COME DOWN
John 4:43 Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. 45 Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. 46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. 48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. 49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. 50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. 52 Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. 54 This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
In the old economy, under the law, prior to the Incarnation, it was a proper and spiritual matter to seek for the Lord God’s coming down to earth. Isaiah 64:1 Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, 2 As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! It was proper back then to seek for natural birth in order to bring in Messiah! But when the Eternal Son of God appeared as the Son of man, the whole issue changed to the spiritual birth! This was the issue the Lord Jesus had with Nicodemus. For this leader of the Jews continued to have only the matter of the natural birth predominately in his mind. For what he did not know was that this, teacher come from God, sitting right across from him, was actually God come to teach!
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
This was the very issue with Mary when the Lord wouldn’t allow her to touch him after his resurrection, but others were later to hold him by the feet! John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Matthew 28:9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
For evidently in Mary’s heart (which God looks upon), she still regarded him as a familiar friend. In her heart she did not yet see him as Sovereign Lord! She was still under the old concept of him in his humility, and did not see him in his glory. Yes! He was the dying Lamb of God! But he was now, and evermore shall be, the Lion of the tribe of Judah!
And how do you view him, dear Reader? If you have but a “Teddy Bear Jesus,” you will never be allowed to touch him in true, clear-minded faith and have the virtue flow out to you from his glory! Recognition of his Lordship, with the evidence of yielded and unquestioning obedience, is alone the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart to manifest true salvation! Just using the word, “Lord,” but failing to bow to him as such, is hypocritical and therefore detrimental to the soul’s wellbeing. Matthew 15:8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Now let us take note of just when these events of our selected passage take place. Verse forty three states that it was after two days. It can actually be read as, after the two days. For we see in verse forty of this chapter it states that the Lord abode there two days. That is referring to his length of his stay in Samaria, after dealing with the woman at the well. So therefore we understand that our account then takes place on the third day.
And what was it that was happening on this third day? A son, who was entering into death, was raised up again! We read in verse forty seven that the father stated of his son, for he was at the point of death. And also in verse forty nine, come down ere my child die. Therefore, as the things which are seen are to reveal the invisible things of God (Romans 1:20), we see that the Lord God had sovereignly ordered this event to reveal the death and resurrection of his only begotten Son. And hence we see the words, Thy son liveth, set forth three times in our passage. For the resurrection is the very theme of the entire scriptures! Romans 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Then we take notice of the fact that in this biblical account, neither the one who raised him, nor the father appeared with the son. They were in Cana and the son was sick in Capernaum. The scriptural account only gives us a view from the events of Cana, and we only have report from Capernaum as to their results. Dear soul, as great a mystery as the Incarnation is, (1 Tim. 3:16), the actual happening of the Eternal Son’s torments at Calvary are virtually unfathomable! For not only did the demonic forces of hell come upon him; (Psalm 71:10 For mine enemies speak against me; and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together, 11 Saying, God hath forsaken him: persecute and take him; for there is none to deliver him.), but also he was, for the first time, separated from his Farther! Matthew 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
And not a single human stood with him in the physical, not even one disciple, much less in the drinking of the cup, (Matt. 26:42), in matters spiritual! Mark 14:27 And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.
For just how did the Father make him to be sin for us? Did he pour it out on him like a triumphant team pours out the contents of the Gatorade barrel onto the winning coach? Does anyone understand the mystery of how all the sins of all the church, for all eternity, were imputed to the Lamb of God? We can’t know the Lord Jesus after the flesh, but especially is this so in the mystery of his accomplishing our redemption! 2 Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The nameless nobleman asked the Lord Jesus twice to come down. But the Lord simply told him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. Then we have the words that can be applied to every believing soul, throughout the centuries of gospel evangelism: And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
The man abandoned his preconceived notion of how his son was to be healed! He offered no argument to Christ concerning his not ‘coming down.’ But instantaneous, Spirit-provided faith took hold of the word, and obedience was borne forth from his newly conquered will, as his soul was born from above!
“I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
And faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul
The “Haven of Rest” is my Lord.”
Henry L. Gilmour
And as the nobleman’s son was raised from the forces of death, apart from our view in this scriptural account, we do see that it was a servant who comes into view to provide us with the only account of that which took place. For this event took place, as it were, off the pages of the scriptures in Capernaum, as a type of the Son of God’s horrendous sufferings that no mortal can know! (Isaiah 52:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:)
Thank the Lord for his servants! The Greatest Servant is the Lord Jesus Christ! Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. Then the Holy Spirit has made Himself a servant as well. John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
And there was a heavenly messenger sent down to the tomb of the Lord to reveal to us, “God’s Son liveth!” Matthew 28:2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And so there are also those gospel messengers, servants of the Lord, who preach the word, both in and out of season, continuing to tell the account of the One whom death could not hold, for he alone was without sin! And it is he alone in the mysteries of redemption whom they set forth to reconcile any soul to God!
And then we have a very important word which reveals the peace of God that flooded this believing father’s soul concerning the issue of his sick son. It is the word, yesterday, listed in verse fifty two. For if the servant is telling him that the son was made well yesterday, then the father had to have spent the night in Cana, before leaving for home in Capernaum the next day!
And you do realize that they didn’t have the telephone, nor even the telegraph in those days, right? So, without word from home, with no actual confirming report of assurance that his son was well, he had a peaceful night’s rest where the Lord Jesus was! Isn’t that precious? Isn’t that the way it was in our own salvation? We were not there at Calvary! We have never even see the Son of God! But we have spent all our remaining lives since our salvation, in all the nights of the darkness of this wicked world, staying close to where we met our Lord and Savior! 1 Peter 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
But dear heart, there are those things our merciful Lord has sent down from heaven to help poor sinners come to see the glory of the Lord Jesus and be converted. He has sent us the very Son of God. And he has sent us his glorious gospel! Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 1 Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
And with these things every single soul who has ever professed a true belief in the Lord Jesus Christ has made it into his eternal presence. There has never been, nor shall there ever be the loss of one! John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
“It is enough that Jesus died…”
Pastor Gene Breed, February 20, 2014
