LEARNING DAILY
John 4:48-50,
So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”
The official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to
him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word Jesus spoke to him and
went on his way.
We were just
able to watch the service at Community Bible Church from last weekend. It is
quite neat to be able to watch a service later when not being able to attend in
person. Pastor Ed Newton spoke on John 4:46-54 when a man from Capernaum walked
20 miles to plead with Jesus to heal his son. Pastor emphasized the distance
traveled and the faith of the man who had come to plead for Jesus to heal his
son.
Jesus’
statement to the man and to the people hearing His voice seems a little
strange. Did he need to see a sign to believe? Pastor Newton clarified this
statement by saying “people often want Jesus to perform some sign or miracle without
wanting what was in the heart of Jesus”. This means that one’s knowledge and
having faith is often different. This man had heard about Jesus having the
ability to do the miraculous. Had he not turned water into wine at a marriage
ceremony in Cana? Pastor Newton said we cannot base whether we follow and serve
Jesus based on what He can do. He asked, “If you didn’t get what you wanted,
would you still follow Jesus?” I wonder if Jesus was going to do something to
challenge the man, to see if the man was really willing to trust Him. Jesus did
not make statements or ask question that had no purpose!
The official
said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” That was the father’s response to Jesus.
There was no theological debate. All he knows is that his son is “at the point
of death” and Jesus is the One who can heal him. Can you sense the need in the
father as he pleaded, as he begged Jesus to come with him? All he can think
about is getting Jesus to come with him in order to heal his son. Jesus is not
dismissing the father nor his need; He is testing the father’s faith. “Biblical
faith is not simply mental knowledge. It is an act of trust: choosing to rely
on those things we do know in spite of the things we don’t know” (online BibleRef.com).
This father knew Jesus had done the miraculous; he knew intellectually that He
could heal his son. He knows Jesus can do something. The question Jesus is
dealing with is the father’s faith.
“Jesus
said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word Jesus spoke to
him and went on his way.” Notice
the reaction by the father. “He did not ask for proof” (Pastor Newton). The man
had come to Jesus hoping that Jesus would do something. He left without Jesus
going with him, “believing” Jesus had done something. It takes trust to walk
away without Jesus going with Him. Somewhere between leaving Jesus and his
home, he meets his servants who tell him the fever has left his son. When asked
when that happened, he learns it was at the same time Jesus told him to go home
because his son will live.
The point
Jesus is making is that there will be people who will not believe without
seeing some sign or miracle. True biblical faith occurs when a person is
willing to walk away with only the promise that Jesus has saved you when you
acknowledge your sin and ask Him to forgive you. This type of faith comes from
one’s heart and is not a head knowledge. There are times a Believer must
believe in their heart that God knows their situation, hears their prayer(s)
even when we do not see or understand. We might not see what God is doing but
we can know that God is doing something. He sees our situation and has it under
His control.
The result
of the man’s encounter with Jesus was that he believed as did his entire household.
It was not the man’ knowledge that caused him to believe; it was His trust in
the only One who could bring healing to the man’s son. I do not know how long
it took to meet the servants on the way home, but the man’s trust must not have
diminished as he traveled. His prayer had been answered long before he met his
servants.
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