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Our Lord Jesus is not a vending machine.

Posted by RuthAnn Nicholls , 11 June 2011 · 1322 views

"After the two days he went out from there and went into Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when he came into Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the things that he did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they also went to the feast. Jesus came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water into wine. There was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to him, and begged him that he would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe."
The nobleman said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "Go your way. Your son lives." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. As he was now going down, his servants met him and reported, saying "Your child lives!" So he inquired of them the hour when he began to get better. They said therefore to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him." So the father knew that it was at that hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." He believed, as did his whole house. This is again the second sign that Jesus did, having come out of Judea into Galilee.
(John 4:43-54 WEB)

 

The Lord had spent 2 days in Samaria.
Then he went on to Galilee.

 

John 4:43 -54 is about the second miracle or sign in Galilee: The official's son is healed.

 

The event of the woman at the well in Samaria ended with the people saying that Jesus is the Savior of the world! John 4:42.
These were not Jews. These were Gentiles.
It foreshadows Jesus' future reception from the Gentile nations.
In this section of John, the author anticipates the coming crisis of the rejection of Jesus by the Jews.
The 'prophet has no honor in his own country'. Matt 13:57.

 

John 1:11 He came to his own, and those who were his own didn't receive him.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God's children, to those who believe in his name:
His "own" did not receive him, both in his native Galilee and more so in Jerusalem.

 

This story of the healing of the official's son is about true faith.

 

Jesus had stated his wish to avoid the rivalries which had developed with John the Baptist and he was returning to Galilee for that reason, as I recall.

 

The welcome he receives is warm outwardly. Jesus is a 'native son' and the enthusiasm that the people showed to Jesus in Jerusalem during the Passover was seen by those from Galilee who had traveled to Jerusalem during this holiday.

 

Jesus returns to Cana, scene of the first miracle or sign and is met by a man in great personal distress. He is a royal official, who probably works for Herod Antipas.

 

Interesting that this second miracle is also in Cana and I think the only 2 miracles he performed in Galilee.

 

The official's son is critically ill at home in Capernaum, which is 20 miles away. Jesus' 'water into wine' miracle is probably known through out the region, and in Capernaum and by this official. On the basis of this faith in the supernatural power of Jesus, he begs the Lord to come to his home and heal his son. His plea is for Jesus to come down the mountain from Cana to Caparnaum. (Refer to the map: Cana is in mountains west of Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is on north shore of the Sea of Galilee.)

 

At first Jesus' statement seems a little cool, impersonal.
John 4:48 Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe."
I think this was stated to the Galileans as a group, as well as the father.

 

Jesus seems a bit cool and impersonal in a couple of other instances, with his mother at the Cana wedding and others. He calls his mom, 'woman' and says his time hasn't yet come. But she, on faith and obedience, tells the servants to do as Jesus says. And in Mark 7 the Syrophoenician woman begged Jesus to cast the demons from her daughter. Jesus said it was not fitting to take the childrens' bread and throw it to the dogs. Jesus had come to the Jews and this lady was Gentile. But the lady speaks of even the dogs receive crumbs from the childrens' plates. These people had wrestled with Jesus over their need.

 

The seeming refusal on Jesus' part provokes a more earnest plea by the official.

 

John 4:49 The nobleman said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

 

John 4:50 Jesus said to him, "Go your way. Your son lives." Still, seems a little impersonal and casual, which created a decision to believe or not to believe in Jesus. The official could have insisted that Jesus come with him to his son to heal him. But he instead, believed the Lord's word. The official left for his home.

 

The 20 mile trip by foot would have required a stop for the night so it was not til the next day that the official runs into his servants on the way to meet him with good news!! His son has recovered!!!

 

People are amazed at coincidences! And in checking the time that the son was well again shows it was the exact time that Jesus pronounced his son alive! One o'clock in the afternoon! (7th hour).

 

So the official and his whole household professed their faith in Jesus!

 

John has already specified the absolute necessity of faith for salvation in John 1:12 and here it is again emphasized as necessary for the the human side of Jesus' power in us. (Our faith).
And the boy is never in the direct presence of our Lord but that does not limit Jesus' ability to minister to his need.

 

This also emphasizes the limits of a 'faith' based merely on miracles. Jesus will not be used for this so called faith at that superficial level. It's almost like a tit for tat faith:
"IF you answer my prayer and give me this thing I want/need, I will believe in you."

 

Jesus does answer such prayers more often than John 4:48 might lead us to believe.
John 4:48 Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders, you will in no way believe."

 

BUT faith based on miracles is not true faith. This faith does not honor God since it serves us rather than the Lord. We are left with the error that we may dictate terms and conditions to God.

 

Miracles may have a value as a starting point for a person in that they make one aware of God's reality, but without maturation as a disciple of Jesus, true faith does not appear.

 

In 1995, I had returned to Jesus, his lost sheep. I had no friends who were believers. But God taught me as I read his word and I again learned to pray. I had began to pray for people I knew needed a physical healing. And my daughter told me of people who needed healing too. These I prayed for with urgency and anxiety. At that time, my Lord God healed to the fullest each person I prayed for! It was a special time. He was showing me that I could trust him. Next, I needed to obey. His next lessons to me were more difficult.

 

There must be obedience to his commands and trust for true faith to be shown and become a reality. In this we don't dictate the terms of our relationship with Jesus, we exist for HIM, not he for us.
It is then that we truly believe.

 

In the encounter with the official, the father of the critically ill son, even greater at stake was the salvation of the father! The healing of the father's spirit which became a blessing to the entire family. And the entire household was healed, saved! Just like the woman at the well! She believed and told the entire village and they believed as well!

 

This official's 2 day trip to Cana also shows us the quality we need in our prayer. His anxiety over his son drove him to this big trip to see Jesus, his only hope. And this trip to Jesus was up the mountain! 2 days of walking up the mountain! How little of this kind of passion is in our own prayer life?
We should pray as Jacob did:

 

Gen. 32:26 The man said, "Let me go, for the day breaks." Jacob said, "I won't let you go, unless you bless me."

 

This insistence in our prayers of "not letting go until you bless me" is true prayer. Jesus taught this kind of prayer for us in the woman who tenaciously kept coming to a judge for justice against her enemy. The judge finally gave in. And Jesus said that he would give justice even more so than this judge when we 'cry out to him'.

 

These miracles, these changed lives reveal, in the end, the glory of Christ Jesus.

 

He is all sufficient for us and his will for us is the path we will choose as his disciples.

 

EDIT:
I really shouldn't write these til the Word has sifted my brain for a while. Over the past few days I see some thing I didn't quite get. And although I know my thoughts in this blog seem sometimes disconnected, they aren't really, to me. Haha I should take a writing class!

 

But let me add this:
It does take challenges to grow in any way. It's true for plants, trees, humans. Remember the muscle only grows when challenged, injured, then healed again.

 

The Lord knew how to grow the faith of these people. CHALLENGE THEM!!!






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