Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.” Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his household believed. John 4:46-53 (NIV)
Note some items of interest in this narrative. Jesus had been to Cana before and now returned. We are not told what drew him back . . . just that he returned. A royal official heard that Jesus had returned. We are not told how he heard this news . . . just that he did. He came quickly, we may conclude, to plead with Jesus to visit his home and heal his terminally ill son. We are not told what the boy was stricken with . . . just that he was dying. Jesus responded to this father’s pleas, somewhat out of character, “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders you will never believe.” We are not told whether the Lord was sad or upset . . . just that he made this statement. The father was not deterred by the Lord’s statement or attitude. He pressed his request: “Sir, Come before my son dies.”
Note carefully that Jesus did not say: go home your son is healed. Instead, He said, “You can go home. Your son will live.” So, this royal official “took Jesus at his word and departed.” What an act of faith! Nothing was left for this father to do but go and see the evidence. As he returned home, much anguish and doubt probably assaulted his soul. Since the son was dying when the father left to come plead with Jesus, we may conclude that he would have wanted to return home quickly. Yet, his return trip must have required an overnight stay somewhere because when he was met by his servants with the news of his son’s improved condition, they said, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour,” which corresponds to 1:00 p.m. and exactly when Jesus had told this father that his son would not die.
“In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” John 1:4 (NIV) While we clearly understand the obstacles to faith, we also question why people will not believe in the One who is Life. Why do people insist on seeing before they believe? Doubt and unbelief are harsh side affects of the fall in the Garden. Yet, despite satan’s deception, God is still the God of life and the living. And He requires us to place faith in His Son before He will allow us to see the reality of eternal life. In fact, the key to eternal life is just that . . . belief in the Only Begotten Son of God.
And mountains can only be moved by faith. Staring at the mountain will not make it be removed and cast into the sea. For “faith is the substance of our hoping, the evidence of our undertaking, not of our seeing” (Heb. 11:1 my interpretation). Faith is just that . . . hoping and undertaking working together. The one without the other is both dead and powerless.
Dear Father, thank you for your Son, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. Empower us with faith in His finished work at Calvary. In the name of Jesus I pray. AMEN
Be encouraged today God’s completed work at Calvary,