Gospel JN 4:43-54
At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.
Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.
Reflection:
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
At the time of today’s gospel story, Jesus had traveled through many cities; He had become well known as a prophet and a healer. Many people had already come to believe that He was the long awaited Messiah.
I try to put myself into the mind and heart of the royal official whose son was dying. I doubt he was wrestling with deep theological questions or whether Jesus was truly the Son of God. The royal official’s son was “near death” and his only thought must have been, “Can this man save my son?”
Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
Jesus’ response was sharp and His frustration was evident.
Like us, Jesus was human in all things except sin. (Hebrews 4:15)
But the father whose son was dying did not take exception; he remained humble for his only concern was that his son should not die.
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
“The man believed what Jesus said….”
The essence of faith is that it does not demand guarantees.
Faith is born from seeds of hope.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live.”
The royal official’s faith in Jesus’ promise, “your son will live” was justified by the healing of his son…..“and he and his whole household came to believe.”
But, what about those who pray for a miracle that does not come about?
Is my faith in Jesus strong enough that I can continue to “believe” that my “seeds of hope” will bloom in ways that I could never have imagined?
As I look back upon my life, I recognize that many things I have prayed for would not always have been best for me in the long run.
In retrospect, I see how God’s will has come about for me, and that God truly does know best.
“Jesus is the key to Heaven but faith unlocks the door.” Unknown