<p>4:54 <i>This was the second sign that Jesus did, when he had gone from Judea to Galilee</i>- There is a question as to whether this is the same miracle of the centurion's servant being healed in Capernaum which we have in Mt. 8:5 and Lk. 7:2. I would argue that they are similar, but different:</p><p>(1) Here a &lsquo;king&rsquo;s man&rsquo; pleads for his son; there a centurion for his servant.<br />(2) Here he pleads in person; there the Jewish elders plead for him.<br />(3) Here the father is probably a Jew; there the centurion is certainly a Gentile.<br />(4) Here the healing words are spoken at Cana; there at Capernaum.<br />(5) Here the malady is fever; there paralysis.<br />(6) Here the father wishes Jesus to come; there the centurion begs him not to come.<br />(7) Here Christ does not go; there apparently he does.</p><p>The similarity I suggest is that the faith of the Gentile centurion is presented as far stronger than that of the spiritually immature Jewish nobleman. The similarities suggest that perhaps that Gentile had heard of the healing of the nobleman's child, and was motivated by it to complete faith, just as we are motivated by accounts of faith rewarded in others' lives to ourselves have even stronger faith than in the cases we heard about.</p>