The Seven Signs of Jesus - 2

John 4:45-54 (TNIV)

 43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that prophets have no honor in their own country.) 45 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.

 46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 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.

   48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

 49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

   50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

   The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 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 him.”

 53 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.

 54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Questions for Reflection:

• What are some of the ways we come to God with our own conditions for belief?

• What is it that we base our faith/belief upon?  What is the difference between a faith that is enhanced by God's intervention in our lives and a faith that is based on them?

• Can you image the impact on a town if everyone flocked to and stopped to admire the road signs, rather than simply allowing them to direct us to where we need to go?

  • As you reflect on 2 Corinthians 4:18, what insights does this give us into the roll of signs in our spiritual lives. 

• How about Romans 8:31-39?

John 20 (TNIV)

30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples,

which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written

that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,

and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Seeking after SignsIt's not what you know, it's who you know, right?  There's a certain amount of appeal in the idea that there might be someone who, if you connect with them in the right way, can give you the edge, or work something out that will benefit you.  In some cases, it almost begins to sound like a transaction of some kind, "If you can do this for me, then I'll owe you!"  That extra special something you get is what creates the relationship.  And by the same token, if nothing is forth coming, or if there's "nothing in this for me," then we move on to something that "performs better."

When you listen to the story in the passage to the right, especially verse 48, you wonder if that is not one of the issues that Jesus found Himself dealing with?  Do you ever find yourself (or people you know) deciding whether or not they are willing to trust God - based on whether or not God comes through for them they way they have decided God needed to?  But what if "signs" are not an end in themselves (things we require if we are going to believe), but rather are more like road signs, or directional signs -  things that are designed to point us in the right direction?  What if they are for encouraging us to trust and believe in the One who both owns the road, and Who invites us to travel on it?  We may have enough information already to get there, and there may be times when we need to just keep on going even when we don't have them in sight,  but seeing a road sign along the way sure can be encouraging!

In the sermon this week, Pastor Jon reflects with us on the passage to the right, and how signs are much less the point than what they point to and invite us to become a part of.  If you would like to listen to the sermon again, or perhaps to hear it for the fist time, you can click here  to access our sermon library.

This song recalls for us those times when we need to press on, even when the signs we are hoping for don't show up in the way would have chosen.  Perhaps at those times we become a sign to others of what it means to continue to follow and trust even when it's tough?Return to Calimesa SDA Church Website