Chapter 25
From Agonizing Fear to Absolute Faith
The Reading: John 4:46-54
The Problem:
There was a man who found himself in a very desperate situation. His son whom he loved very much had been stricken with an illness, and it seemed certain his son would soon die. The father, being a nobleman and of the upper class, had taken his son to all the finest doctors and hospitals in the area, but to no avail. Some type of sickness was ravaging his son’s body, and nothing they did helped.
The news of Jesus coming to that area had spread around the region. So when the nobleman heard that Jesus was in Galilee, for the sake of his son, he traveled about twenty miles from Capernaum to Cana, a full day’s journey, to beg help from a simple carpenter named Jesus from Nazareth.
This nobleman had rank and status in a culture where rank and status was everything. He was probably an official under Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch (king) of Galilee (4 BC-30AD). It was his custom to command, and whatever he wanted was done for him immediately. Previously, he would not have even considered lowering himself to do such a thing. Before this urgent situation came up, the nobleman could probably have been found laughing and making jokes with some of his country club buddies about the claims of others that Jesus of Nazareth could heal the sick. But his desperation broke down any foolish pride he might have had, and he made the journey to find Jesus as quickly as possible.
The Turning Point:
Jesus understood the basis of the nobleman’s faith when he said, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." But the nobleman replied, "Sir, come down before my child dies!" This royal official thought Jesus had to travel back to Capernaum, to physically touch his son in order to heal him.
Jesus knew the spiritual condition of His own people, the Jews in the region of Galilee, where He grew up. When He returned to His home turf, He was quite aware of the barrier He would have to breach to get these people to believe in Him. The nobleman and most of the people in Galilee had the "Prove It to Me" variety of faith. This type of faith says, "I’ll believe it when I see it." They wanted to see some signs and miracles before they would believe in Jesus. The majority of the nobleman’s countrymen were walking by sight and not by faith. But true faith is just the opposite. Instead of basing our faith on "After I see, then I will believe," true faith reverses the order and says, "After I believe, then I will see."
And so, when responding to the nobleman’s plea to heal His son, Jesus decided to deal first with a far more important matter, the issue of his faith. Jesus wanted this man to have what He wants all of us to have. He wanted the nobleman to have a relationship with Him based on the fact that he believed in Him. He wanted the nobleman to know Him and know His character, not just know what He could do.
The Miracle That Followed:
Jesus could have gone to this man’s home in Capernaum and healed his son in person. The nobleman believed that convincing Jesus to make the trip was a matter of life and death. But Jesus’ response to the man was to simply say, "Go on home. You son lives.”
What we are told in verse 50 is vital to the power of faith in the Word of Jesus. The man believed the Word of Jesus and obeyed without question, heading off in the direction of his home. On the way back, the nobleman’s servants met up with him, and reported that his son was not only still alive but also doing well. So he asked them what time his son began to get better. And they said, It was yesterday, about one o’clock in the afternoon." The father knew that this was exactly the time that Jesus had said to him, "Your son lives."
Overjoyed, I imagine the ecstatic father ran the rest of the way to his house to embrace his son, praising the Lord all the way. His faith must have been greatly strengthened by this amazing news. He knew for sure then that Jesus is not limited by space. All he had to do is place his trust in Jesus’ Word, and obey.
The Bottom Line:
Jesus didn’t have to travel to Capernaum with this official to heal his son, and the father didn’t have to witness the miracle to believe in Jesus. If Jesus said it was going to happen, it would happen. We don’t have to "see it to believe it". All we have to do is hear God say it to believe it! If you read it in the Word of God, believe it! Memorize it, and meditate on it.
