THE NOBLEMAN'S SON.



AT the close of our last lesson, we left Jesus sitting by the well of Jacob, talking with his disciples, while the Samaritan woman had gone into the city to call her friends to come and see "a man that told me all things that ever I did."

By this time the woman was returning with a company of Samaritans; and Jesus, lifting up his eyes and looking on them, said to his disciples, "Say ye not there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are white already unto harvest." By the first part of this expression, we see that this visit must have been in the early part of December, while the grain was yet young and tender; so when the Saviour said that the fields were already white unto harvest, he could not have meant the harvest of grain, but the harvest of souls that were ready to be gathered into the garner of the Lord.

And many of the Samaritans believed ON Jesus as the Messiah, because of what the woman told them; and "they besought him that he would tarry with them, and he abode there two days," and taught them. "And many more believed because of his own words; and they said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying; for we have seen him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world."

After staying two days at Sychar, Jesus, and his disciples went on into Galilee; and he went throughout the country both teaching and healing the people, and preaching in their synagogues, urging them to repent and believe the gospel. And many of the Galileans believed on him because of the wonderful things, which they had seen him do at the Passover at Jerusalem, when he drove the changers of money out of the temple. This feast was in April, and it was in the early part of December that Christ was at Sychar; so we see he must have been away from Galilee six or seven months at least.

“And as Jesus was going from place to place, teaching the people, he came to Cana, where he had performed his first miracle. "

 And there was a certain noble man whose son was sick at Capernaum. 

When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea 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. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman said unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. 

And they said unto him, yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour in the which, Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth; and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee."