pan ou=n auvtw/| o[ti VEcqe.j w[ran e`bdo,mhn avfh/ken auvto.n o` pureto,jÅ

NAS John 4:52 So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. ou=n (infer. conj.; "so/therefore") evpu,qeto punqa,nomai (viadep.--3s; "inquired/investigated/learn by inquiry") parV para, (p/abl. "from/of") auvtw/n auvto,j (npgm3p; "them") th.n h` w[ran w[ra (d.a. + n-af-s) evn (pL +) h-| o[j (rel.pro./Lf-s; loc. of time; "when/in which") e;scen\ e;cw (viaa--3s; "he began/he had") komyo,teron (comparative adv.; "to get better/recovered/the state of being in better health after a previous state of poor health") They said therefore to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." ei=pan le,gw (viaa--3p) ou=n (inf.conj.) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s) o[ti (into. direct quote) VEcqe.j (adv. of time; "Yesterday") e`bdo,mhn e[bdomoj (ordinal adj./af-s; "seventh") w[ran w[ra (n-af-s) o` pureto,jÅ (d.a. + n-nm-s; "fever/high temperature") avfh/ken avfi,hmi (viaa--3s; "left/abandoned"; same as 4:3,28) auvto.n auvto,j (npam3s)

NAS John 4:53 So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, ou=n (ch; "so") o` path,r (d.a. + n-nm-s) e;gnw ginw,skw (viaa--3s) o[ti (cc; intro. what he knew; "that") ÎevnÐ (pL; "at") evkei,nh| evkei/noj (remote dem.adj.-Lf-s) th/| h` w[ra| w[ra (d.a. + n-Lf-s) evn (pL) h-| o[j (rel.pro./Lf-s) o` VIhsou/j( (d.a. + n-nm-s) ei=pen le,gw (viaa--3s) auvtw/| auvto,j (npdm3s) "Your son lives"; sou su, (npg-2s) ~O ui`o,j (d.a. + n-nm-s) zh/|( za,w (vipa--3s; "lives") and he himself believed, and his whole household.

kai, (ch) auvto,j (npnm3s) evpi,steusen pisteu,w (viaa--3s) kai, (cc) auvtou/ auvto,j (npgm3s) o[lhÅ o[loj (a--nf-s; "whole/entire") h` oivki,a (d.a. + n-nf-s; "household/family/dependents")

GNT John 4:54 Tou/to pa,lin deu,teron shmei/on evpoi,hsen o` VIhsou/j evlqw.n evk th/j VIoudai,aj eivj th.n Galilai,anÅ

NAS John 4:54 This is again a second sign that Jesus performed, Tou/to ou-toj (near dem.pro./an-s; "this "miracle") pa,lin (adv.; "again") deu,teron deu,teroj (ord.adj./an-s; "second") shmei/on (n-an-s) o` VIhsou/j (d.a. + n-nm-s) evpoi,hsen poie,w (viaa--3s; "performed/did") when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. evlqw.n e;rcomai (circ.ptc./a/a/nm-s; "when He had come") evk (pg; "out of/from") th/j h` VIoudai,aj VIoudai,a (d.a. + n-gf-s) eivj (pa) th.n h` Galilai,anÅ Galilai,a (d.a. + n-af-s)

ANALYSIS VERSES 49-54:

Even after Jesus’ sharp rebuke of vs.48, the man disregards the words of the very One from whom he seeks help and continues to press the issue regarding his son.

The royal official represents the trend of the Galileans of demanding a "crutch" of signs and wonders before they will believe the truth.

Having no interest in the importance regarding the spiritual reality of his situation, the royal official keeps on speaking to Him with his single-minded approach and that being Jesus needs to physically come down to Capernaum "before my child dies".

This man is so emotionally wrapped up and distraught over his own concerns that he cannot think clearly and come to the logical conclusion that the centurion did in Mat.8:5ff.

The phrase, "Sir, come down before my child dies" provides a mental profile of the royal official in his quest for relief in his situation:

He only sees Jesus as a miracle worker and with his eyes only on man has divorced God from his thinking as the primary key in the equation for healing.

This is further enforced in the man’s demand and expectation that Jesus must be present with his son before his son can be healed.

He regards his son’s death as imminent and therefore even if he believes God has control over life and death, he shows no sign of faithrest in that fact.

Again, this unbelieving Jew as a product of a legalistic system of works for salvation reflects the lack of faith the Jew’s really had regarding God and His plan in spite of all their religious ferver.

Jesus never acknowledges that He is going to do anything for the man, He simply said to him, "Go your way; your son lives".

He gives him no external sign or indication that He has done anything, He merely gives him His word.

This reply poses another stiff test for the man: does he believe Jesus or not.

This is the force behind the phrase, "the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him".

While he as yet not come to saving faith, the man does believe that what Jesus says regarding his son is true.

While Jesus statement may seem harsh and insensitive, it was exactly what the man needed.

The man before he can come to grips spiritually, must first rely upon the word of another.

Again, we see that Jesus does not cater to human viewpoint or emotionalism regarding people, even to those under real duress, but rather does whats necessary to orient them to the spiritual reality of the situation.

Jesus words in essence, is telling the man to "relax, its God’s will that your son will not die".

If Jesus had caved in to the man’s demand, gone with him and healed his son, the results would have falsely reinforced the man’s thinking that his attitude was OK regarding the situation and his approach to it.

Instead, Jesus puts the man in a situation to put his faith on a promise rather than something that would stimulate his afferent impulses and continue to stroke his emotions and thus helps the individual to advance the right direction spiritually, which he does.

So Jesus uses this man who was part of the crowd of Galileans who had to physically see in order to believe, as a lesson for others leaving them without excuse.

The fact that the man was willing to believe Jesus regarding his son, opens the door for maximum impact of the miracle when Jesus’ words are confirmed to be true i.e., "if what He said about my son is true, then what He says about Himself is true" (vs.53).

In addition, it separates the act of the miracle as that of "a man" and leaves no doubt that it was "of God".

Principle: The CWL is believing statements without external signs or confirmatory physical proofs, applying those statements in your own thinking and actions, which opens the doors for continued spritual advancement and ultimate vindication of your faith.

The father’s belief was vindicated and produced the advancement necessary for him to come to saving faith.

The fact that the man oriented to Jesus also produced an immediate salutary affect of removing his fears that his son was going to die.

Principle: Belief in BD, its promises and doctrines alleviates fears, anxieties, worries, etc.

The man can now return to his normal duties of life, which he does as he started off/departed from his audience with Jesus.

The genitive absolute of the phrase, "And as he was now going down" in vs.51a, sets the return of the man to Capernaum as separate from the action of his slaves meeting him.

In other words, the royal official did not immediately run back home to check on his son, rather some time had passed (at least the remainder of the day and into the preceding day vs.52b "Yesterday").

It was not in the sense of any anxiousness on his part to return home when he met his slaves and they told him that his son was living.

Upon the hearing the news from his slaves, it was natural therefore/so that he inquired of them the hour/precise time when his son began to get better/recovered.

It is evident that his recovery was so dramatic that they could identify the very hour and that being "yesterday at the seventh hour when the fever left him".

The seventh hour in the normal Jewish method of reckoning time would be at 1:00 PM, therefore, probably at least some 18 hours if not more, has passed since the man and Jesus had spoken (vs.53a).

What the man did in the meantime is not made known however, the fact that the servants clearly did not make the trip to locate him until the next day denotes that they wanted to make absolutely certain that the boy had fully recovered before seeking out the father.

They and the entire household have now witnessed a miracle apart from any human intervention.

Thus, the stage has been set, and when the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus told him, "Your son lives", he himself believe that Jesus was indeed Messiah.

Though the father accurately reflected the Galilean trend and waited until confirmation that the miracle had taken place before entering into saving faith, it is obvious that the lesson had hit home since his whole household also believed.

Though the father heard the words first and then waited to see for himself before believing that this Jesus was Messiah, those at home only knew that the boy had recovered and they believed Jesus was Messiah based upon the word of the father.

John concludes this narrative by reporting in vs. 54, "This is again a second sign that Jesus performed, when He had come out of Judea into Galilee", which verse declares the following:

This is not the 2^nd miracle Chirst has performed in His ministry, only the 2^nd in Galilee since the wedding feast. Joh.2:11

Jesus has done other signs thusfar, but has restricted them to the area of Judea. Joh.2:23

It is the 2^nd sign John records to fulfill his purpose in writing, pointing to Jesus’ deity.