How to Hold On Before the Miracle Comes
Jeremy MacDonald · Tidal Church Moncton · July 13, 2025 · What Do the Miracles of Jesus Mean? series
Jeremy MacDonald explores John 4, where a government official begs Jesus to heal his dying son. While we wait for our own miracle, we can trust that Jesus is present, that we are not alone, and that faith can come before proof.
More from Jeremy MacDonald · The What Do the Miracles of Jesus Mean? series
Transcript
[0:00] Well, doing a series on miracles is a lot of fun because in a room like this, lots of you, and if you're watching online, perhaps you as well, you've experienced miracles, you've got stories or you know somebody who has a story of something miraculous. You can think perhaps to some of the stories that you've heard shared, you know, publicly. You can think maybe to examples in your own journey, in your own life. If you look back over the course of your journey, miracles often come into play. Things that you would, again, express as perhaps miraculous, even if you're here and you're not quite sure what you believe. If you're here and you're in a church, obviously, you know, we're gonna open the Scriptures together, but there's something about like, "Oh, I'm not exactly sure I'm in for this whole thing."
[0:47] That's okay. You're in a perfect spot. But even if you look back over the course of your life, you would probably find, or you'd probably discover, there would be things that you would kind of articulate as perhaps something that could be miraculous. And then when we open the Scriptures, we find all sorts of miracles. This is what this series is. We're going through the first part of the Gospel of John to discover how John introduces miracles that Jesus did and what they say about this Jesus that so many of us put our faith and trust in. But the challenges and the tension is when we start talking about miracles, is that there are still yet more miracles you wish would happen. In fact, often, and being a pastor, I've been a pastor for my whole you know, career, and when I get a chance to interact with people, and you've got, you know, your stories and you've got your examples, but like, I interact with people and there's like this clear sign that almost every one of us also have a story or have a prayer that we're asking God for something miraculous.
[1:49] And so when we step into a teaching like this, one of the things that I know is in the room and that I think is worth at least acknowledging is the question that you're asking and that I'm asking. And that is, where is my miracle? Where's my miracle? I get that. I've got some examples. I get that there's some stories, but like these days, there's this thing, and truthfully, in our culture today, you know, these people, it's like, if God would show up in this kind of exact miraculous way, if He would do this wild thing that is just so clear and obvious, like, then finally I'll put my full faith and trust, or I'll reengage my faith, or I'll double down on whatever the thing is. If God would show up in this really finally miraculous, big, unbelievable way, because for so many people, and this is, you know, again, maybe part of your story, it can feel sometimes in some situations like God feels far away or that He's invisible or that He's not here.
[2:49] And all of these tensions are what shows up in what would be the second sign that John writes about in his gospel account. And so, like we said, this summer series is throughout the Gospel of John, there's four biographies of Jesus: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. John kind of feels a little bit different in how he presents and shares the stories. Maybe in part because John is so clear and specific about what he's trying to do, he's writing these examples, these parts of Jesus' life and story for the express purpose so that Christians might have full faith and confidence in the person of Jesus, that they would not lose hope. And for you and for me, that we would actually sit under this purpose in this teaching, that we would not lose hope, and that we'd believe that Jesus is who He says He is.
[3:42] And so the first half of John's Gospel, he walks through example after example of Jesus's story and highlights very specifically different examples of the miraculous. And so today we're looking at the second miracle in the Gospel of John, the second sign that shows us something about Jesus. And this is what we're discovering while we wrestle with the question of even perhaps our own miracle. John records the story in John 4, and you can follow along with me on the screen here as He traveled. This is Jesus specifically through Galilee. He came to Cana where He had turned the water into wine. If you were here last week, you heard about this miracle from Mark, from not the Gospel Mark, from Mark, our pastor Mark, coincidentally Mark.
[4:31] So he kind of unpacked and that's a beautiful narrative, a beautiful story. And it's fun watching how John records the narrative and the story and ties together even like specific places and examples because he's not just trying to write some spiritual biography of Jesus. He's actually sharing real stories that could be verified by the first century witnesses. And so he traveled through Galilee. He came to Cana where He had turned water into wine. And this is what happened. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. And when he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son who was about to die.
[5:16] Now, there's some questions around who this government official was, if he's connected to perhaps other narratives in the other synoptic Gospels, whether or not they're the same is not really important. The thing that we're recognizing is that Jesus's His, like the story of Jesus, has kind of gone before Him. His reputation has gone before Him. People are recognizing and are sharing about the signs and wonders of this rabbi. And so this government official has a really clear need in front of him. It's his son who he obviously as any parent would know, cares deeply about and who is about to die and comes looking for the thing that he needs most, the miracle that he needs most and requests Jesus. Now, Jesus's response to this request for a miracle feels perhaps a little bit odd or different than we would hope.
[6:07] It doesn't feel as compassionate perhaps as you would want or expect, but recognize that as Jesus responds to this request, He's trying to draw out a truth or He is trying to draw out the tension that all sorts of folks were experiencing in those moments because of what Jesus was doing in the midst of His ministry, He was doing miraculous signs. He was doing miracles all around people. And when miracles happen, it is obviously a beautiful sign, but it's sometimes surprising what always comes next or what doesn't always come next. So anyways, the way that Jesus responds to this request is with a question. And it's not a question directed directly at this gentleman, but I think it's directed at the crowd, it's directed at the people, it's directed at maybe even you and me, as John records, Jesus's words.
[7:02] Jesus asked, "Well, you never believe in Me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders," to which you and me probably would say, "I mean, it'd be nice." You know, like, hey, Jesus, like, if You can do the cool, powerful things, like, it would be helpful if You would show up, like, you know, that thing with, like, Elijah and, like, the fire comes down and, like, burns stuff up. Like, if You throw a little bit of that in, like, that could be kind of interesting. You know, my coworkers, like, they kind of, you know, they don't quite believe, and, you know, sometimes they kind of poke fun at me that I go to church. And so, like, if You would, like, burn up their car in the parking lot or something, like, no, no, maybe, and then, like, make it reappear like something miraculous, right?
[7:50] Like, then they would know, like, there's gotta be examples. You're like, my brother, like, I've been telling him he's gotta get back into church all the time. And, like, if You could just, like, make his hand turn into leprosy, be hilarious, turn it back, though. But that's the point. Like, hey, people, you and I, we know, man, the miraculous does something. But the issue was, and what kind of the commentators recognize and note is that in those days and maybe even these days, the hope was less about seeing Jesus, but about seeing what Jesus could do. Gary Burge puts it this way. He says, "The Galileans want Jesus to prove Himself with an act of power. They want the power."
[8:36] And Jesus would say this around these different miracles, and we'll see this through John, in fact, in a few weeks we'll read about the miracle of Him feeding 5,000 people. It's wild what He's able to pull off. And you would think in a community like that, the fact that He did that miracle, if He didn't actually do it, like, years later when they're passing around the stories, everybody that was there on that hillside would be like, that never actually happened, but it did. And so the stories continued to spread because this is what Jesus was up to. This is what He did. But He feeds the 5,000 and then He says this. That's a little bit of a sharp, perhaps rebuke to people looking for miracles that we hold in tension with our own journey. So He says this to them after that miracle, "I tell you the truth, you wanna be with Me because I fed you."
[9:24] And obviously not just that He fed them, but, like, that it was a miraculous feeding, "not because you understood the miraculous signs." And so Gary Burge, trying to explain this, he says, "Jesus' point is sharp. They simply want miracles, but they do not want to see what God is really doing among them." And this is the nature of the wrestle. I think that the miracles are a beautiful gift, but they're not the giver. And if you've ever been at Christmas morning, and if you've gotten somebody, like, a beautiful gift, you're excited for them to open it, but you're excited for them to open it because you are the gift giver. You know what I mean? Like, you give them that Lego set, or you give them that, you know, thing, you knew exactly what they wanted, and so they open it and you love, like, the sparkle that comes in their eyes.
[10:15] It's incredible. And then you're kind of sitting there waiting, right? You're like, all right, like, come on, gimme some love. You know, come on over, like, it's a hug and a kiss. It's a celebration. Like, I'm the one that got it for you. Be excited about the gift. Yes, of course, but be excited about the giver because the giver is the one that you have relationship with. The giver is the one who has done the thing. And so in that first century, understanding the difference between the gift and the giver, I think, is something that John wants us to wrestle with. And at least for you and for me, when we are looking for our next miracle, it's worth contending with the fact that the miracle is different than the miracle giver.
[11:07] So now at the same time, Jesus is really clear, and John explains this throughout the Gospel account, that the miracles are meant to spark something. Like, the miracles aren't bad. And it's not wrong to ask, to want, and to see miraculous things happen. In fact, great things come from the miracles. Just in John 2, the example from last week, the miraculous sign, Cana in Galilee, was the first time Jesus revealed His glory. More was going on than just turning water into wine. And His disciples believed in Him. There's this response that comes from the miracle: they believe in Him. Of course they would. It's wild. And then later on in John's Gospel, He raises His friend Lazarus from the dead. And then after that, what happens is many of the people who were with Mary believed in Jesus when they saw this happen.
[11:59] It's a part of what happens in the miraculous. It sparks something. And that's okay, that's a good thing. John uses this throughout, and Jesus even tries to explain, "Hey, because of this, you should do this." So in John 10, Jesus talking, He says, "If I do His work," speaking of His Father in heaven, "Believe in the evidence." You know, the idea that I would do something actually carries weight. The fact that I would do something specific becomes an evidence. You don't have to always believe without or, you don't have to believe without seeing. Like, you can actually take the evidence in front of you and wrestle with it, and it can lead you to belief. Believe in the evidence of the very miraculous works that I've done, even if you don't believe Me.
[12:45] And then you will know and understand that the Father is in Me and I am in the Father." And then in John 14, again, it's Jesus speaking, "Believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me, or at least," He says, "at least believe because of the work that you have seen Me do." And then going all the way back to, in between the first and the second sign, He does these other miraculous things in Jerusalem, and the right things happen. And this is how it's written, because of the miraculous signs that Jesus did in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration, "Many began to trust in Him," which was a good thing. We celebrate that absolutely, the trust, the belief, that's a beautiful response to the miraculous. But that's not all, because the text reads, "But Jesus didn't trust them because He knew all about people.
[13:36] No one needed to tell Him about human nature, for He knew what was in each person's heart." And so even though there is this spark of belief, there's this hesitation or this recognition that it doesn't always end the way that it's supposed to end. Because if we're not careful, belief can just become an end to itself, or that's the end of the road for us. Maybe put more this way, if we do, like, social surveys and we ask people in Canada, if we ask people here in Moncton or across North America, do you believe in God? A lot of people say yes. A lot of people say yes, and they say yes for all sorts of different reasons. But that belief doesn't always actually translate into the things that honestly matter.
[14:25] See, even the demons believed in Jesus, the demons know who He is. But belief that turns into trust, belief that turns into surrender, belief that appreciates the gift, but then looks to the giver. That's different. And so here we are with this tension because for Jesus, in John's gospel, He's going to reveal His character and His power in our world. And for people, they're gonna take and see and recognize that power, and it's gonna spark, hopefully, and hopefully it sparks for you belief, but hopefully it goes further. Hopefully they take it longer, hopefully it roots into their lives and they surrender.
[15:12] So what Gary Burge would say, once again, one of the commentators in the NIV Application Commentary, says, no doubt that we should reflect on the healing work of Jesus, but also, interestingly enough, on His compassion, when people misunderstand His purposes and even when they may wish to exploit Him, you know, this isn't a bit of an aside, but as we go through the miracles of Jesus, you know, the people that experience miraculous things, they don't experience it as a reward for their faithfulness. Not always at least. And as, and I'm trying to think about even some of the examples. I, you know, sometimes we get caught thinking that the miracle is something that we have to earn from God. That's not what we In fact, sometimes Jesus will show His power and do miracles in ways that you would think, but these people didn't deserve this at all.
[16:04] And that's because we've misconstrued our idea of who gets to experience that glory and the power of God. God reveals Himself and shows His glory and His power how He wishes. And in ways that may be confusing to us sometimes, and sometimes in the midst of all of that, we just have to recognize that although it's worth coming to our Heavenly Father and requesting and begging and asking for miracles, there's nothing wrong with that. That as God does His work, we have trust that He is good, whether or not He responds in the affirmative to our request for Him to act in specific ways. And so here we are with examples that sometimes you would think, why do they get a miracle? And maybe that's been the story. You've seen miracles happen. Why?
[16:51] And Jesus sometimes will work, of course, in ways that will confuse us. And that's okay. Gary goes on to say this. He says, those who witness these signs and who are captive to darkness of this world will only see deeds of power and not divine deeds of revelation. This is really the crux as we walk into this second sign in the gospel of John. Are we experiencing and seeing just a deed of power, of God's power in our midst? Or are we recognizing that something is being revealed? And when we request and ask God to work, it's worth actually checking our own hearts. Are we asking for a miracle simply because it's wild to see God at work in the powerful ways that He could work, or we really wanting to see Him and His fullness be revealed in our midst?
[17:44] Because that kind of relational connection, that kind of experience for us personally means that even if the power is different than what we had hoped for, we still see and experience the real Jesus. And so here we are wondering, are we asking for just power? Are we asking for revelation? And what happens is that throughout John's gospel then the, again, the different commentators will explain, people are just kinda looking for the power. Don Carson will say this about it in his gospel, too much interest is in the raw miracles themselves. And that's spiritually dangerous. Miracles cannot compel genuine faith, because you see, you know, and I know, and if you need some examples, I'll give you some people that experience miracles upon miracles.
[18:32] And they're nowhere near, nowhere to be found in terms of their faith journey. Because as much as it's exciting to see God at work, we are forgetful creatures. It's the wild story. If you look through the Old Testament, I remember reading this as a kid growing up in church, and you're like, how can they be so dumb? Respectfully, because it's like you see God at work, you see these wild things. How could you just turn away from Him the next week? And then I look back at my own life and I'm like, oh, I'm like, I've seen Him at work, and then I falter and fail and walk away and, you know, doubt and all of the same kinds of things, I'm like, oh, I get it.
[19:17] And maybe this is your journey too. You think about your own heart and you're like, oh yeah, I need a lot of more mercy than I maybe have always realized. Because miracles don't immediately, automatically compel long-term faith formation. There's something much more significant at work that we have to deal and reconcile. So, but Don will say, and this is where he says, you know, in his commentary on John, the apologetics, simply meaning the opportunity for miracles to actually spark and people's interest in faith is still true. Like a miracle still does good things in the sense that it can reveal God to people. And so he said, though, though it's often exaggerated, should not be despised, you see, Jesus Himself can encourage faith on that basis, especially among those skeptical to trust in His word.
[20:05] And we see this throughout our current culture today. You know, I've shared maybe some examples, but like when I talk to my ministry friends, you know, even just around the world, like there's so many examples and kind of like this pre-Christian era where people are experiencing what, like visions and dreams of God and miraculous things are happening. You know, our prayer team can attest to miraculous things happening in our midst. Our high school students, I mean, you saw a couple of them obviously hosting here today, which is so encouraging, and they can attest to ways that they're praying because they just assume, oh, it's the same God. So we just ask them for wild and crazy, you know, healings and miracles, and that's just what we do. And then they see it happen in their midst. It's incredible. So we don't despise it, but we also recognize that the gift is different than the giver.
[20:52] And so we come back to John, and John 4:48. Jesus says, well, you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders. And the man in front of Him, I'm sure, although we get just a snippet here, if you could talk to him, would be like, yeah, yeah, yeah, let's sort that out later. But like right now, we've got a serious issue. And so he pleads with Jesus as much as this is a bigger issue that we have to deal with and we have to contend with and wrestle with, he says, yeah, but in this moment, Lord, please come now before my little boy dies. And he uses this term little boy. And he uses this term little boy. It's a term of, like, endearment. It's his son. Like, this is the miracle. Where is my miracle? I'm desperate for the miracle.
[21:39] Jesus, nothing else matters in this moment. All I can see is my sick and dying son. And then he uses also kind of a word that you would assume based on his status as a governmental leader. He says, "Come now." He's kind of demanding. He doesn't know how this works, but like, get here, Jesus. Like, if I can give you any kind of forceful action direction, like it's time to come now. And Jesus, in all of His kindness, does indeed answer this gentleman the way that we would hope, not exactly how this gentleman would've hoped, because although he asked Him to come now, Jesus tells him, He says, "Go back." And the same forcefulness of saying, "Jesus, come," Jesus says, "No, you go," but He promises your son will live.
[22:28] And then the story is quite interesting because if we're just writing like a fanciful spiritual idea or like, you know, if none of this is true and somebody in like the first century is like making up stories, you wouldn't necessarily add the detail that is coming in this later section. Because sometimes we think about miracles and we think about like, you know, and you should be skeptical when people, you know, say they have miraculous things. I'm always fascinated by the miracles the way that in some places are like really thoughtfully accounted for. Like, I'm grateful if you had like, you know, a sore toe and then you prayed and then you didn't have a sore toe, like that's great if it's not verifiable, like I'd be cautious to call it a miracle, although I'm sure it's nice for you. But like there's examples where you could see the scan and then you see the scan again and you're like, it doesn't make sense.
[23:15] You know, I talked to a doctor just in between services and he's like, oh yeah, there's all sorts of these. Like constantly you see this the way that it's wild and verifiable. And this is the nature of this, the what happens. The man believed what Jesus said. And so he started home, and while the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well, which, again, if you're making up stories, that's great, that's the end of the story. But in this instance, he gets really specific. He asks them when the boy had begun to get better because he wants to know, is this a coincidence? Did the boy get better when I immediately just left the house? And then all of this stuff is for naught if I'm gonna make any decision or change in my life, like I wanna know if it's actually worthwhile.
[24:05] And so they replied, "Yesterday afternoon at one o'clock, his fever suddenly disappeared." Now let's be clear, they didn't have Apple watches in the first century. So the time like isn't geo-located and, you know, so and so on. The translation here is meant to say that they could track time, they could actually, you know, it's, you know, it's different than in some ways what we have now, but they were able to articulate clearly. This is when he was healed. And the father realized that was the very time Jesus had told him, "Your son will live." And so in response to the miracle, what happens? He and his entire household believed in Jesus, and John records that this was the second miraculous sign Jesus did in Galilee after coming from Judea.
[24:54] Now we should say, because we articulated belief is step one, that's the right response, but it should lead somewhere because even the demons believe. And so in John 1, we actually get a little bit of a picture of this. John, and again, explaining about Jesus in the, in the intro, he says He came to His own people and even they rejected Him, but to all who believed Him and accepted Him, what happens? He gave the right to become children of God. You see, belief allows you and it opens up and leads you to this place where you can become adopted into God's family, but it's going to require more than just belief from you. And so as much as the miracle is exciting and we're grateful, and that's awesome, it should lead you in a way that as we walk through this series, you see how miracles on miracles do something to the people experiencing them and seeing them.
[25:51] It should change and adjust your faith. It should point you and help you focus on the giver and not just the gift. And so in light of this story and then the tension that we live in and the tension that you are in recognizing that you know some miracles that have happened, but also you know, there's more miracles you would love to experience, I wanna offer just a few thoughts because of all the stories that are here in this room, it'd be hard for me to articulate something exactly perfectly suited to your situation. But here's what I know is that when we open the text, when we open the scriptures, the power of the Holy Spirit is at work in a way that God might bring to your heart what you need in light of your situation.
[26:39] I don't know everything that you've been through, but the Spirit of God does. And so when you live in the tension of knowing you've seen some miraculous things happen, but there's still yet more you wish God would do, there's three things I want you to hold onto that we can kind of recognize and notice from this story ways that this sign reveals something important about Jesus and about how God works in our world today. The first is this: Jesus' physical presence is not required for His work to be done. His physical presence isn't required. He sends the government official away, and the government official is kind of thinking, when he shows up, I need the rabbi to come with me.
[27:25] And here he goes, walking in a way, walking in faith in lots of ways that Jesus can work even though His physical presence isn't there. And that's a beautiful thing for you and for me because sometimes it can feel like Jesus isn't with us. We can't see Him in the same way that John could see Him. But the promise is that the same Spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead exists in our world today and lives in the heart of every believer that puts their faith and trust in Him. And so if you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior, that Spirit is inside of you, that power is inside of you. When you wander into situations that need miracles, it's not your power that you access.
[28:10] Instead, you can pray and ask for the power of God to work through you because Jesus's physical presence isn't required for His work to be done. And that hopefulness hopefully should spark you to wonder what work He is up to in your midst, and this week and in that gathering and with that family member and in that boardroom and with those people, because God works in wild ways. That's the first thing. The second thing is you are not alone because you don't see Jesus. It can feel, and I know this to be true, it can feel so challenging when you feel like nobody knows and nobody sees you, and the darkness feels like it's just crowding in all around you.
[29:05] But the truth is that you are not alone. And we have a Savior who you can look to and pray to and invite into even the most difficult and challenging of circumstances. And you should ask for the miracle. You should pray absolutely for the miracle, the big wild thing that if God, You would just do this in the same way that the government official pleads for the life of his son. But you should also know that even if Jesus doesn't answer the way that you wish He would, that it doesn't mean that His presence is absent from you. In fact, if you would see Him clearly in these moments, you would have what you need, and what He is doing in you is worth it and is worthwhile and is worth looking to.
[29:58] And then thirdly, you can have faith before you have proof that man walks away not knowing if he's walked away from the only person that could save his son. He walks away with faith that something's gonna happen, still wanting to double check it when he gets the good news, but he walks without the full proof. And it's interesting to note that we have beautiful examples of miracles sparking faith, but we also have examples in the Scriptures of an affirmation that when you don't have proof, your faith can still be there and in some ways can be celebrated all the more. And here's the thing about being in a family like this, a spiritual family where there's people in our midst that have been serving Jesus for decades.
[30:50] And I know stories, and if this would serve you in any way, let me know and I can maybe connect the dots. But there's some, I would consider them saints of our church, that have walked through some of the most challenging of life circumstances. And the thing that they would say would carry them through would be the faithfulness of God, even though the miracle that they might have hoped for wasn't what they got. And as they go through some of the most difficult of circumstances, that Jesus is still the one that can carry them through. And so in light of all of this, in light of the tension in some ways, I don't have an opportunity here to tie it all up in a cute bow for you. And instead, I wanna offer an idea of a response that when you're wondering where your next miracle is gonna come from, one of the things you could add to your prayers, to your conversations with God is a thankfulness for what He's already done.
[31:50] Because what often happens when we're waiting for the next thing is we can easily forget all of the faithfulness that has brought us to this moment. That's what ends up happening, right? I need the next miracle and I don't get it. And so for some people, that's enough for them to give up on things, but if we're not careful, we can forget about the faithfulness of God. And so instead, what would it mean for you and for me, wherever you're at in your journey, to take time and be thankful for all the miracles that God has already done? And we're grateful He's still at work, but we're thankful that He's brought us to this point and to this place. And we have hope and trust that as we look to Him, that He can reveal what we need and He can offer us the words that we need.
[32:41] And He's the one that can bring light into even the darkest of circumstances. So I wanna pray for you and I wanna pray for me. And then together we might sing a song that could spark those kinds of memories. And I think the Spirit of God would serve us well to bring to our minds as you sing those moments that the Spirit brought the miraculous to you. And that you have seen miracles on miracles on miracles. Heavenly Father, we're grateful that we can open these texts. We're grateful that we can hear these stories, and we're grateful that there are miracles throughout the Old Testament, throughout the New Testament, throughout all time and history.
[33:32] And we're grateful that You don't mind us coming and begging and pleading, God, and that even when we don't deserve it, that You show up in just wild ways and bring Your faithfulness and Your mercy to us. And in a room like this, the amount of stories, it would be a beautiful thing just to sit and to share example after example of Your faithfulness. And so, God, as we kind of come in for a close here today, as we sing as a response, would You remind us of Your faithfulness that our trust in You might be bolstered, that our trust in and love for You might even be sparked and inspired because of the evidence of Your faithfulness that we have seen.
[34:18] And Lord, would You allow that to help us as we move into today, into this week, and move into all of the things that we wish and ask You for, that we could hold onto those stories and Your faithfulness in the midst of all of those things. Thank You for the miracles in each of our life. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.