The Second Sign | Miracles 14

In which John and David explore the second miracle of John's Gospel. It's also the second miracle in Cana - so how does this story align with the last episode focus on Water into Wine, and the rest of the gospel? 

• Click Here to read the text from John 4:43-54. 

Episode Outline

• 3:35 - John 4
• 8:58 - A Royal or Roman Official
• 15:05 - A Two Level Drama
• 24:55 - Two Cana Parallels 
• 34:11 - The Expanding Reach of Jesus

Episode 31 of the Two Texts Podcast | Meaning of Miracles Series 14

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Music by Woodford Music (c) 2021

Chapters

• 3:35 John 4
• 8:58 A Royal or Roman Official
• 15:05 A Two Level Drama
• 24:55 Two Cana Parallels
• 34:11 The Expanding Reach of Jesus

Transcript

Transcript autogenerated by Descript.com

 [00:00:00] Hi there. I'm David Harvey. I'm here with John Andrews and this is the two texts podcast. In this podcast where two friends in two different countries here every two weeks. Talking about two different texts from the Bible. This is our second season and it's about the miracles of Jesus. This is episode 14.  

[00:00:25] And it's called "the second sign".  

[00:00:31] John: So David, we are back and the gospel of John, I have to say I absolutely loved our first foray into the miracles in the gospel of John. My goodness. I hope it helped our list. And that sort of prologue key that just sets us a beautiful lens to help you read the gospel of John. I just hope that that's been a bit of a game changer for people who weren't aware of that. 

[00:00:53] And my goodness, we, we just reflected on this beautiful changing of the water into wine. And John, to now we are into John four and we're back at. We've got these lovely little connector between a miracle that takes place in chapter two and another miracle that's about to take place in chapter four. 

[00:01:10] The common denominator here is this little place called queerness. So if you want to grab the reading for us, it's John chapter four, I think kicking off about 43. That would be great. 

[00:01:21] David: I want to say this because you really do have firsthand experience , I think my granny would have said, Jesus is how fin it around Israel. Like th this stuff reads so easily for us, doesn't it? But these are. These are long walks. 

[00:01:38] that Jesus is, 

[00:01:39] John: serious 

[00:01:41] David: making. 

[00:01:41] Isn't it like, once more he visited canine, this was not a quick drive around the corner, or, you you've really committed to this one. Haven't you.  

[00:01:49] John: Yeah, and, and it is, it is really worth a reflection for our listeners to think about if they, if they really want to dig into the gospels in terms of just getting a sense of the amount of groan that Jesus is covering, it is really quite spectacular. So have having Don the Jesus trail, which I reflected on last time, which was an amazing experience. 

[00:02:10] The four of us just did it together as an ongoing. The, the terrain was pretty, pretty challenging. And the walk that we went on, took us from Nazareth all the way through Kierna and then eventually via donor . And that was about a 61 kilometer. So, the four of us were pretty fit and, and you were, you were walking sometimes five hours a day to get to your next bet. 

[00:02:35] And and so when it says, Jesus left Capernum and went to Nazareth, that's, that's, that's all uphill. I mean, that's upheld the whole way. And and it's not a, it's not a, to. Moments. So I know that makes you realize that a lot of work was being done by Jesus in between the gaps of these stories. 

[00:02:51] There's a lot of walking and talking and reflecting and connecting going on. And I think as, as we've already reflected on, there's a whole bunch of stuff that Jesus said and did that John tells us how. And you realize that a lot of gaps in between the journeys in between the stops and these journey. 

[00:03:09] So it's really worth looking at when you see in the gospels or you went from here to there having a little look of what, just, what that meant. And it's really insightful. 

[00:03:18] David: And it doesn't take a lot of work. Sometimes you might even, your Bible might have a map in the back of it or you can, I mean, there's so many websites that will help you with this. So, so chapter four in verse 43, why we talk about Jesus? He's traveling because it begins with some more travel details. 

[00:03:35] So Jesus has been in Sumeria for, for two days. And the text picks up this after the two day. He left for Galilee. And then there's this little bracketed comment. Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country. When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover festival for, they also had been there once more. 

[00:04:03] He visited Canaan in Galilee where he had turned the watcher into wine. And there was a certain Royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son who was close to death. Unless you people see signs and wonders. 

[00:04:27] Jesus told him you will never believe the Royal official said, sir, come down before my child dies, go, Jesus replied. You are. We'll live. The man took Jesus at his word and departed while he was still on the way his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him yesterday at one in the afternoon, the fever left. 

[00:05:03] Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, your son will live. So he and his whole household believed this was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.  

[00:05:25] John: fabulous. Come on. So the second saying, and we've reflected on the idea that John is probably giving to us in this sort of. His Redemptive creation story almost. He's given us seven beautiful sayings around a little bit of controversy about whether, feeding the multitudes and walking on the water is two or one. 

[00:05:49] But it's all there for us to, to think about. I do love the idea that the resurrection itself is that is the seventh climactic site. And I think there's, I think there's a bit of beautiful completion and symmetry in that. And of course, it does begin the church halls almost begins on the, on the first day of that new week. 

[00:06:06] Is there something really spectacular about that? So I, I like that sense, but, but here we are getting second. And, and in this context of actually Jesus had said, a prophet is without honor, and he, he doesn't really feel he's been accepted in the Galilean context, but clearly something has shifted around him. 

[00:06:28] And there seems to be an, a greater acceptance because of some of the stuff that people have seen him do in Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover. So it's a really, really beautiful moment. And, and one of the things for me sort of following John's trajectory. I love love the way each chapter is, is introducing us to a different person or context in the story. 

[00:06:51] So, chapter two, we have this gorgeous water in the wine moment in a wedding, a very natural normal woman, chapter three, an amazing conversation. With Nicodemus rigidness just launches into a spectacular scholarly debate interest. I was watching the chosen on this and there's a, they did this beautiful scene where Jesus and nicotine is on the roof are having a conversation. 

[00:07:14] And Andrew is sitting beside John on the stairs listening and Andrew. To, to, to John, have you ever heard anything like this? And John says, he says, I'm writing a time. And, and I love this idea that this sort of these details are being captured. And then John four, you've got that woman at the well, and then two days in summit. 

[00:07:34] And then we're back up north in the gallery and we've got a room and officials. So, just in three chapters, we've got a top scholar, a woman with a dubious moral past, under Samaritan at that, and then a Royal official. And there's a beautiful sort of it's the connectedness, this inclusivity of the gospel. 

[00:07:55] That for me, is a lovely little backstory and the flow through to the miracle, Rebecca. 

[00:08:01] David: I spotted that myself. And I think that this is again, it's hearkening back to. The prologue, this, this idea that the people who'd behold him are the people who can believe in him and Nicodemus is really fascinating and even John knows that Nicodemus is fascinating. 

[00:08:19] I love later on in John seven. There's this beautiful moment of irony again. Where w where the kind of ruling that religious leaders. One of them says, well, at least, nobody in our group has believed in him. And then the very next sentence, it's like a Nicodemus then say, And, and you're right though. There's this sense of there's there's outsiders, there's there's insiders, there's opponents, there's disciples. John's painting this picture to you. Isn't he, of all of these people, just having these, these incredible interactions with Jesus. It's it's beautiful.  

[00:08:58] John: It is, it's absolutely lovely. And of course there is this sense in which John seems to be suggesting to us that Jesus is getting a bit more acceptance in the Galilean region, which may lean into the fact that then this Royal official. Some have even suggested he could have been a Roman official in this context, serving heritage household. 

[00:09:22] But certainly a Royal official has heard of Jesus. So, so on unheard of him, to the extent that he's prepared to journey from comparing them to. To actually meet with them. I mean, that's a journey. So this month's really putting himself out. He knows that Jesus is in the area and he's made the journey across. 

[00:09:42] So, so there's this lovely sense in which whatever is happening, the word is moving out and, and that's go back to our previous podcast there, but you know, where Jesus performed his first sign and we, we chatted about the idea how many people actually realized it was Jesus that turned the water into. 

[00:10:02] And we reflected on the idea, but actually Jesus seems to have had such confidence in what he's doing. That whether it's a handful of people or a big crowd in Jerusalem, he sort of has confidence. This has gone to work and, and we get this sense that in revealing his glory, that those who are seeing that glory are clearly carrying the message out somehow. 

[00:10:24] And, and this is starting to leak and seep across the room. Which, which has no culminating in this beautiful encode dirt with a Royal official as is that make sense to you in terms of what's going on there? 

[00:10:38] David: Yes I think that's, seems to be what John is sort of painting out to you. And, and like you say, that's why I think it's important. We could've just started reading at verse 46 where this miracle story starts, but, but you've got this little intro from verse 43 through 45 where you see, this is definitely a little bit of concern around Jesus at home. 

[00:11:00] But, but people that have started to encounter him, the news is spreading isn't it, people are beginning to hear some things. And I think this Royal officials are really interesting one as well, because. The terms vague as to whether it could literally be somebody of Royal blood, it could even be, somebody are, like Josephus in one of his texts, he uses this word bacilli costs just to refer to troops that serve the king. 

[00:11:26] So it's, it's a pretty vague word. What's interesting. Of course is Herod was a bit of a puppet king from the Romans. So there's definitely an outsider image here going on. Isn't it. But somehow. The outsiders are hearing about Jesus. It's really it's really interesting, but Jesus, in verse 48, then joins the dots for us that he's, he's a little suspicious perhaps as to how people are joining the dots. 

[00:11:51] Do you think that's a way to read verse 48? Wait a minute, unless you, unless you see signs and wonders, you're not going to believe now that to me, that was sort of, yeah. You jump in on what you think.  

[00:12:02] John: no. I think what was helpful for me and understanding that was, was, cause if, if you read it in the floor of the passage, it looks like he's having a go at the Royal official. And then when when Luke died it in, in the Greek text, et cetera. The, the user is plural is a saying, you, it's not just having a go at him because he's just asked this seems to be a sincere request. 

[00:12:25] This man doesn't seem to be asking because he needs a saying to believe he's asking because. And then Jesus sort of this waiter comment around well, unless you see these sayings, you, you, you aren't going to believe. And, and of course I think that becomes then the push and pull in some ways throughout the gospel where even, even though Jesus is trying to establish a truth around who he is there is unexpected. 

[00:12:54] A hunger and thirst for the demonstration of what we've heard. You've turned water into wine. We've heard that you, so if you've done that, you can do this and ironically ended up. Where Jesus turns the water into wine. He says, unless you see sayings on wonders, you will never believe. And is that, is that a little sort of per ship? 

[00:13:17] That whole idea that actually I'm, I'm not simply going to be defined by my signs and wonders, but they are. Sayings of who I am. If you will look beyond the water and the wine, if you will look beyond these womans and see something deeper than I think that's what he's. So it sounds a bit harsh. I don't think he's saying I I'm not here to heal the second. 

[00:13:40] I'm not here to help people. I think. Luke beyond the saints, don't just settle for what you see on the surface. Don't just make that about what I am, because there's more to me than the signs and wonders in terms of believing. And I think I think, well, it feels to me that that's what he's nuancing. 

[00:13:58] David: You're in to John's gospel once again, and the big programmatic questions of the gospels. So. Let's go right back to the end chapter 20 and verse 30. There are many other signs that Jesus did, but I've written these ones so that you might come to believe he's the Messiah what's fascinating. 

[00:14:17] Of course, is John that's. John chapter 20 verse 30, John. 

[00:14:22] chapter 20 verse 29 is the final line of Jesus. His conversation with Thomas of course, Jesus has been raised from the dead. And Thomas has decided that that sounds a little far-fetched and he's not going to believe. And his lane Jesus's final line to Thomas in the text then is blessed as the one who doesn't see, but still believes. 

[00:14:44] So I wonder if also there's a little bit of that narrative going on in this, that Jesus is his point. If you look, let's go back to our texts in chapter four, people had seen all that he had done in. So there's, there's a seeing to believing people are joining the dots, but just by what they're seeing Jesus to me in the gospel is pushing us. 

[00:15:05] It's pushing you and me, the reader at some level towards actually, well, what if you don't see, what will you do if you don't see? So again, I think what you've done really well is explained how to make sense of that within this story. And I think what I'm wanting to do is just encourage. The, the reader of John's gospel to bear in mind, then again, this two level drama, what's this lane doing in this story, but don't forget the lines also doing something in the gospel to say, Hey, you person, that's reading this text, what's it going to take For you to believe in Jesus? 

[00:15:36] Is it gonna take signs and wonders or is there something deeper than that? I mean, that's how I find myself relating to this at the two levels, John,  

[00:15:45] John: I think the prologue helps us with that. Jesus came to his own, his own didn't receive him. People didn't recognize. So some people looked at these SANEs and didn't recognize what was going on. Other people dead. I, as in our story know once, once the official understood that at the precise moment that Jesus speaks, his son gets healed. 

[00:16:09] It says he and his whole house. Believed to, and back to the prologue, to those who believed and received him, he gave the right to be called children of God that I F F of course this Roman. If this Royal official is a Roman official. Well, then you've got a really cool moment because we've just had the scholar Nicodemus who eventually becomes a follower of Jesus, clearly struggling to recognize Jesus fully in John chapter three. 

[00:16:40] We've got the woman at the well, absolutely recognizing Jesus and the whole of sidecar comes out and goes, Hey, we no longer believe because you have your testimony. We believe because we've seen them for ourselves and interesting. Interestingly, not a record of a single miracle happening in Samaria. 

[00:16:58] That's fascinating. Right? So, so you've got, you've got the sane in chapter two, you've got Gloria sane in chapter four. So Marriott where you've got, Christians might want to use language like revival happens in sidecar because of this visit. There's not a record of a single man. But they recognize her. 

[00:17:16] I mean, she says in John chapter four, when, when the Messiah comes, she says he will explain everything. And of course Jesus says, and the most profound way to the Samaritan woman are the one speaking. I am he, I am. Wow. So, so you, and I know we're moving into chapter four where you've got this tussle around SANEs, he's getting more accepted because of what they've seen, but is that, is that the cm is recognizing who he is. 

[00:17:53] So there's, they're seeing the stuff that he's doing, but has that progressed to all because of that stuff, it's clear that he's the most. I think the jury's out on that a little bit. I think you've got people loving the SANEs, but not necessarily recognizing the Messiah of the signs. And I think the story is an indicator that some start to do that as well. 

[00:18:18] In this Royal official who, who moves beyond the miracle into the Messiah. 

[00:18:24] David: I think what would affirm that for me would then be when you jump a little further forward in the text to chapter six, where you get the feeding of the 5,000. And so you can almost, I mean, the point that you're making, I think becomes very, very clear. And again, I think it's a Johanna narrative. People are following. 

[00:18:44] They're not sure they are. Sure. They're not sure they are. Sure. Jesus feeds 5,000 people and everybody loves that. And so then he uses that as an opportunity for a small sermon and a small sermon on what it really looks like to follow the. the text tells us that quite literally, everybody left. 

[00:19:04] So it's a it's this moment almost of revelation where Jesus said. Well now, let me tell you what this is about. And I think, I think that absolutely affirms the point that you made just there, John, that when Jesus then moves it beyond simply can I reverently say magic tricks? 

[00:19:24] You realize that what the people were following was magic tricks. They weren't following Jesus because he was the Messiah who did miracles. There were following the manual. These remarkable things we've not seen before. And that's why I use the word magic trick because at some level, I think John's saying to us, if you see the miracle, but don't believe the Messiah. 

[00:19:47] Then really you're just looking for magic. Whereas, whereas John wants you to, to actually realize that the miracle points you to the Messiah and by the end, after resurrection, Jesus, his conversation with Nicodemus seems to be, I want you to actually not even need the miracle. I want you to just jump straight to the Messiah. 

[00:20:05] John: , I think there's a, there's a phenomenal drop moment in John six where Jesus turns around to his, to his core group and said, do you want to clear off to, and Peter's answer is. Is the moment. 

[00:20:19] I mean, Peter says some profound stuff in the gospels. This is one of, I think this one of the high water mark moments of Peter's life. I mean, Peter, Peter turns to Jesus and he said, well, where could we. He says, you have the words of attorney. I note that he says you have the words. He doesn't say the miracles are rocking. 

[00:20:36] I'm hanging around to get more free, free food, but he says, you have the words, that's a unique Johanna and insertion. So you don't get that anywhere else in the gospels. And I think that is grace and truth. So the Greer says Jesus feeds the hungry. Then he hits him with the truth. And then it's like, the exits are here, here, here, here, and here. 

[00:20:58] But Peter comes back to the truth. And says you have the words of eternal life. And I think that's the that's again, the prologue introduction, Jesus Kim full of grace and truth are the law came from Moses, but grace and truth from Jesus Christ. So you get this grease filled moment of the signs, the grace-filled moment of the miracle, the grace-filled moment of Jesus at the well degree is for more of Jesus setting with Nicodemus, the grace-filled moment of, of Jesus feeding the hungry crowd. 

[00:21:28] And then there comes a true. the truth moment is gonna determine whether people just settle for the trick that they've seen as it were. The demonstration that they've seen are whether they're going to go hold on a minute, hold on a minute. Maybe this is the Messiah that's press on through this and grab the truth. 

[00:21:48] And I think that goes on and John, over and over again, I think John's brilliant at setting those scenarios, grace and true scenarios up for us. All the. 

[00:21:57] David: And that, I mean, that person you're referencing is it chapter six, verse 68 through 69. You're Absolutely. 

[00:22:03] the words of eternal life. There's an echo of John three in there, John three 16 in there as well, but just wanted to just read just for verse 69. Peter says we have Come to believe and to know that you are the holy one of God, which is again, is that link back to the prologue. 

[00:22:20] We've realized that this is exactly who you are, but as you say, brilliantly observed John, that no reference to miracles. G not the Lord to whom shall we go. There's No 

[00:22:28] better miracle workers than you, Lord I've tasted your fancy magic bread and it's the best bread I've ever had. 

[00:22:34] There's no reference to that at all. It's rooted in. And so, so Peter, at this point then becomes a model. Of what John wants the reader of his gospel to see he get beyond. And he sounds, it sounds irreverent to see it, but I think our listeners will know that I'm not trying to be a reverent place, but get beyond the miracle, get beyond all, look at this incredible stuff Jesus can do as a miracle to what. 

[00:22:59] the miracles pointing you to. 

[00:23:01] If you could graphically represent the miracle. Big neon sign pointing you further down the road  

[00:23:10] John: Yeah. 
 

[00:23:10] David: to the truth of Jesus, which is why coming back to a comment you made earlier. Why? I also like the idea of the resurrection of Jesus being the seventh sign in John's gospel because it's the one sign that then moves us beyond the signs. 

[00:23:26] It's the, now we're into this new creation in this new.  

[00:23:30] John: It's absolutely beautiful. It really, really is. And I think then if, if, when we then reflect back to this Royal official in the light of that context, then this second sane is really, really powerful. So the first saying that we're given, we were just told under us, his glory was revealed, but we're not told anybody before. 

[00:23:53] Right. It was just, it's just, this is a drop moment and this happens and Jesus just shows, okay, I, this, this sort of stuff I'm here to do because I want to, but in the second sane, we do get the nudge beyond. So we, we know get a bit more happening and we see then this Royal official potentially Herodians or Roman, I mean, either way, it's an amazing moment in terms of the note side or connecting, having just, combat of Sumeria, you've got another outsider, really connecting to Jesus as the Messiah. 

[00:24:28] It really is quite profound. So, so, so coming back into the story, I think there's a beautiful. And, and I love the fact that the, the, this Royal official is sort of not put off by the fairly strong words of Jesus, the first 48, unless you see miraculous signs now, when we he's speaking in the plural, unless you plural see these things and you pleura will never believe so we've sort of got that, but, but then it just presses on and, and, sort of 

[00:24:54] David: Doesn't it remind you though of 

[00:24:55] it reminds you a little bit of Mary with Jesus in the wedding in Cana, like, well, what's that got to do with us? Well, just do whatever he tells you.  

[00:25:02] John: Absolutely. There's almost a sense in which Mary and the room and official are like, okay, they've been reading the same script, just keep pressing on, just keep, keep pushing in. You'll eventually get there. And so he, he just responded, he doesn't even respond to this. It just goes so, so when you come down and hear them say, it it's like you precious straight on into the reason he's actually there. 

[00:25:25] And I love that. And in turn Jesus, Jesus responds to him. Jesus, doesn't ignore this humble, but clearly audacious request in this context. It's just so beautiful. 

[00:25:38] David: and so again, just lightening up because, and I don't think it's wrong for us to line these up because John lines them up for us. This is the second sign Jesus performed. And interestingly, of course, in chapter two verse 23 and also at the beginning of our text today and for there's reference to other signs being performed. 

[00:26:00] So John's not saying, oh, this is the second miracle Jesus did. This goes back to the seventh. This is the second one that I really want you to know about. Right. Because I'm working something through. But, but it strikes me that you've got this again, this parallel between the, the, the official in caner in the wedding in Caina that. 

[00:26:20] There's a creation sense again, going on. So in the creation story, that's the wrong word on what do I mean there's a control this prologue of Jesus. Nothing happens without Jesus. So Jesus can now turn water into wine. So his sense of his control of creation is very strong. But now in this one, he doesn't do. 

[00:26:43] The miracle, the way the official asks. So will you come down now? It's not, there's a lot of evidence in, in ancient Israel of. Of kind of miracle workers of touch dry, effecting of these kind of miracle spiritual healers that would go around and we would have various things. What's interesting for what John's representation of Jesus here is that Jesus doesn't go down. 

[00:27:07] That to me is a really remarkable thing. He doesn't go down. So again, when did the. Water become wine. We don't know Jesus didn't touch it. We don't, he didn't even say anything. And this one, he doesn't actually go down to Capernaum. He, he just says go, your son will live. So it's it's but John Navigant puts a little more data. 

[00:27:29] onto it. 

[00:27:30] Cause he, now you have this little followup story when the man meets. The servants, doesn't he? And they go, well, I got better at this time. And he realizes, and just notice this, the NIV says the father realized it was the exact time, but the Greek is, it was the exact hour. It was. And this language of our coming back in Jesus says to Mary, it's not my hour. 

[00:27:53] This is happening at this hour. It's all connected to this idea of Jesus, the revelation of Jesus. Isn't it.  

[00:27:59] John: That's beautiful. It's beautiful. And what's really gorgeous. It's a little tax within the story is that clearly, as soon as the boy got here, The officials serve and set off. So, so there's clearly they're meeting somewhere between Kiana and Capernum. And having done that road, you know that they're, they're probably, he's not home and they're not home, but the minute this boy gets healed, they go, Hey, we got to find, we've got to find the master and off they go. 

[00:28:28] So you get this beautiful meeting moment and any works. That his son was healed. And what I love again, leaning back into in the beginning was the word and the word was with God. And the word was, God, you, you get, you get a creational motif here, David, of, of the word speaking. So, God said, let there be light. 

[00:28:50] And there was like, Genesis one and.  

[00:28:52] David: I like that.  

[00:28:53] John: the prologue, he, he was the light of God that, that, that became the late of every man, and then you get this, this lovely sense of he's demonstrated his power over creative order water. And Dwayne, I know he speaking something into being, he speaks. 

[00:29:13] Life into being he speaking health and to be in, and this doesn't touch the child, doesn't go to, Capernum just speaks and I cannot feel, but see the sort of act or hear the echo of the Genesis slash word in the beginning. You answered, we've got from, from John and Moses here, that Jesus picks up on. 

[00:29:35] There's a, I, I think that's an essence part of the same. And the boy lips and there's power in his word alone, which is I just it's gorgeous idea, I think. 

[00:29:48] David: I love, I love that John and it's, it's clearly what John is doing with Jesus. It's this relentless or unpacking of who Jesus is to us and for us. And are you going to grasp this? The reader? You, me, you I don't know if John would have realized we'd be reading. 

[00:30:07] Thousands of years later, but, but for his, the people, he was originally writing this for that he's told us, and I'm telling you about these signs because I want them to to do something. And it's interesting how the father becomes a model of that because the NIV kind of covers this over a little bit. 

[00:30:25] And, and I think it does it to help us, but in verse 50 Jesus has go, your son will live and, and the NIV translates. The next sentence is the man took Jesus at his word. Right, but, but the Greek is actually, the man believed the word of Jesus. As the man believed the word and started on 

[00:30:41] his way, and then you have this beautiful encounter of the people coming to meet him. 

[00:30:45] But then the second time. Right. The father realized that it was the hour when Jesus has said to him, your son will arrive. So he himself believe along with the whole household. And I think you see John, the step up of belief, the first word of belief is I think my son's going to be healed. The second belief I think is now exactly June, or I think Jesus is who he says he is. 

[00:31:10] So, so again, John's, what's John's purpose for the gospel. It's exactly. What his, we see worked out in this man, this Royal official that John is a, I don't just want you to believe that Jesus can do miracles and I don't even want you to just believe these miracles are true. I want you to believe what that means and implies like this man's journey was  

[00:31:32] John: Totally. Absolutely. And you sort of beat me to it. So that was one of the things I  

[00:31:37] David: sorry.  

[00:31:37] John: like, no, no, no, never. Man, that was phenomenal. I, I was literally, bone tin and say waiting for us to get to that moment. And and you got to it and I love this idea. He believed the word. I understand that, that, that sense that actually, again, it's, it's the word that is making the difference. 

[00:31:56] It's, the word is creating the miracle and the man believing the word is the thing that's leading him to that. So, so you get this gorgeous, gorgeous, believing that takes place, which is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. so, so I, I do love that he believed and all his household and and you have that sense of, if you can push beyond the.  

[00:32:23] David: Hmm.  
 

[00:32:24] John: Although the miracles are glorious and, for, for any parent who has a sick child, my goodness, we would love Jesus to touch that sick child. 

[00:32:31] And he Lim of course, we're not minimizing in any shape or form the glory of the miracle, the glory, that the miracle is a revelation of his glory. But, but of course that the miracle reveals his glory so that we can see the glory of who he is, not just a glory of what he does. And pressing on into him as the Messiah is, is the core message of Jordan and must, must remain our core message, as a, as a card carrying Pentecostal, I, I want to still believe in the power of the holy spirit in us, the church to do the things that Jesus did at a supernatural and miraculously. 

[00:33:13] And and I, I want to believe for, the laying on of hands of sick people are speaking the word to see those who are broken physically to be healed. But of course the most glorious creative redemptive moment is. Men and women, boys and girls recognize that Jesus is the Christ. I mean, that is the greatest recreative moment and life moment that any human can experience and the, the son is healed. 

[00:33:42] The family are CFT and and in the truest sense of the word. And, and I love that sort of within this miracle. 

[00:33:50] David: And that's so much the tribe. Reason behind all. 

[00:33:55] these stories is really important. Like I, agree with St. John, I don't, you don't want It to come across. Like you're minimizing the healing that happens, but, but there's a purpose going on here. There's, there's something happening here that he doesn't want us to, to miss. 

[00:34:11] I wonder again, I just, I'm curious your thought, you've got this sense of. The expanding mission of Jesus, which I think is really beautiful. That sometimes there's a sense where the story of Jesus is well until Jesus died and was raised. Th the, the, the, this good news didn't impact anybody, or was unable to impact anybody who wasn't, from Israel, but here you've actually got by chapter four, you've got people believing, well in advance that the cross of Jesus, but Jesus, his mission and ministry is drawing people in from, from a much further. 

[00:34:50] And wider field. Then we sometimes tell the story. And to me that's really interesting because there is a little temptation sometimes for people to say, well, the gospel was very Jewish focused and then Paul came along and made it focused on everybody. But here John's take is, oh, no, no, no, wait a minute. 

[00:35:09] This from the very beginning was breaking through boundaries. Like we've, Samaritans and now we've got a Royal official, I mean, we've alluded to who Jesus is, is, is reaching to, but just, I don't want to miss the fact that this isn't just that Jesus went and reached these people. These people were believing in him. 

[00:35:27] , it's so significant. 

[00:35:29] John: It is significant. And I think it's you at your last comment is the big bet. It's not just a Jesus, sat at a well in Samaria. It's the fact that they believed he was the most. And it, from a Johanna and contacts, you could argue that Jesus' first full on self declaration, that he was the Messiah was to a Samaritan. 

[00:35:51] I mean, that's pretty spectacular. As a, as a moment within that. So, so, so, so you're getting something really amazing happening there, but of course you're getting this believable and I think there is a deliberate and beautiful struggle and tension. So it's funny. I think you see it in the thumbnail and chapter one, this Nathaniel's, this, this Jewish boy without Gail struggling with the idea of. 

[00:36:16] Of Jesus being the Messiah. And then when he meets Jesus, Jesus reads his meal and the whole thing flips on its head. And, and, and then you get Nicodemus this, this gorgeous and wonderful man of God scholar, or who knows the scriptures and news tore into it, struggling a little bit to recognize Jesus. 

[00:36:34] But then you get the Samaritans who seem to quickly recognize Jesus on this Royal official, who is quick to recognize Jesus. And I think John, interestingly, I think it's, I think it's really striking that it's John doing that because, we, we, we know from John's background that, that he had really. 

[00:36:59] Challenges with people from a Samaritan context, even at one point asking Jesus that they could call down fire from heaven and burned them up, hence son of thunder nicknames for him and his brother. But, but John includes this right at the beginning because he wants us to see. That it's the power of believing that Jesus is the Messiah. 

[00:37:18] That Jesus is the son of God. That is the game changer here for this whole, some art and context. And even for this Royal official. So I really. Sort of do see John building this tension between he came to his own and they struggled to recognize them. But for those who did recognize them, unbelieved he gave the right to become children of God. 

[00:37:41] And so you're seeing that, that worked out all through his gospel. 

[00:37:45] David: What I'm hoping that people will get after even listening to last, the episode that we did this one and the next one that we do is to see how John's putting all of these building blocks together for you. He he's, he's creating a, he's creating a map for us, isn't he to sort of track and follow.  

[00:38:04] John: Yes. 
 

[00:38:04] David: John had wanted to say, I, that struck me and it didn't, it hasn't struck me until now. So I just, and I was having to look at the text just then to see what, how have I missed this? But of course, this is a really silly comment at some level, but these servants that run out to meet him don't know what's happened. 

[00:38:23] Right. So, so this something quite remarkable. I just, in terms of the storytelling of the story, when you have this moment where. I haven't really thought about it like that before, but they just know that he left. I assumed that they knew he left to go and see Jesus, but, but then all of a sudden he gets better and they go, well, we better go catch him then. 

[00:38:41] Cause they're expecting him to arrive with Jesus at some point, if he's at least to them, isn't it. Isn't it. It's just a beautiful aspect of the story then. That I, I almost want to draw into my own daily life that, that you can be completely outside of the story, but still watch it unfold in front of you. 

[00:38:59] They're like, oh, look, he's batcher. Let's go catch him before he bothers Jesus. And then they see him coming back without Jesus. And there's something in there about being able to be completely. Out of the story, but still see its impact. And I'd not really thought about it until this is what I love about doing this with you is there's always that moment, even just in the recording, where we go, wait a minute, there's a little bit of an interesting thought. 

[00:39:24] These there's these other players in the story that, can you imagine hearing the story in that sense? Maybe, maybe I'm just too far off left field at the minute, but it just, it just hit me just then I was like, oh, wait a minute. What's going on here?  

[00:39:37] John: Yeah, no, I, and of course I think there's a little echo to chapter two and the turning of the water in the Wayne, I think people then are impacted. In a, in a direct way who had absolutely nothing to do with what's going on. And, and, and so they end up, a hundred, well, depending on whether it was 20 or 30 gallons in each, in each jar, you're talking 120 to 180 gallons of wine. 

[00:40:01] Well, there's, a lot of people are going to be benefiting from this miracle and drawn into this moment because Jesus has been abundant. Generous. And again, that beautiful creation motif, where the Lord makes the universe mix. The abundance of Eden on the idea is that there is more than enough here, and this can be shared and given to the world. 

[00:40:26] And Jesus is. Done two miracles in the context of the gospel of John, that aren't, aren't just, aren't just laser pointed to one thing, but a whole bunch of other people are getting the benefit from this, these two fantastic miracles and it's to use the analogy of water and wine. It is spilling.  

[00:40:45] David: Yeah.  

[00:40:46] John: All over the place and on touching people. 

[00:40:49] And again, we mustn't underestimate the power of this, this gospel, the power of these words, that power that happens when Jesus steps into somebody's world, whether it is changing water into wine or whether it is healing, the boy he steps into their world and under is a glorious collateral. Impact, and I believe there's always collateral impact with, with the intervention of Jesus when Jesus steps in, it's never about the one person or the one thing it's, it's about a whole world that gets impacted by that grease. 

[00:41:27] So, so again, back to the grace and truth motif debit, you, you've got a whole bunch of people enjoying the Greece. Whether they experience the truth of that or not. That's a, that's a different conversation. We know that the Royal official in his household believe, and we don't really know what household means there was that, including these servants who get this story, or is it just as immediate family, but what if we take hosts all to mean household and everybody in it, then it. 

[00:41:54] You get this, this glorious spillage that's taking place. So, so people receive Gris. They, they all enjoyed that. Wayne, they saw the benefit of this wonderful miracle, but then there's this progression towards the truth. The wine is good, but the truth is better that the miracle is good, but the truth is better. 

[00:42:11] The same is good, but this, the, the, the savior, the Messiah. It's better. I know if we can press on beyond the same, an end to him, then I think we end up discovering the fullness of his life and all that he can do for us in the most amazing way. So yeah. Beautiful ideas. 

[00:42:33] Okay. So that's it for our two texts this week. Uh, thanks so much for listening and we hope as always that you enjoyed it. If you want to get in touch with either of us about something we said, you can reach out to us on podcast@twotexts.com or by liking and following the two techs podcast on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  

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[00:43:19] We'll be back in two weeks with another episode. But until then, Goodbye.