JOHN 4:46b-54 JESUS

46 And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 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.

48 “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

50 Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 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.”

53 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.

54 This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

This servant of Herod, probably Jewish, but certainly despised, demonstrates a faithful singleness of purpose. He comes all the way from Capernaum to Cana because he believes that Jesus can heal his dying son. As a royal official he begs Jesus to come and heal him. And when Jesus uses that as an opportunity to challenge the Jewish crowd, the man is not deterred. Only the man’s urgency is increased. So when Jesus dismisses him with a promise, he believes, and obeys.

A faith that is centered on a person and not on what he can do for me is demonstrated by my obedience. Like highway signs, the miraculous signs and wonders of Jesus only serve to point beyond themselves to the reality they signify. Just as you would not stop at the road sign and declare your arrival, you are not to fixate on the signs but believe in the One to whom the signs point. It seems that many have more faith in bridges and airplanes than they do Jesus. Few give a second thought to passing the signs in order to board an airplane or cross a bridge, they simply believe in those structures. Yet, we find it difficult to obey Jesus. Even those in the church are full of questions: “Did Jesus say that?”; “Could he really have meant this?”; “Won’t he accept me the way I am?”; “Is the biblical record reliable?”; “Where was Jesus when I needed him?”; “Can’t I just be a good person?”; “Why doesn’t Jesus just prove to me that he is God?”; “If God is so good, then why is this world such a mess?” These questions will arise because we live in a sinful and fallen world. The way of unbelief is to grumble among ourselves and diminish the biblical witness to Jesus. The way of faith is to take our questions to Jesus through prayer, worship and Bible study, and then to obey him as he has revealed himself through the ages while trusting he will answer our questions along the way.

Lord Jesus, I believe, but please grow me in my faith. Strengthen my faith so that I can give all my questions and doubts to you and learn to obey your revealed will. Reorient my mind so that I might have that singleness of purpose that marks your true disciple. May I learn to love you and not settle for being loved by you. Amen.