A study of John 4:43-46a
"After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 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. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine."
John 4:43-46a ESV
Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:
-Departed (Went Forth): "ἐξῆλθεν"; "ἐξέρχομαι", "exerchomai"; verb - of those who leave a place of their own accord.
-Galilee: "Γαλιλαίαν"; "Γαλιλαία", "Galilaia"; proper locative noun - Galilee = 'circuit'; the name of a region of northern Palestine, bounded on the north by Syria, on the west by Sidon, Tyre, Ptolemais and their territories and the promontory of Carmel, on the south by Samaria and on the east by the Jordan. It was divided into Upper Galilee and Lower Galilee.
-Jesus: "Ἰησοῦς", "Iēsous"; proper masculine noun - Jesus = "Jehovah is salvation"; Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, God incarnate.
-Testified: "ἐμαρτύρησεν"; "μαρτυρέω", "martyreō"; verb - to testify of a thing, to bear witness.
-A Prophet: "προφήτης", "prophētēs"; masculine noun - a man filled with the Spirit of God, who by God's authority and command in words of weight pleads the cause of God and urges the salvation of men.
-Honor: "τιμὴν"; "τιμή", "timē"; feminine noun - honor which belongs to one or is shown to one; to have honor, be honored.
-Country: "πατρίδι"; "πατρίς", "patris"; feminine noun - one's native country; as in classical Greek from Homer down, one's fatherland, one's (own) country.
-He Came/They Went: "ἦλθεν"; "ἔρχομαι", "erchomai"; verb - to come from one place to another, and used of persons both arriving and returning.
-Galileans: "Γαλιλαῖοι"; "Γαλιλαῖος", "Galilaios"; adjective - a native of Galilee.
-Received: "ἐδέξαντο"; "δέχομαι", "dechomai"; verb - with the accusative of person to receive, grant access to, a visitor; not to refuse contact or friendship.
-Feast: "ἑορτῇ"; "ἑορτή", "heortē"; feminine noun - a feast day, festival.
-Cana: "Κανά", "Kana"; proper locative noun - Cana = 'place of reeds'; a village in Galilee about 5 miles (8 km) NW from Nazareth.
-Water: "ὕδωρ", "ydōr"; neuter noun - water.
-Wine: "οἶνον"; "οἶνος", "oinos"; masculine noun - wine.
Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):
After spending two days in the Samaritan city of Sychar, Jesus and His disciples left for Galilee. We are told Jesus had previously said a prophet has no honor in his hometown, but also that the Galileans welcomed Him because they had been to Jerusalem and seen all He had done there.
Implication (what does this mean to us):
In the previous verses we learned that Jesus spent two days in Sychar, the capital of Samaria because the people had asked Him to stay with them. After the testimony of the woman Jesus met at the well, and having seen and heard Jesus for themselves, many Samaritans from that city believed in Him as the Savior of the world. After these two days, Jesus resumed His journey to Galilee, the region of His hometown of Nazareth, which is located in present day Palestine.
We are also told Jesus had said a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. At first glance this statement seems a little out of place because in the very next verse we read that the Galileans welcomed Him. While people in the general region of Galilee may have known of Jesus before, this statement may refer more specifically to the town of Nazareth. Galilee describes an entire region, and Nazareth is the specific town in Galilee that Jesus grew up in. From verses like Matthew 13:57 and Mark 6:4 we know the people from Jesus' hometown did not hold Him in high regard or believe Him to be the Son of God. The people who Jesus grew up around had a certain false familiarity with Him. I say false, because their perception of Him was not accurate. They knew Him to be Mary and Joseph's son, and thought of Him as a regular guy. Because of their perception of Him as just another guy from their little town, they did not show Him the honor He was due. Many of Jesus' own family did not even believe in Him until after He died and rose again.
For this reason, Jesus may have been looking forward to a little more anonymity away from the crowds in Judea (John 3:22,26) and in Samaria (John 4:39-40). But it seems the people from the area surrounding His hometown in Galilee welcomed Him because they had heard about all He was doing while they were in Jerusalem for the feast at the same time He was. So, while Jesus did not receive the same kind of raucous reception in Galilee, He was well received as people were beginning to perceive Him to be, at the very least, some kind of prophet.
They welcomed Him because of the signs and wonders He had been performing. They did not welcome Him as the Savior of the world, like the Samaritans of Sychar did. We are meant to see this contrast. While they did not flat out reject Him, they still did not receive Him as they should have. They were not yet showing Him the honor He deserved as the King of Kings, but they were taking an important step in the right direction.
Application (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):
This passage should cause us to think about how we view Jesus. He is the Savior of the world; God incarnate. To see Him as simply a godly prophet or teacher is not enough. He is those things, but He is so much more. He is not simply a good man who taught us to be nice to each other. He is the Son of God, who died and rose again to make salvation available to the entire world by grace alone through faith alone in Him. His great act of redemption is a call for us to act by repenting of our sin and believing in Him alone as our Lord and Savior. And as we pray prayers of thanksgiving for His glorious, loving, redemptive work, we should also pray for Him to help us see Him more and more accurately as the King of kings and Lord of lords; God in the flesh who died in our place and rose again to redeem us to Himself.
Self Reflection:
Am I withholding honor that is due to God because of how I view Him or respond to Him?
Do I honor God because of who He is or simply because of the things He has done? Do I value the gifts more than the Giver?
How can I grow in honoring Jesus as my Lord and Savior more and more each day?
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