Need a Miracle? How to Move from Crisis Faith to Unshakable Faith (John 4 Explained)
In Scripture, we read how Jesus heals the son of a royal official who is near death.
During the study of His second recorded miracle, we should carefully consider how Jesus responds to this nobleman, clear up confusion concerning this passage, His revelation about why people believe, and then make it personal and see how we should believe.
So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe” (John 4:46-48).
My initial thought to Jesus’ response to this man is, “Whoa!” But then I ask myself, Why would Jesus rebuke this man? And then clarity comes. As we reread this Scripture, Jesus doesn’t say, “You,” He says, “You people.” And this is the correct interpretation, as this is the plural form of you. What a relief this little revelation brings to my heart. He did not rebuke this individual who traveled almost 20 miles to invite Jesus to come and heal his son who was sick and on his deathbed. Jesus was rebuking the crowd of people who were constantly following Him, only to see signs and wonders.
Rightfully, Divide the Word of God
There is quite a bit of confusion concerning this portion of Scripture, but if we slow down, reread and study the passage it becomes clear.
The apostle Paul writes under the inspiration of Holy Spirit, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth” (2 Timothy 2:15 AMPC).
I teach my students enrolled in my online healing school the following:
If you don’t understand something in the Bible, pray and ask Holy Spirit to teach you, and then reread the portion of Scripture carefully.
If possible, read this portion of Scripture from three different versions of the Bible.
Do a little study of words and pay attention to what you think are unimportant words.
And ask yourself these basic questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how about the portion of Scripture.
In time you will cut through the confusion in your mind and answer the questions you have.
Now, let’s return to this second recorded miracle of Jesus.
Why Jesus Passes Through Samaria
He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria (John 4:3-4).
This heart-revealing miracle begins as Jesus journeys to Galilee from Judea through Samaria. It says that Jesus needs to pass through Samaria.
Although the road through Samaria was the shortest route from Jerusalem to Galilee, pious Jews often avoided it. They did so because there was a deep distrust and dislike between many of the Jewish people and the Samaritans.
The Samaritans were looked down upon by the Jews. But despite this pride and prejudice, Jesus, who is also a Jew, chooses the shorter route through Samaria not because he was in a hurry and needed to save time, but because He needed to save the Samaritans. “Jesus wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4 NIV). This was their hour to hear and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus wills for all people to come to know Him as Savior and Lord. And I tell you the truth, miracles, signs, and wonders are the bait He uses to reel them in. They point to Jesus.
The word miracle in biblical terms refers to an event that defies the laws of nature, often attributed to divine action.
In the Bible, signs refer to indicators or symbols that signify something greater than themselves, often pointing to God’s authority and purpose. The biblical meaning of signs encompasses both miraculous occurrences and everyday events that carry spiritual significance.
And the term wonders in the Bible often refers to extraordinary events or acts that invoke awe and amazement. The Hebrew word for wonders is mofet, while in Greek, it is teras. Both terms encapsulate the essence of miraculous phenomena that transcend ordinary experiences. These wonders are portrayed as manifestations of God’s power and sovereignty, serving as signs to affirm faith and reveal divine truth.
The Samaritans Hear and Believe
For numerous reasons there is great animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans, so this is their opportunity to be introduced to our glorious Lord. It is truly His choice to pass through Samaria, and He spends two days there to share Himself, the Creative Word made Visible, with them. This is where He ministers to the woman at the well, teaches the Word, and makes more disciples, while His disciples traveling with Him baptize the new believers. (See John 4:39-45.)
Jesus makes His way to Galilee from Judea through Samaria. And it is here in Samaria where He ministers the Word among a different group of people—a people who believe what He has to say. In John 4:39-42, we read how their faith matures.
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” (John 4:39-42).
You see in this portion of Scripture that the Samaritans have spiritual ears that are wide open, and the message Yeshua preaches witnesses to their hearts, and they believe Jesus is the Savior without having to see signs and wonders—they believe His words as truth.
A Word of Faith
The Samaritans believe Jesus at His Word. The Jews will not believe unless they see signs and wonders. Jesus is testing, not tempting this man’s faith. He is testing this man’s heart. He is causing him to make an inward decision, to believe by faith and not by sight. Which is real faith. As I see it, this nobleman was going to receive this healing for his son by a word of faith, or he wasn’t going to receive at all. Did he believe the words of Jesus or not?
First, what do I mean when I write, “a word of faith”? A word of faith is a biblical promise declared over someone or a given situation that is backed with trust in the redemptive work of Christ to keep His promise found in the Holy Bible. Like I declared over my son, Marcos, whom I raised from the dead. “You will not die, but live and fulfill your destiny in Jesus’ name.” Now with this clarification of what a word of faith is, let’s find out if this royal official believes the word of faith Jesus speaks over his son.
And this is a strong message for the Church today—we receive by faith, because we believe His healing promise to be truth. And it comes from a deep-seeded conviction that Jehovah Rapha is the God who heals us (Exodus 15:26), and our faith in Him is the only evidence (Hebrews 11:1) we need for our healing. As written in John 20:29, “…blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Crisis-Driven Versus Victory-Believing Faith
The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!” (John 4:49)
We often reach out to Jesus when we are in deep trouble, when what He really desires from us is to move from crisis-driven faith to victory-believing faith.
Why did Jesus not go with the man to Capernaum to heal his son? This is a good question, with a logical answer that leads to a spiritual challenge. This man is facing a real crisis, his son is on his deathbed. He has heard of Jesus and His power to heal. So he gives the invitation, but it involves a 17-mile hike. Jesus is aware that time is of the essence but also knows that there is no distance in the spirit realm, so He issues a word of faith, “Your son lives,” and tells the man to go home. The challenge is placed upon the man—will he change gears from crisis-driven to victory-believing faith?
Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!” (John 4:50-51).
Praise Jesus! His glory manifests once again. This nobleman starts out in the crisis-driven mode, but makes that important heart decision that we all must make, he believed Jesus at His word and received the power that drives victory-believing faith.
Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household. This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee (John 4:52-54).
Jesus desires us to believe Him at His Word. To believe Him is to trust Him, and to trust Him we must get to know Him.
He does not desire us to seek after signs and wonders but to chase Him down, get to know Him for who He really is. And it is from this type of relationship that supernatural happenings just happen.
A Dangerous Zone
When signs and wonders become our foundation to believe, we’ve entered a dangerous zone of weak faith. We might not like hearing this, but we need to mature in the faith to the point where our faith in Jesus and in His promise to heal is the only evidence we need to know that we are healed. Now that’s real faith. Let’s be mature believers. And be ready to share the benefits of our victory-believing faith with others as well.
The Riches of Jesus on Display
There are actual clues that we can discover as we observe the riches of Jesus on display to help us break into the miracle code.
Jesus is not moved by the pressure of others. Circumstances do not control Him.
He activates authority over time and distance. Jesus operates by faith.
He uses wisdom and activates the most effective form of healing. He takes the time to win the Lost.
Crack the Miracle Code
Jesus wants us to mature in our faith and believe because He says it’s true—not because we insist on seeing a sign or a wonder.
A Prayer of Faith
Dear Holy Spirit, help me to step out of this dangerous zone of having to see to believe. I desire to believe because Your Word tells me so. And to mature in my faith from being crisis-driven to victory-believing faith.
Faith Assignment
Examine your life, are you being crisis-driven in any area? If so, pray the prayer of faith, ask Holy Spirit for His help, and allow Him to lead you to the point where you live in victory-believing faith in this area of your life.
