Faith in Action
Once more he visited Cana in Galilee … And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 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 … Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living John 4:46-47,49-51
It was in Cana of Galilee that Jesus turned water into wine (2:1-11). So this second miracle (of the seven John records) occurred in the same area. The ‘royal official’ would have been with Herod Antipas, the king of Galilee and Perea. Capernaum lay 27kms from Cana.
Obviously the royal official’s position in no way exempted him from potential tragedy. His son was critically ill and needed a miracle. The official might have seen Jesus performing miracles in Jerusalem, or heard from others in the area about the healings that followed when Jesus prayed for the sick (4:45).
He was desperate. God can seem distant to the casual seeker but He wasn’t to this man. ‘He went to him and begged him to come and heal his son.’ Ordinarily a royal official from the king would never stoop to make the journey to such a small town to seek out a controversial healer. We don’t even know if the official was a Jew. But he came and thank God he did.
‘Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.”’ What would the official do? If Jesus would only come with him, he would feel so much better about the outcome, and anyway, wasn’t his position in King Herod’s court enough to make Jesus want to come? Even Jesus response, ‘you may go,’ which is literally a single, emphatic command ‘Go’ might have made his hackles rise. He might have thought “Who are you to be telling me to ‘go’”? He could have given in to his pride and stormed off, but the wonder is, he didn’t.
‘The man took Jesus at his word and departed.’ This is faith in action. His faith was not resting on having seen miracles or even having heard about them from others. His faith rested on Jesus’ direct word to him.
‘While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.’ No doubt the father would have experienced the whole gamut of emotions, both on his way home and once his servants gave him the good news.
‘When he enquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour” (1pm). Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his household believed.’ (4:52-54).
The distinction between believing because we’ve seen something and believing on the strength of Jesus’ words remains crucial throughout John’s gospel. It reaches its final climax in Jesus’ gentle rebuke to Thomas, ‘Because you have seen me you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’ (20:29). This is our same challenge today. Will you believe the word of the Word made flesh, of the One who has been in God’s presence and brings God’s very words to us today?
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