NOTES for Joh 4:43-54
A certain important man, a royal official, comes to ask Jesus to heal his son. Jesus answers with words that, at first glance, carry a negative attitude toward what is happening; He said something similar to the Pharisees who tested Him (see Mark 8:12). But the royal official is moved by concern for his son, by the desire that his life continue. Jesus simply states a sad fact: without a miracle, it is hard to believe. And yet the Lord came to earth so that people would believe in Him.
The Lord's heart responds to the grief of a man who is losing his son, and He heals the young man. Not wanting to turn the healing into a loud, noisy event, Jesus sends the royal official home with only words about his son's recovery. And for the father He leaves room for spiritual growth - in faith. The royal official had to believe the Teacher's words and go home, even with the fear of finding his son already dead.
He also took the most important step on this path: he did not "steal" this miracle from the Lord. It would have been easy to think that the young man had finally taken a turn for the better. That is, after all, what the servants thought when they went to tell their master. It is sometimes easier for us to think that way too.