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A DESPERATE CASE: John 4:43-54
By Ted Schroder,
July 20, 2014
What do you do when you are faced with a desperate situation? You are frantic with worry over a crisis in your life or in the life of a loved one. You are overwhelmed and despairing over what can be done. You are fraught with sadness and paralyzed by fear. You cannot sleep. You are very tense and cannot relax. Nothing seems to be able to distract you from your foreboding. You are used to having the best care and the support of the most competent specialists but they can do nothing more. You may be faced with losing your most precious child.
Such was the sorrow of this highly placed government official. Yet he had heard of a Galilean prophet who had returned from Jerusalem and was staying at Cana, only 16 miles away from Capernaum. He had heard him speak in the local synagogue and was much impressed by his authority and conviction. He has witnessed him healing a man with an evil spirit. News about him had spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. People had brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town had gathered at the door of the home of Simon and Andrew, and Jesus had healed many with various diseases (Mark 1:21-34). He remembered the prophets of old – Elisha who cured Naaman, the Syrian general, of his leprosy. Perhaps this prophet could heal his son of whatever was causing his life-threatening fever that was racking his body. He saddled his horse or mounted his chariot and rode over to beg Jesus to come and heal his beloved son, who was close to death.
The royal courtier rode into Cana and asked directions to where Jesus was staying. He arrived at the house and requested an urgent appointment. The lowly carpenter of Nazareth received this exalted courtier from Capernaum with a challenge: “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe, Jesus told them.” (John 4:48)
It is not until a crisis occurs in a person’s life that many people will seek help from God. They do not believe on a daily basis. Faith does not play an important role in their imagination. It takes an emergency for people to cry out for help to the God who made them. This is the problem with secularism. “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe, Jesus told them.” (John 4:48)
Faith for the secularist is dependent on scientific evidence for the saving power of God. What is sufficient evidence for belief? What will convince the skeptic to believe? Some people will never believe without miracles. The secular worldview is disenchanted – there is no supernatural power or presence in the world. And even when there are miraculous signs in their lives, and in the lives of their loved ones they cannot believe. “Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.” (John 12:37) There is never sufficient evidence for the skeptic to believe in Jesus. There is an unwillingness to be open to what God is doing in this person of Jesus.
Yet this royal official was desperate. He was willing to take whatever humiliation was required, whatever rebuke that was warranted, if it would result in his son being healed. He begged of Jesus, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” He must have sensed something in Jesus that encouraged him to persevere in his request. This proud man’s abasement must have touched Jesus for he responded, “You may go. Your son will live.” The father did not quibble at his dismissal. He did not insist on Jesus accompanying him – although that had been his initial expectation. Instead the man took Jesus at his word and departed. “The man took Jesus at his word.” (John 4:50) When Jesus spoke, something happened. This was no mere pronouncement – it was a life-giving promise – a divine command. The nobleman took Jesus at his word – he believed and obeyed Jesus.
There was something in the tone of that voice, something in the glance of that eye, something in the majesty and beauty of that face, that made that man say, Well I do not know how it is going to be done, but I believe him, he says my boy lives. He believed and went his way. (G. Campbell Morgan)
While he was still on the way home his servants met him with the news that the fever had left his boy at the exact time at which Jesus said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his household believed. His initial conviction that Jesus could be believed was confirmed. “You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace.” (Isaiah 55;12)
Cana was the site of the first of Jesus’ miraculous signs when he turned the water into wine for the marriage feast. It was through that miracle that Jesus revealed his glory as the only Son of the Father, the Word who became flesh. That caused his disciples to put their faith in him. St. John tells us that this was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed in Cana. In this instance it is the royal official, a member of the court of Herod Antipas, and his family who come to put their complete faith in Jesus.
St. John teaches us that faith based on either the words of Jesus or the miracles of Jesus is possible and sufficient. St. John highlights and draws attention to the wonder of the healing by means of the servants of the official coming out to meet him and having a conversation about the boy being alive and the time of his healing.
His faith didn’t happen because he saw the miracles, but because he heard Jesus’ word. When the word was confirmed by the actual healing, taking place at the same moment but at a distance, he and his whole family believed. The word Jesus had spoken had become flesh.
The distinction between believing because we’ve seen something and believing on the strength of Jesus’ words remains important throughout the gospel. “Blessed are those who haven’t seen, and yet believe.” (John 20:29)
This is the challenge the gospel presents to us today. We are not invited to believe in an abstract idea, or a nebulous feeling, or an indefinable spiritual experience. We are invited to believe in the Word become flesh. (Tom Wright)
St. John is teaching us that the life-giving word of Christ is as reliable as the processes of nature.
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, So is my word that goes out of my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10,11)
The promise of Jesus is that whatever our desperate situation his word is life-giving. His word creates us and saves us. Whatever threatens us cannot take away our faith in Jesus. That which causes sorrow and death, cannot withstand the life-giving power of the Word made flesh. We are invited to take Jesus at his Word no matter how desperate our situation.
What word is Jesus speaking to you today? What does he want to accomplish by it? What purpose does he want to achieve in you? Can you take Jesus at his word and believe it?
(Ted’s blog is found at www.tedschroder.com and www.ameliachapel.com/blog. His books are found on www.amazon.com. SOUL FOOD: DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR THE HUNGRY, Vol.3, July, August and September is now available. You can order by replying to this email.)
