Desperation: What is it? a state of despair, typically one which results in rash or extreme behavior. “she wrote to him in desperation“.
Preliminary considerations: In our study of John we have seen
- In Chapter 1, Jesus is God. He is the creator of the universe.
- All men before salvation walk in darkness…that is they do not understand the things of the spirit of God.
- Jesus is the only one who can bring men out of darkness and this was the testimony of John the Baptist.
- In Chapter 2, we looked at the events of the Miracle of turning the water into wine and the cleansing of the temple of the money changers.
- We looked at chapter 3 where we saw Nicodemus and Jesus dialogue about Salvation and how the Spirit of God moves upon individuals and not upon others.
- We looked at the woman at the well and Jesus telling her all that he knew about her past life.
- Jesus confronted the woman at the well and the result was she left Jesus and told the people of the town. Who in turn received Jesus and then were saved.
“come see a man who told me everything that I have ever done. Is this not the messiah?”
John 4:29 NIV
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.42 They 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.”
John 4:49-42 NIV
46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine
John 4:46 NIV.
So far this is where Jesus traveled.
- Cana to Capernaum
- Capernaum to Jerusalem
- Through Galilee to Sycar … (women at the well)
- Back to Cana where he turned the water into wine
Story of desperation Introduction:
There are two events that I’m going to share with you today. These are both events of desperation.
- Jesus was approached in Cana by a man who was desperate for his son to be healed.
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.
John 4:46-47 NIV
48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
John 4:48 NIV
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.
John 4:49-50 NIV
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.
John 4:47-54 NIV
- The healing of the man at the pool of Bethesda.
Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.
5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.
John 5:1-8 NIV
What can we conclude from these two miracles?
- Jesus works miracles with desperate people. People who are desperate finally conclude that they need a change of course…they have tried everything… Only Jesus can meet the deepest needs of the heart.
- Jesus both responds to and reaches out for those who are desperate. The official sought him and the man at the pool was sought by Christ. The result was the same…
- Jesus brings benefit to both those who will be saved and those who may never be saved.
- The official knew who he was and believed as well as all his family.
- The man at the pool did not know him or had he heard of him.
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