City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Caperna-um there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live”; and he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

John 4:46-54

Commentary

As easy as miracles were for Jesus to perform, Jesus made it clear that He was not bending the laws of nature only to meet an immediate need. As mentioned in my post last week, even with the miracle at the wedding at Cana, Jesus turned water into wine to turn people to Him. 

Here, in the same town, is another example. An official from Herod’s government comes to Jesus because the official’s son is sick. The official obviously believes Jesus is able to heal his son. He left his critically ill son and traveled all the  way from Capernaum to Cana—a 7 hour walk–to get to Jesus, and he was begging Jesus to come back to Capernaum to heal his son. 

Yet Jesus responds, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” (v. 48). This seems like an odd response until one realizes Jesus is not talking about believing in His ability to heal but His ability to save, that He is not only a healer but the Messiah. Jesus knows He is getting ready to do a miracle, but He wants to make sure the official and all who are listening understand the significance of the miracle. 

Another example is when Jesus forgave the sins of the paralytic. Before Jesus healed him He made it clear He was doing so “that you may know that the Son of God has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Matthew 9:4-6. Jesus’ miracle — something they could see — was the evidence of something they could not see — His divine authority as the Messiah to forgive sins.

Application

In response to Jesus’ statement the official asks Jesus to come to Capernaum “before my child dies,” again confirming his belief Jesus could heal.  Jesus then heals the official’s son remotely. When the official meets his servants on his way back to Capernaum and he realizes Jesus did indeed heal his son remotely, “he himself believed, and all his household.”  

But what he believed then was not that Jesus could heal—that is the belief that led him to Jesus–but the the belief that Jesus could save, that He was who He said He was, that He was the Messiah.  The official told his family the whole story and they also came to believe Jesus was the Messiah.

Miracles are signposts. Miracles do not just demonstrate to people what Jesus can do; they demonstrate to people who He is.

Prayer

Lord, please use the miracles You have done in my life to help me turn people to You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.