Healing of the royal official’s son in John 4:46-54

Abstract

The healing of the royal official’s son (4:46-54) is one of the neglected sections in John’s Gospel. Although it is considered in commentaries and it is often used in sermons it is rarely the subject of wider discussion. This article considers the narratological, social and historical aspects of this brief miracle narrative. The complex structure of the narrative is considered, its relation to parallels in the Synoptics and possible shared sources are investigated, and possibilities for understanding the narrative are discussed.