I have begun reading through John’s gospel once again, as part of my daily plan to read through the entire Bible in one year. As I read, I am in conversation with Holy Spirit. I find this incredibly helpful, or should I say, I find Holy Spirit incredibly helpful to me, as I read. Before I begin my nightly read I ask Holy Spirit to alert me to anything new in the text, or any particular thing, He wants me to take note of – something always happens. He often shows me new things. I read until I sense Holy Spirit telling me to stop and meditate at that place in the text for a while. Anyway, this happened again last night in John chapter 4, and something fresh (not necessarily brand-new to my thinking) occurred, and it was such an encouragement.
Jesus is in Cana once again, the place where He performed His first miracle – the turning of water into wine; hundreds of litres of it. A “royal” official was there whose son lay sick back at Capernaum, some 37 kilometres away. We do not know for sure what kind of “royal” official this man was because the text doesn’t say. But he is probably an official of Herod Antipas, the Roman-appointed ruler of the Galilean and Perean region. Herod bore the title of tetrarch and is referred to as both "Herod the Tetrarch" and "King Herod" in the New Testament. This is the “king” whose father (Herod the Great) had killed hundreds of baby boys as he tried to hunt down the baby Jesus, who executed John the Baptist, and to whom Pontius Pilate sent Jesus for interrogation when Jesus had refused to answer. Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction and so Pilate conveniently washed his hands of the Jesus “problem”, and handballed it to Herod.
Anyway, this royal official hears that Jesus has arrived in the area and immediately goes to find him. He begs Jesus to come and heal his son who is close to death. This is a desperate situation for any father. Jesus’ response is quite unusual. The father begs Jesus to come to his home and heal his son and Jesus says …
John 4:48 (NIV)
"Unless you people see signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."
Why does Jesus respond like this to such a desperate need? It doesn’t seem logical does it? On the surface anyway. But that’s what He said. So here I am at this point in the text wondering why Jesus has responded in such a way. At a much later point in the Gospel narratives it is recorded in Luke that Herod was pleased to see Jesus when Pilate had sent him for interrogation. Why was he “greatly pleased”?
Luke 23:8 (NIV)
“When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see Him. From what he had heard about Him, he hoped to see Him perform a sign of some sort.”
Well, Herod didn’t get his miracle. Instead he and his soldiers mock Jesus. OK, let’s try and join the dots. That day when a desperate father begs Jesus to come and heal his son, does Jesus see that future moment before Herod who presses him to perform a miracle, but He remains silent? “Unless you people …” Well, we don’t know for sure, but it could explain Jesus’ response to this man - and who his boss was. Or, perhaps, it was already known to Jesus that Herod was eager to see Him do some tricks. We just don’t know for sure. Yet, this is Jesus’ response.
The royal official further entreats Jesus and very respectfully says, (John 4:49), "Sir, come down before my child dies." This is all Jesus needs even though this official is part of a brutal, evil and murderous tyranny oppressing Galileans.
John 4:50 (NIV)
"Go," Jesus replied, "your son will live."
The man took Jesus at His word and departed.
Several things struck me as I meditated here in John. First, this official had the power to coerce Jesus into compliance, but he doesn’t do that. He begged Jesus – twice – and his son was healed. The second is that when Jesus said, “Go, your son will live”, the royal official took Jesus at His word and heads for home. Now, try to imagine this. His son is 37 km away, dying, Jesus said “go”, and he immediately dropped what he was doing and headed for home – at Jesus’ word. This man is acting like a disciple of Jesus! Would you have done the same thing in the same circumstances? Or, would you have wanted a bit more substance than that, before obeying? There’s no telephone service, no other communications that we take for granted today. It is not until he’s halfway home that this man’s servants came to him with the wonderful news that his boy was alive and well. After further inquiries this man realised that his son had been healed “yesterday” at the very same time Jesus said, “your son will live.”
This man asked for his son to be healed, that was all. But Jesus had in mind the salvation of this man’s whole household. The household of a man who worked for a cruel and vicious tyrant, puppet king who brutalised Galileans like him. When this man got home and saw his son alive and well, he shared his encounter with Jesus the day before, and what Jesus had promised - his whole household came to faith in Jesus. This was a far greater miracle than this man had asked for – a miracle whose trajectory would land them in eternity with God the Father.
Jesus challenges this man about whether he wanted a sign or a wonder, that is, a miracle. The man does not demand Jesus do any tricks or magic, he just wanted his son healed, and pleaded with Jesus a second time, and the Lord cannot resist - does not want to resist. Jesus gives him a promise, the fulfilment of which, was activated the moment he took Jesus at His word and headed for home. At His word!
When we enquire of Jesus for help, for guidance, for provision or even for healing, there is always far more at stake than the immediate need for which we have petitioned Him, crucial though that may appear to us to be. That day in Cana, for Jesus, it was the spiritual birth, the total healing of this official and his household – much higher stakes for eternity. This can only happen if one has authentic faith in the One who is the Healer. Often, for this to happen, Jesus will allow us to come to that lonely, helpless place where all our false defences, self-sufficiency (even the need for a miracle in order to first believe), and all supports are completely surrendered, and we are prepared to take Jesus at His word and obey any command that He gives us.
We have to take Jesus at His word and obey, without any guarantee other than the fact that He is Lord - or nothing much happens in our faith walk. The stakes are always much higher than we realise.
Think on these things. And resolve today to take Jesus at His word and respond immediately. This is what activates the fulfilment of all His promises.
Ps Milton