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Sorrow Is Inevitable In This Life
jn 4.46-
Sorrow Is Inevitable In This Life
We know that from our own experience
It doesn’t matter who you are, sooner or later sorrow, pain, even tragedy will come to you.
Rich or poor
Man or woman
Old or young
Regardless of race or any other categorization
Sorrow will become a part of your personal experience.
And there is nothing you can do about it.
We know that from history
One of the oldest writings in any language contains an expression of this truth that has endured through the centuries.
It is in the Book of Job.
Job 5.
Sparks (Heb) means ‘sons of flame’ giving the verse the thought that we are born to endure the fires of this life and eventually perish in the burning.
We know from the experience of birth and growth
You have to sympathize with babies (and mothers too of course) at birth.
For nine months the baby grows in a comfortable, warm, secure place.
Then out of the blue that idyllic experience is changed to one of chaos and upheaval.
Pushed and pulled.
Twisted around and confused.
No wonder the poor little thing’s first independent act is to cry, probably to scream, but it hasn’t yet mastered how to step up their game.
But once things settle down a bit, life is not so bad.
Mom, grandma, and others feed, cuddle, change, rock, sing and make over the little one…and that goes on for some time.
But then as the child grows and the years go by, one-by-one, all those little comforts and props of life and knocked away.
Feed themselves
Dress themselves
Off to school
Earn a living
And as you go along new experiences creep in
Plans fail
Relationship disappoint
Sickness and pain
Eventually death comes to friends or family
Ultimately death comes to each of us and we have to face what lies beyond.
If you came in here this morning cheerful and in good spirits I hope the message so far has been a great help to you.
Obviously my intent is not to spread gloom and knock us all down a step, there is plenty of sorrow in the world without me adding to it or highlighting it for you.
The lesson in our passage challenges us however to think about how you and I will react to such events when they do come to us.
What will we do?
Will they beat us down?
Will they defeat us?
Will we triumph over them?
Might we even claim complete victory in them?
The story of the rich nobleman whose son was dying and his encounter with Jesus helps answer those questions.
Jesus Returns to Cana Once More
In Joy and Sorrow
The basis for arriving at such solutions comes from a story in the life of Jesus Christ.
It is the story of a rich nobleman whose son was dying and who, out of his desperation, came to Jesus about it.
By the end of the story we find that not only had the son been cured but also in a far more wonderful way the rich man and his entire family had found a genuine faith in Christ.
Bible Passage
The Setting
The story begins by telling us that “once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine” ().
It ends with the remark: “This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee” (v.
54).
Why do we have this emphasis upon the place where Jesus performed the miracle?
Why is this called the second miracle, when Jesus had done obviously many other miraculous things previously (cf.
; )?
Why, in fact, is the former miracle of changing water into wine at Cana mentioned?
Quite clearly, this is John’s way of telling us that we are to put the two miracles—that of changing water into wine and that of healing the nobleman’s son—side by side.
In other words, we are to see them in relationship to each other and compare them.
What does the comparison show?
In the first place it shows a number of similarities.
Both miracles contain an initial rebuke to the one who requested it.
In the first case it was to Mary, Jesus’ mother (2:4).
In the second it was to the nobleman (4:48).
Third, in each case Jesus performs the miracle at a distance, doing nothing but speaking a word (2:7, 8; 4:50).
Fourth, the servants possess unique knowledge of what happened (2:9; 4:51).
Finally, each account concludes with a statement that certain persons who knew of the miracle believed.
In the earlier story we are told that “his disciples put their faith in him” (2:11), while in the second narrative we are told that the father “and all his household believed” (4:53).
In the earlier story we are told that “his disciples put their faith in him” (2:11), while in the second narrative we are told that the father “and all his household believed” (4:53).
These points reinforce the need of comparing the two stories.
Yet the significant point of the comparison is not in the similarities but in their one great difference.
What is the difference?
Certainly that in the first the scene is one of joy, festivity, and happiness.
The stage is a wedding.
In the second the scene is fraught with sickness, desperation, anxiety, and the dreadful shadow of death.
One is a picture of joy, the other of sorrow.
In comparing the two we are clearly to see that life is as filled with the one as the other and that Jesus, the One who is the answer to all human need, is needed in both circumstances.
One writer has noted: “Jesus is more than equal to either occasion.
He has a place in all circumstances.
If we invite him to our times of innocent happiness, he will increase our joy.
If we call on him in our times of sorrow, anxiety, or bereavement, he can bring consolation, comfort, and a joy that is not of this world.”
In pointing to this truth John is further documenting his claim that Jesus is indeed “the Savior of the world”; for Jesus is the Savior of:
all men,
at all times, and
in all circumstances.
Growth of Faith
The next fact we are told is that the man who came to Jesus at Cana was a nobleman.
This is not the same word that is used in chapter 3 where Nicodemus is described as being a Pharisee, “a ruler of the Jews.”
The word that is used of Nicodemus is one that denotes preeminence of authority, however derived.
In this case, the word is basilikos, which is related to the word for king and therefore denotes royalty.
The word could even mean that the man was a petty king, but in this context it probably means that he was one of the royal officials at the court of Herod.
Moreover, the man had some means, for he had servants.
Here was a nobleman, rich, no doubt with great influence.
Moreover, the man had some means, for he had servants.
Here was a nobleman, rich, no doubt with great influence.
Yet neither his rank nor riches were able to exempt him from the common sorrows of mankind.
Remember, as you think about those in positions of importance or power, that there is just as much sickness among them.
And there is just as much of a need for Jesus Christ.
The wonderful thing, of course, is that this man sensed his need and its solution.
When Jesus had performed his first miracle by changing water into wine, the miracle was at first known only to the disciples and to the servants who bore the wine to the master of ceremonies.
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