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John 4:43-54

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2:13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

2:14In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.

2:15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

2:16To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”

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39Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”

40So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.

41And because of his words many more became believers.

42They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

 

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43After the two days he left for Galilee.

44(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)

45When 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.

46Once 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.

47When 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.”

49The 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.

51While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.

52When 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.”

53Then 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.

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

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1)      Are verses 2:13 to 2:16 included in VisionCasting-John2.13-25?

o  Yes.

 

2)      Why are verses 2:13 to 2:16 included here?

o  They are included here to provide continuity of context.

 

3)      Are verses 39 to 42 included in VisionCasting-John4.1-42?

o  Yes.

 

4)      Why are verses 39 to 42 included here?

o  They are included here to provide continuity of context.

 

5)      According to verse 43 where did Jesus leave for after staying in Samaria for two days?

o  Jesus left for Galilee.

 

6)      According to verse 44 what had Jesus pointed out concerning a prophet in his own country?

o  Jesus had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.

 

7)      How did what Jesus said about a prophet apply to himself, given verses 39 to 42 and John 2:23-24?

o  Many Samaritans believed in Jesus without seeing him perform any signs.

o  And their belief was accompanied by a turning to God in repentance as seen in the Samaritan woman.

o  But the belief of the Jews was not accompanied by a turning to God in repentance.

o  Even though

o  They had seen Jesus perform signs.

 

·  The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud John 2:23-24.

+++++++++++++++++++++

23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

8)      According to verse 45 why did the Galileans who had been in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival welcome Jesus?

o  They had seen all.

o  That

o  Jesus had done there.

 

9)      What had the Galileans seen Jesus do in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, given John 2:13-24?

o  They had seen Jesus

§ Clear the temple courts of business activities.

§ And perform signs.

 

·  The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud John 2:13-24 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

14In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money.

15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

16To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”

 

23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

10)   Why did the Galileans approve of Jesus’ clearing the temple courts of business activities?

o  They

§ Agreed that the temple courts should be free from business activities.

§ And were upset with the price-gouging that was going on.

 

11)   According to verses 46 and 47 what was the matter with the son of a certain royal official when Jesus once more visited Cana in Galilee?

o  He

§ Laid sick at Capernaum.

§ And was close to death.

 

12)   According to verse 46 what had Jesus done at Cana in Galilee?

o  Jesus had turned the water into wine.

 

13)   According to verse 47 what did the royal official do when he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea?

o  He

§ Went to Jesus.

§ And begged him to come and heal his son.

 

14)   According to what Jesus said in verse 48 what did people demand to see before they would believe?

o  They demanded to see

§ Signs.

§ And wonders.

 

15)   How do we describe the Jews’ propensity to demand signs as the basis for their belief, given John 2:3-5, John 2:18, John 2:23-24, John 3:1-2 and verses 47 and 48 that?

o  Obsession with power.

 

·  The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud John 2:3-5 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

3When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4“Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

·  The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud John 2:18 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

18The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

·  The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud John 2:23-24 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

·  The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud John 3:1-2 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

1Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council.

2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

16)   What do we recall as the reason of the Samaritans’ belief in Jesus when they heard the Samaritan woman’s testimony?

o  Personal transformation as seen in the Samaritan woman’s turning to God in repentance.

 

17)   What is the pitfall of overemphasis on signs as the basis for belief in Jesus, given John 2:23-24?

o  Overemphasis on signs as the basis for belief in Jesus increases the likelihood of belief that is not accompanied by a turning to God in repentance in the heart.

 

·  The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud John 2:23-24 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

18)   According to verse 49 what did the royal official ask Jesus to do?

o  He asked Jesus to come down.

o  Before

o  His child died.

 

19)   What was the royal official telling Jesus and why?

o  He was telling Jesus to hurry up.

o  Because

o  His son was close to death.

 

20)   According to verse 50 what did the royal official do when Jesus told him that his son would live?

o  He

§ Took Jesus at his word.

§ And departed.

 

21)   Did the royal official believe in Jesus and why?

o  Yes, because he believed Jesus’ word.

 

22)   Did what Jesus say in verse 48 apply to the royal official and why, given verse 50?

o  No, because he believed Jesus’ word without seeing any signs and wonders.

 

23)   How was the royal official able to believe Jesus’ word regardless of the Jews’ propensity to demand signs as the basis for belief, given verse 48?

o  The royal official was able to believe Jesus’ word because of Jesus’ challenging him to greater faith beyond seeing signs and wonders.

 

24)   According to verse 51 what was the news that the royal official’s servants met him with while he was still on the way?

o  They met him with the news.

o  That

o  His boy was living.

 

25)   According to verse 52 what was the response of the royal official’s servants when he inquired as to the time when his son got better?

o  They said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

 

26)   According to verse 53 what did the royal official realize when his servants told him the time the fever left his son?

o  He realized that that was the exact time.

o  At which

o  Jesus had told him that his son would live.

 

27)   According to verse 53 what happened to the royal official and his whole household?

o  He and his whole household believed.

 

28)   What kind of a sign did the royal official experience in light of the magnitude of what happened in his life?

o  It was a life-changing sign.

 

29)   How multifaceted was the royal official’s belief in Jesus?

o  First he believed in Jesus by faith without seeing any signs.

o  Then he made further progress in his belief in Jesus upon personally experiencing a life-changing sign.

 

30)   According to verse 54 how many signs had Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee?

o  Healing the royal official’s son was the second sign.

 

31)   Was healing the royal official’s son the second sign of all the signs Jesus performed and why, given John 2:23-24?

o  No, because Jesus had performed other signs in Jerusalem before coming back to Galilee.

 

·  The facilitator asks a specific participant to read out loud John 2:23-24 that says,

+++++++++++++++++++++

23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, many people saw the signs he was performing and believed in his name.

24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all people.

+++++++++++++++++++++

 

32)   What is the chain of witnesses who had testified about Jesus so far?

o  God had testified to John the Baptist about Jesus.

o  John the Baptist had testified to two of his disciples about Jesus, one of them being Andrew and the other John.

o  Andrew had testified to his brother Peter about Jesus.

o  John had testified to his brother James about Jesus.

o  Andrew had testified to his hometown friend Philip about Jesus.

o  Philip had testified to his friend Nathanael about Jesus.

o  Jesus had testified about himself to the Samaritan woman who was a stranger.

o  The Samaritan woman had testified about Jesus to other Samaritans in town as an estranged cultural insider.

o  Jesus had testified about himself to the royal official.

o  The royal official had testified about Jesus to his whole household.

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John 4:43-54

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