Thomas Aquinas 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)

1. Having told us the place of this miracle, the Evangelist now describes the miracle itself, telling us of the person who was ill, the one who interceded for him, and the one who healed him.

   The one who was ill was the son of the official, his father interceded for him, and it was Christ who was to heal him.

2. Regarding the person who was ill, he first tells us of his status, the son of an official; second, where he was, at Capernaum; and third, his illness, a fever.

   He says about the first, there was a certain ruler, whose son was sick. Now, one can be called an official for a variety of reasons. For example, if one is in charge of a small territory. This is not its meaning here, for at this time there was no king in Judea: we have no king but Caesar (John 19:15). One is also called an official, as Chrysostom says, because he is from a royal family; this is also not its meaning here. In a third way, an official is some officer of a king or ruler, and this is its meaning here.

   Some think, as Chrysostom reports, that this official is the same as the centurion mentioned in Matthew (Matthew 8:5). This is not so, for they differ in four ways. First, the illness was not the same in each. The centurion was concerned with a paralytic—my servant is lying paralyzed at home (Matthew 8:6)—while this official’s son is suffering from a fever: yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him. Second, those who are sick are not the same. In the first case, it was a servant, my servant; but now we have a son, as it says, whose son. Third, what is requested is different. For when Christ wanted to go to the home of the centurion, the centurion discouraged him and said, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word and my servant will be healed (Matthew 8:8). But this official asked Christ to come to his house: Lord, come down before my son dies. Fourth, the places are different. For that took place at Capernaum, while this one at Cana in Galilee. So this official is not the same as the centurion but was from the household of Herod the Tetrarch, or some kind of herald or official of the Emperor.

3. In its allegorical sense, this official is Abraham or one of the fathers of the Old Testament, insofar as he adheres by faith to the king, that is, to Christ, about whom we read, I was made king by him over Zion (Psalms 2:6). Abraham adhered to him, for as is said, your father Abraham rejoiced that he might see my day (John 8:56). The son of this official is the Jewish people: we are the seed of Abraham, and we have never been slaves to anyone (John 8:33). But they are sick from evil pleasures and incorrect doctrines. They are sick at Capernaum, that is, in the abundance of goods which caused them to leave their God, according to the verse, the beloved grew fat and rebellious... he deserted the God who made him, and left God his savior (Deuteronomy 32:15).

4. In the moral sense, in the kingdom of the soul, the king is reason itself: the king, who sits on his throne of judgment (Proverbs 20:8).

   But why is reason called the king? Because a person’s entire body is ruled by it: his affections are directed and informed by it, and the other powers of the soul follow it. But sometimes it is called an official, that is, when its knowledge is obscured, with the result that it follows inordinate passions and does not resist them: they live with their foolish ideas, their understanding obscured by darkness (Ephesians 4:17). Consequently, the son of this official—that is, the affections—are sick, meaning they deviate from good and decline toward what is evil. If reason were the king, that is, strong, its son would not be sick; but being only an official, its son is sick. This happens at Capernaum because a great many temporal goods are the cause of spiritual sickness: this was the crime of your sister Sodom: richness, satiety in food, and idleness (Ezekiel 16:49).

5. Now we see the person making his request, beginning at when he had heard that Jesus came from Judea into Galilee.

   1. The incentive for making his request.
   2. The request itself.
   3. The need for the request.

6. The incentive for making the request was the arrival of Christ. So he says, when he, the ruler, had heard that Jesus came from Judea into Galilee, he went to him. For as long as the coming of Christ was delayed, people’s hope of being healed from their sins was that much fainter. But when it is reported that his coming is near, our hope of being healed rises, and then we go to him. For he came into this world to save sinners: the Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:10).

   Furthermore, we should prepare our soul by prayer , and we do this by going to God through our desires. This is what the official did, as we read, he went to him. Thus it is said, be prepared to meet your God, O Israel (Amos 4:12).

7. The request of the official was that Christ heal his son. So the Evangelist says that he begged him to come down, out of compassion—O that you would rend the heavens, and come down (Isaiah 64:1)—and heal his son. We, too, ought to ask to be healed from our sins: heal my soul, for I have sinned against you (Psalms 41:4). For no one can return to the state of righteousness by himself; rather, he has to be healed by God: I cannot help myself (Job 6:13). The fathers of the Old Testament interceded for the people of Israel in the same way, for as we read of one: he loves his brothers, because he prays much for the holy city and for the people of Israel, Jeremiah, the prophet of God .

8. The need for this request was urgent, for the son was at the point of death.

   When a person is tempted, he is beginning to become sick. As the temptation grows stronger and takes the upper hand, inclining him to consent, he is near death. But when he has consented, he is at the point of death and beginning to die. Finally, when he completes his sin, he dies, for as we read, sin, when it is completed, brings forth death (James 1:15). It is said, the death of sinners is the worst (Psalms 34:21), because it begins here and continues into the future without end.

9. Now he deals with the request for Christ to heal the son of the official, beginning at Jesus therefore said to him.

   1. Our Lord’s criticism is given.
   2. The official’s persistent request.
   3. The granting of the request.

10. Our Lord criticizes him for his lack of faith, saying, unless you see signs and wonders, you do not believe.

    This raises a question, for it does not seem right to say this to this official. Unless he had believed that Christ was the savior, he would not have asked him to heal his son. Why then say, unless you see signs and wonders, you do not believe?

    The answer is that this official did not yet believe perfectly; indeed, there were two defects in his faith. The first was that although he believed that Christ was a true man, he did not believe that he had divine power. Otherwise, he would have believed that Christ could heal someone even while absent, since God is everywhere: I fill heaven and earth (Jeremiah 23:24). And so he would not have asked Christ to come down to his house, but simply to give his command.

    The second defect in his faith, according to Chrysostom, was that he was not sure that Christ could heal his son. For had he been sure, he would not have waited for Christ to return to his homeland but would have gone to Judea himself. But now, despairing of his son’s health and not wishing to overlook any possibility, he went to Christ like those parents who, in their despair for their children's health, consult even unskilled doctors.

11. In the second place, it does not seem that he should have been criticized for looking for signs, for faith is proved by signs.

    The answer is that unbelievers are drawn to Christ in one way, and believers in another. Unbelievers cannot be drawn to Christ or convinced by the authority of Sacred Scripture, because they do not believe it. Neither can they be drawn by natural reason, because faith is above reason. Consequently, they must be led by miracles: signs are given to unbelievers, not to believers (1 Corinthians 14:22). Believers, on the other hand, should be led and directed to faith by the authority of Scripture, to which they are bound to assent. This is why the official is criticized: although he had been brought up among the Jews and instructed in the law, he wanted to believe through signs and not by the authority of Scripture. So the Lord reproaches him, saying, unless you see signs and wonders—that is, miracles, which are signs insofar as they bear witness to divine truth. They are also called wonders either because they indicate with utmost certainty, so that a prodigy is taken to be a portent or some sure indication, or because they portend something in the future, as if a wonder were so called because it shows some future effect from a great distance.

12. Now we see the official’s persistence, for he does not give up after the Lord’s criticism but insists, saying, Lord, come down before my son dies. As Scripture says, we should pray always, and not lose heart (Luke 18:1).

    This shows an improvement in his faith in one respect, in that he calls him Lord. But there is not a total improvement, for he still thought that Christ had to be physically present to heal his son; so he asked Christ to come.

13. His request is granted by the Lord, for persevering prayer is answered: Jesus said to him: Go, your son lives. Here we have:

    1. The statement by Christ, who cured the boy, that the boy was cured.
    2. The persons who witnessed the cure, at and as he was going down, his servants ran to meet him.

    Two things are mentioned concerning the first point: the command of the Lord and the obedience of the official, at the man believed the word that Jesus said to him.

14. As to the first, the Lord does two things: he commands, and he affirms.

    He orders the official to go; hence he says, go, meaning, prepare to receive grace by a movement of your free will toward God—turn to me, and you will be saved (Isaiah 45:22)—and by a movement of your free will against sin. For four things are required for the justification of an adult sinner: the infusion of grace, the remission of guilt, a movement of the free will toward God (which is faith), and a movement of the free will against sin (which is contrition).

    Then the Lord says that his son is healed, which was the request of the official: your son lives.

15. One may ask why Christ refused to go down to the home of this official as asked, while he promised to go see the servant of the centurion.

    There are two reasons for this. One, according to Gregory, is to blunt our pride—the pride of us who offer our services to great people but refuse to help the insignificant. The Lord of all offered to go to the servant of the centurion but refused to go to the son of an official: be well-disposed to the poor .

    The other reason, as Chrysostom says, was that the centurion was already confirmed in the faith of Christ and believed that he could heal even while not present. And so our Lord promised to go, to show approval of his faith and devotion. But this official was still imperfect and did not yet clearly know that Christ could heal even while absent. And so our Lord does not go, in order that the official may realize his imperfection.

16. The obedience of this official is pointed out in two ways. First, because he believed what Christ said; so he says, the man believed the word that Jesus said, that is, your son lives. Second, because he did obey the order of Christ; so he says, and went his way, progressing in faith, although not yet fully or soundly, as Origen says. This signifies that we must be justified by faith: justified by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).

    We also must go and start out by making progress, because he who stands still runs the risk of being unable to preserve the life of grace. For, along the road to God, if we do not go forward, we fall back.

17. Next we see the servants bringing news of the healing, at and as he was going down, his servants ran to meet him.

    1. The news of the healing is given.
    2. There is an inquiry about the time of the healing, at he asked of them the hour.

18. He says, while he was going down, from Cana of Galilee to his own home, his servants ran to meet him. This shows that this official was wealthy and had many servants. They brought word, saying that his son lived. They did this because they thought that Christ was coming and his presence was no longer necessary, as the boy was already cured.

19. In the mystical sense, the servants of the official (that is, of reason) are a person’s works, because a person is master of his own acts and of the affections of his sense powers, for they obey the command and direction of reason. Now these servants announce that the son of the official lives when a person’s good works shine out and his lower powers obey reason, according to the verse: a man’s dress, and laughter, and his walk, show what he is .

20. Because this official did not yet believe either fully or soundly, he still wanted to know whether his son had been cured by chance or by the command of Christ. Accordingly, he asks about the time of the cure: he asked of them, namely, the servants, the hour in which he grew better, namely, his son. And he found that his son was cured at exactly the same hour that our Lord said, go, your son lives. And no wonder, because Christ is the Word, through whom heaven and earth were made: he spoke and they were made; he commanded and they were created (Psalms 148:5).

21. And they, his servants, said to him: Yesterday, at the seventh hour, the fever left him.

    In the mystical sense, the seventh hour, when the boy is cured of his fever, signifies the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, through whom sins are forgiven—according to receive the Holy Spirit; whose sins you will forgive, are forgiven them (John 20:22–23)—and through whom spiritual life is produced in the soul: it is the Spirit that gives life (John 6:63). Again, the seventh hour signifies the appropriate time for rest, for the Lord rested from all his work on the seventh day. This indicates that the spiritual life of man consists in spiritual rest or quiet, according to: if you remain at rest, you will be saved (Isaiah 30:15). But of the evil we read: the heart of the wicked is like the raging sea, which cannot rest (Isaiah 57:20).

22. Next, we are given the effect of this miracle, at the father therefore knew.

    1. Its fruit is mentioned.
    2. This miracle is linked with another one, at this is again the second miracle that Jesus did.

23. He says, the father therefore knew, by comparing the hour mentioned by the servants with the hour of Christ’s affirmation, that it was at that same hour that Jesus said to him, Your son lives. Because of this he was converted to Christ, realizing that it was by his power that the miracle was accomplished: he himself believed, and his whole household, that is, his servants and his aides. This is because the attitude of servants depends on the condition, whether good or wicked, of their masters: as the judge of the people is himself, so also are his ministers ; and we read: I know that he will direct his sons (Genesis 18:19).

    This also shows that the faith of the official was constantly growing. At the beginning, when he pleaded for his sick son, it was weak. Then it began to grow more firm when he called Jesus Lord. Then, when he believed what the Lord said and started for home, it was more perfect, but not completely so, because he still doubted. But here, clearly realizing God’s power in Christ, his faith is made perfect, for as it is said, the way of the just goes forward like a shining light, increasing to the full light of day (Proverbs 4:18).

24. Finally, this miracle is linked with the previous one: this is again the second miracle that Jesus did. We can understand this in two ways. In one way, that our Lord performed two miracles during this one trip from Judea to Galilee, but the first of these was not recorded, only the second. In the other way, we could say that Jesus worked two signs in Galilee at different times: the one of the wine, and this second one concerning the son of this official after he returned again to Galilee from Judea.

    We also see from this that the Galileans were worse than the Samaritans. For the Samaritans expected no sign from the Lord, and many believed in his word alone. But as a result of this miracle, only this official and his whole household believed. For the Jews were converted to the faith little by little on account of their hardness, according to the verse: I have become as one who harvests in the summer time, like a gleaner at the vintage: not one cluster to eat, not one of the early figs I desire (Micah 7:1).