Episode 35- Believing without seeing

John 4:43-54

43   After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.

46   So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus 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 on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, 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.

Before we get to the heart of this healing miracle, I’d like to address something about the very last verse we read. John writes “This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” (v. 54) At a cursory glance, one might think that John is telling us this is the second sign or miracle that Jesus worked. But, if you recall, John told us that Jesus was performing signs in Jerusalem at the Passover feast (John 2:23) . So, how do we take this? Is it a mistake? Has John quickly forgotten that Jesus had worked those miracles in Jerusalem? I don’t think so. Notice that John  qualifies this sign as the second one he did “when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” If you go back to John 1:43 we see the first time that Jesus goes from Judea to Galilee. It was while he was up there that he created the wine from the water just by speaking. Now, he returns to Galilee again from Judea via Samaria. 

With that cleared up, we could ask ourselves, “Why does John mention that it’s the second sign Jesus has worked in Galilee?” The text isn’t very clear on this. But, John’s recollection that Jesus himself had said, “A prophet has no honor in his own hometown” may give us an indication. Perhaps, this was John’s way of saying, that the people who had known Jesus all their life might have a difficult time believing that he is God’s Son. So, Jesus gave them evidence. He demonstrated more than once that he could do things no mere man could do. As we will see later in this book, Jesus points to the need for multiple witnesses to validate evidence of a truth. Therefore, he is providing multiple “witnesses” to his power and authority and by working more than one miracle he prevents any reasonable challenge that the first sign was a trick or a coincidence.

Moving on to the main part of this story, we learn that a man hears that Jesus is in Cana and he leaves Capenaum (in Galilee) to entreat Jesus to come to his home in order to heal the man’s dying son. Jesus responds in verse 48,  “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” Isn’t this a bit harsh? Does he have something against this man? What is happening is that while John records Jesus responding to the man, Jesus is actually indicting the crowd for needing a sign in order to believe. We know this because both occurrences of “you” in verse 48 are in the plural form; “unless you (all) see signs and wonders you (all) will not believe.”  The Samaritans believed his word, but not his own people. Does that remind you of John 1; “He came unto his own. But, his own did not receive him?” There is a principle here that it is better to believe without needing signs and wonders than believing by them. 

It’s an indictment against the people and it’s a challenge for the father whose son is dying. Yet, the man does not waver. In fact, I believe like the Samaritan woman, he demonstrates a little bit of faith. He simply replies, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” He demonstrates faith that Jesus is able to heal his son without Jesus actually having done it yet. Just like with the Samaritan woman, Jesus is now going to lead him farther into faith. He says, “Go! Your son will live.” John records that the man believed him and obeyed Jesus by beginning his journey home. The next day his workers met him and gave him the good news that the fever had left his son. When he inquired exactly when it began, he understood that it was the same hour that Jesus told him that his son would live. This awareness further confirmed the man’s faith and engendered faith among his household members as well. He understood that Jesus wasn’t a lucky guesser, or even someone with a special foresight. This was evidence that Jesus, the Word of God, could speak and instantly restore life and health from any distance. Jesus was so much more than he’d imagined. 

Sometimes God does things in people’s lives that seem to indicate His presence and power. But, God is calling us to trust Jesus by his word. Have you done that? Have you said to God, “God, I’m trusting you that Jesus is your one true Son, that you sent him into this world to show us who you are, that he died for our disobedient actions against you, and that you raised him from the dead giving us hope that he can and will someday speak as he did for this boy, and we who’ve had faith in him will be fully healed; even if we’ve already died. 

This sign demonstrates God’s patience to the feebleness of humans and our weak faith. It demonstrates his compassion and love. And it demonstrates his power is so great that even if Jesus isn’t physically present with us as he was with these people in Cana, he can speak and God’s actions are effective immediately.