Belief and Rejection
JASON MARTIN / General Adult
Jesus in the Gospels / Faith / John 4:39–54; Luke 4:16–30
What does it mean to believe in Jesus?
Faith comes by hearing
• Hearing God’s Word is foundational to believing Jesus
Romans 10:17 ESV
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
• John 4 shows us three different responses to Jesus and Luke 4 gives us a fourth. These are to help us distinguish genuine faith from surface-level faith.
• We’ve already seen the Samaritans who hear Jesus and receive Him
• Now John deliberately gives us a contrast
John 4:43–45 ESV
43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.
• They welcomed Jesus because they saw what He had done
John 2:23–25 ESV
23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
• The Galileans believed based on what Jesus could do
• They are fascinated by His signs, the Samaritans were persuaded by His word
• Signs aren’t the destination - miracles aren’t the destination. Jesus is the destination that the signs are meant to point to.
John 4:46–48 ESV
46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
• This man showed up because he believed enough to travel to request this healing from Jesus.
• Jesus immediately tested what kind of faith the man had
John 4:49–50 ESV
49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.
• The man has a choice to make;
• Jesus did not go with him
• Jesus did not touch the boy
• the man has not seen a miracle here - he only has Jesus’ word “your son WILL LIVE” - Jesus wasn’t guessing
• he walks out his faith - he believes before he sees
Faith confirmed
John 4:51–53 ESV
51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household.
• Faith can be confirmed by what we see, but genuine faith begins by trusting what Jesus says.
• His encounter with Jesus affected his entire household - and his faith turned into a doorway for his family to encounter Jesus
John 4:54 ESV
54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
• The first 2 “signs” that John records both take place in the same small village of Cana.
• Jesus has authority even over sickness and death
• Jesus doesn’t even need to be physically present to heal - His word is sufficient
• Jesus’ word gives life
• Jesus calls for faith before sight
This leads back into one of our major questions in this study so far - what does it mean to believe Jesus?
1. not that Jesus exists
2. not that Jesus performed miracles
3. but trusting what Jesus says because of Who He is
a. Hearing doesn’t guarantee faith;
i. Samaritans heard & believed
ii. Galileans saw signs and wanted more signs
iii. The official heard the words of Jesus and trusted Him
iv. Luke gives us a fourth example from Nazareth
In Your Hearing
Read Luke 4:16-21.
1. The year of the LORD’s favor - Jubilee
Isaiah 61:1–2 ESV
1 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;
2. Jesus didn’t skip this part or forget about it. The omission is part of the sermon.
a. He’s claiming to be the Messiah but stopped before announcing the judgment that would happen at His second coming
Knowledge without knowing
Read Luke 4:22.
1. They know Jesus as the hometown boy - son of Joseph, the carpenter - but He is claiming to be the Messiah
a. the Galileans saw His miracles
b. the Nazarenes knew His background
c. neither produced saving faith
i. A Prophet has no honor in His hometown
2. They marveled until Jesus started explaining that God’s favor isn’t limited to Israel
Shattered expectations
Read Luke 4:23-30.
1. Israel rejected Elijah - but the widow of Zarephath believed
a. Read 1 Kings 17:8-16
2. Israel rejected Elisha - but Naaman the Syrian believed
a. Read 2 Kings 5:1-14
3. Familiarity with Jesus is not the same thing as faith in Jesus
a. Church buildings are full of both the converted and the unconverted
Closing
1. What would we need to believe in Jesus?
a. if we need to see a miracle - we’re like the Galileans that had superficial belief based on signs
b. if we need Jesus to fit into the box of our own expectations, we’re like the Nazarenes that rejected Him
c. If we trust His Word before we see the outcome - we have faith like that of the official
d. if we hear His Word, come to Him, and confess Him for Who He is, we are like the Samaritans
May we all come to know Him for Who He is
Exported from Logos Bible Study, 8:16 AM August 14, 2026.