As always, you can read the transcript below
John 4:46-53
46 Once more He (Jesus) 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.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 signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “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, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”
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 his whole household believed.
Revelation 2:7 “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
John 4:46-53 GOD’S LOVE IN BRINGING HEALING
Springford Baptist Church: February 7, 2021.
In these days of extreme measures being taken to prevent the spread of the COVID virus and the ongoing reports of the number of people who have contracted COVID and the number of people who have died from it, little attention is paid to the number of people who have recovered from it.
Today we want to pay attention to this account in Scripture of a young man, near to death, who was healed by Jesus and did recover from his illness.
God in his love and mercy does bring healing. God brings healing for more than physical ailments and diseases. God brings healing for those in emotional turmoil and anxiety. God brings healing for our spiritual sickness. God does speak the words of healing and as we listen and believe, God touches us and makes us whole. The disease of sin does not have the final word in our lives. God does.
This past week, at the Long Term Care home where I am Chaplain, we were being informed that starting February 16th, staff at our home will be tested for COVID, 3 times a week as we enter the home. This will be Rapid Testing. The intention behind this approach is a Ministry of Health directive trying to protect the residents in our home and to ensure their safety. We are well aware of the seriousness of this disease of COVID and the resulting attempts to bring it under control.
The royal official who comes to Jesus when Jesus arrives in Galilee has heard of Jesus’ arrival. (vs. 47) This official is desperate because his son is sick and near to death. He knows that this health crisis of his son is not something that he can control. He has also been listening to reports of Jesus’ ability to perform miracles and to bring healing. What would you do if your child or someone else you loved dearly was extremely sick and near to death? You would seek help wherever you could find it!
That is exactly what this troubled father does: “he went to (Jesus) and begged Him to come and heal his son who was close to death.” (vs.47b)
In order to go to Jesus, this father had to leave his son’s bedside. There was the risk that his son might die in his absence. He takes the chance because it appears that he strongly believes that Jesus can and will heal his son.
We often carry on with the routines of our everyday lives and it may be that we do not give much thought or consideration to God until something like a disease or accident affects our family, our household.
This is when we come to Jesus like this father and beg Him to help us. People who do not usually pray, will pray when someone whom they love deeply is sick.
Jesus’ response to this royal official is actually directed to the general attitude of the people of Galilee, not the official.
Jesus says, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” (vs. 48)
What about us? What does it take for us to believe who Jesus is and what He can do?
Do we only trust God when life is working out the way we hoped and the way that we want?
When we pause to listen carefully for God, what does He want to say to us?
We can hear echoes of love in the words of Jesus to this deeply distraught father.
With great urgency this man, who sees Jesus as the only chance for his son to be healed, appeals, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” (vs. 49)
There is no denial here of the extreme seriousness of his son’s condition.
Jesus responds with compassion and immediate action: “Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.”’ (vs. 50a)
The father was likely surprised that Jesus did not accompany him to his home to heal his son. However, we are told that, “The man took Jesus at His word and departed.” (vs. 50b)
Often, we have our own assumptions about how God will answer our prayers. We have been praying for safety for ourselves and our families in the midst of this pandemic. God in His love does hear and answer our prayers-not always as we would expect.
It took faith for this father to take Jesus at His word. As we are LISTENING FOR GOD, do we take God at His word to love and care for us?
The emerging faith of this father is confirmed when, on his return home, his servants meet him with the news that his son is alive! (vs. 51)
This is the news he longed to hear and that God in His love arranged for him to hear.
What is one of his first questions?
“What time did he get better”? (vs. 52)
His faith in Jesus as the source of healing is confirmed when the servants reply that the fever left this boy at one o’clock in the afternoon on the previous day.
The father realizes that this was the exact time that Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live”. (vs.53a)
Jesus was able to speak the words and to bring healing even though he was a distance away.
God’s ability to bring healing and wholeness is not limited by distance or other circumstances that we might consider limiting.
As a result of this miracle of Jesus, we are told that, “he and all his household believed.” (53b)
What causes us to believe and to take Jesus at His word? What about the times when our longing for answers from God and prayers for healing are not answered, as we had hoped.
We can witness God’s love in bringing healing and in keeping people safe for whom we pray.
We will need to listen more intently for God and His love in the times when healing does not occur as we prayed it would.
God is still God in these times and in our willingness to keep listening for God He can and will speak words of love to us.
God felt the agony of knowing that His own Son, Jesus would face death. We remember that as we recall in Communion the bread and the cup, the body and blood of Jesus given for us.
God knew that only through this Supreme act of love could Jesus His Son bring healing for the whole world.
Death was not the end of the story for Jesus. Death is not the end of the story for any one of us.
God had already spoken the word that His Son will live and as a result of Jesus being raised back to life, sin and disease and death does not control us!
In LISTENING FOR GOD today, hear His message of love that Jesus can heal and make us completely whole!! This is what He longs to do for anyone who will believe and come to Him in faith!