Church Fathers Commentary John 4:46-54

"He came therefore again unto Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. 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. Jesus therefore said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will in no wise believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. The man believed the word that Jesus spake unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, saying, that his son lived. So he inquired of them the hour when he began to amend. They said therefore unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that [it was] at that hour in which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second sign that Jesus did, having come out of Judaea into Galilee." — John 4:46-54 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: On a previous occasion, our Lord attended a wedding in Cana of Galilee; now He goes there to convert the people and confirm by His presence the faith His miracle had produced. He goes there in preference to His own country.

St. Augustine of Hippo: There, we are told, His disciples believed in Him. Although the house was crowded with guests, the only ones who believed as a result of this great miracle were His disciples. He therefore visits the city again to try a second time to convert them.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The Evangelist reminds us of the miracle to praise the Samaritans. For the Galileans, in receiving Him, were influenced not only by the miracle He had performed among them but also by those they had seen at Jerusalem. The nobleman certainly believed because of the miracle performed at Cana, though he did not yet understand Christ’s full greatness. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.

Origen of Alexandria: Some think this was an officer of King Herod, while others believe he was one of Caesar’s household, at that time employed on some commission in Judea. It is not said that he was a Jew.

St. Augustine of Hippo: He is called a nobleman, either for being of the royal family or for holding some government office.

St. John Chrysostom: Some think he is the same centurion mentioned in Matthew. But it is clear he is a different person for this reason: the centurion pleaded with Christ not to come to his house, whereas this nobleman brought Christ to his house, even though he had received no promise of a cure. Furthermore, the centurion met Jesus on His way from the mountain to Capernaum, whereas the nobleman came to Jesus in Cana. The centurion's servant was paralyzed, while the nobleman’s son had a fever.

Of this nobleman, then, we read: When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and pleaded with Him to come and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Did the one who made this request not believe? Note what our Lord says. Jesus then said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” This is a charge against the man for either lukewarmness, coldness of faith, or a complete lack of faith. It is as if his only object was to test Christ’s power, to see who and what kind of person Christ was, and what He could do. The word “wonder” (or “prodigy”) signifies something far off, in the future.

Our Lord desires the believer's mind to be so raised above all changeable things that it does not even seek for miracles. For miracles, though sent from heaven, are by their nature changeable.

St. Gregory the Great: Remember what he asked for, and you will plainly see that he doubted. He asked Him to come down and heal his son. The nobleman said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” His faith was deficient in that he thought our Lord could not save unless He were personally present.

St. John Chrysostom: And notice his earthly mindset, shown in his attempt to hurry Christ along with him, as if our Lord could not raise his son even after death. Indeed, it is very possible that he asked in unbelief. For fathers are often so carried away by their affection that they consult not only those they trust but even those they do not, wishing to leave no means untried that might save their children. But if he had possessed any strong reliance on Christ, he would have gone to Him while He was in Judea.

St. Gregory the Great: In His answer, our Lord implies that He is, in a certain sense, present where He is invited, even when He is physically absent from a place. He saves simply by His command, just as He created all things by His will. Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” Here is a blow to the pride that honors human wealth and greatness rather than the nature that is made in the image of God. To show that things highly valued by people should be despised by the saints, and that things despised should be highly valued, our Redeemer did not go to the nobleman’s son but was ready to go to the centurion’s servant.

St. John Chrysostom: Alternatively, in the centurion, there was confirmed faith and true devotion, and therefore our Lord was ready to go. But the nobleman’s faith was still imperfect, as he thought our Lord could not heal without being physically present with the sick person. Christ’s answer, however, enlightened him. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him and went his way. Yet he did not believe wholly or completely.

Origen of Alexandria: His rank is apparent from the fact that his servants met him: And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives.”

St. John Chrysostom: They met him to announce what had happened and to prevent Christ from coming, as He was no longer needed. That the nobleman did not yet fully believe is shown by what follows: Then he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. He wished to find out whether the recovery was accidental or if it was due to our Lord’s word. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”

How obvious the miracle is! His recovery did not happen in an ordinary way but all at once, so that it might be seen as Christ’s doing and not a result of nature. So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole house.

St. Augustine of Hippo: If he only believed after he was told his son was well again, and after he had compared the hour from his servants’ account with the hour Christ had declared, then he did not believe when he first made his request.

The Venerable Bede: So we see that faith, like other virtues, is formed gradually and has its beginning, growth, and maturity. His faith began when he asked for his son’s recovery; it grew when he believed our Lord’s words, “Your son lives”; and it reached maturity after his servants announced what had happened.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The Samaritans believed on the strength of His words alone, whereas that whole household believed on the strength of the miracle performed for it. The Evangelist adds, This is again the second sign that Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

St. John Chrysostom: He says “the second miracle” pointedly. The Jews had not come to the more perfect faith of the Samaritans, who saw no miracle.

Origen of Alexandria: The sentence is ambiguous. One interpretation is that after coming to Galilee, Jesus performed two miracles, of which the healing of the nobleman’s son was the second. Another is that of the two miracles Jesus performed in Galilee, the second was done after He came from Judea into Galilee. This latter interpretation is the true and accepted meaning.

Mystically, the two journeys of Christ into Galilee signify His two advents. At the first, He makes us His guests at a wedding feast and gives us wine to drink. At the second, He raises up the nobleman’s son who was at the point of death—that is, the Jewish people, who, after the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, will themselves attain salvation.

For just as the great King of Kings is He whom God has set upon His holy hill of Zion, so the lesser king (the nobleman) is he who saw Christ's day and was glad—that is, Abraham. Therefore, his sick son represents the Jewish people, who have fallen from the true religion and are thrown into a fever by the fiery darts of the enemy. We know that the saints of old, even after they had put off the flesh, made the people their object of care, for we read in Maccabees, after the death of Jeremiah: “This is Jeremiah the prophet of God, who prays much for the people.” Abraham, therefore, prays to our Savior to help his afflicted people.

Furthermore, the word of power, “Your son lives,” comes from Cana, while the work of the Word—the healing of the nobleman’s son—is done in Capernaum, which means “the land of consolation.” The nobleman’s son signifies the class of believers who, though afflicted, are not altogether destitute of fruit. The words, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe,” are spoken of the Jewish people in general, or perhaps of the nobleman—that is, Abraham himself—in a certain sense. For just as John waited for a sign, “on whom you see the Spirit descending,” so too the saints who died before the coming of Christ in the flesh expected Him to manifest Himself by signs and wonders.

This nobleman also had servants as well as a son; these servants represent the lower and weaker class of believers. Nor is it by chance that the fever leaves the son at the seventh hour, for seven is the number of rest.

Alcuin of York: Alternatively, it was the seventh hour because all remission of sins comes through the sevenfold Spirit. For the number seven, divided into three and four, signifies the Holy Trinity working in the four seasons of the world and in the four elements.

Origen of Alexandria: There may also be an allusion in the two journeys to the two advents of Christ in the soul: the first supplies a spiritual banquet of wine, and the second takes away all remaining weakness and death.

Theophylact of Ohrid: The nobleman, or “little king,” represents humanity in general. A person not only derives their soul from the King of the universe but also has dominion over all things. His son—that is, his mind—labors under a fever of evil passions and desires. He goes to Jesus and pleads with Him to “come down”—that is, to exercise the condescension of His pity and pardon his sins before it is too late. Our Lord answers, “Go your way,” meaning, “Advance in holiness, and then your son will live.” But if you stop short in your course, you will destroy your power to understand and do what is right.