Chapters 2-4 of John seem like a section with a “Sign” at the beginning and end. It begins and ends at Cana in Galilee, but in between, Jesus has been to Jerusalem – where he has driven the traders out of the Temple, performed many miraculous signs, had an important conversation with a Bible scholar called Nicodemus – and then he has stopped off in Samaria where he has had a great talk with a woman who though full of religious ideas had quite a messed up life. So now he's back in Galilee, where he was brought up; some of the locals have proudly told what they saw him do in Jerusalem so they are pleased to welcome the local boy who has made it in the city. John quotes the line about prophet having no honour in his own country. And for John, although Jesus was raised in Galilee, the place where he belongs by right, is Jerusalem. He is drawing the contrast between sophisticated Jerusalem where Jesus had a hard time and homespun Galilee where Jesus was accepted. And along comes this troubled “Royal Official.” He was either an army officer or a member of Herod’s civil service: if he was a soldier he would almost certainly be a gentile; if he was a member of Herod's retinue, he could have been a Jew, but probably not a very good law-keeping Jew. Either way, he was on the margins of religious respectability.
And this guy comes to Jesus. His son is desperately ill, at the point of death. He's heard about what Jesus did in Cana; he has heard what Jesus did in Jerusalem. He hopes that Jesus will do something for him in Capernaum. You can feel his pain. Previously, it was the matter of embarrassment and financial loss; this time it was a matter of life and death. Jesus, you saved the day at the wedding; you can save my boy.
And again, Jesus seems reluctant to get involved. Unless you people see signs, you wont' believe. And yes, sometimes we are mystified by Jesus' apparent reluctance to step in and do something. Why does he do that? We want to see a miracle. “God if you do a miracle, I'll believe in you!” And maybe we will. But Jesus is looking for a faith that will go beyond what we see. And even seeing a miracle doesn't always lead to faith!) Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen.
The NIV is right to say “Unless you people...” C K Barrett helpfully points out that both see and believe are plural: so Jesus isn't simply talking to the official but the crowd. I believe he does it because he wants us to grow real faith, and that means stepping out from the crowd.
And that is what happens with this official. The man presses home the urgency of the situation. Like Mary in chapter two, he isn't put off. He is different from the curious and and sensation-seeking crowd. He is motivated more than anything else, by compassion for his son. “Jesus, never mind the theology right now. Do something before it is too late!”
And Jesus says in effect “Okay, it's sorted. Go home. Your son is going to be fine.” No journey to Capernaum. No laying on of hands. No prayer. Just a promise. And with Jesus, a promise is as good as a miracle. That is the way the man sees things. He believes the word Jesus has spoken. (v. 50) So he goes home. That's a new expression of faith for the official. He believes , puts his trust in the word Jesus has spoken. So off he goes. I wonder how he was feeling as he rested on his way home? Maybe a bit apprehensive. “Will it be true? Will my son be better?” Maybe excitement. “It will be so good to see the lad strong and healthy!” I can only imagine!
And what wonderful news meets him the next day on the way home. Servants running along the road to meet him.. As he recognises them, there may have been that flutter of anxiety, just for a second – but he knows by their body language it's good news. “Master, your son is fine!” The man has one question: When did he start to get better? Was this some sot of a co-incidence?” And he was told “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” He can remember it so well. The very moment when he was talking to Jesus. Every detail of that conversation burned into his memory including the heat of the sun. What can he do? He and all his household believed. Whole households turning to Jesus was something that happened in the Church (Acts 16. 31; Acts 18. 8); the phrase “he and all his household” was probably one John had already heard – and it was just right to describe what happened in Capernaum. That's different from v. 50, where the official believed the word that Jesus had spoken. Here he simply believed. He accepted that Jesus was the Christ. It's about Jesus' glory, who he is. He put his trust in Jesus from that moment on. CK Barrett boldly says “he became a Christian!” I like that. From that moment, this outsider was committed to following Jesus. Like the disciples of a few weeks earlier, this outsider trusted in Jesus and committed his life to Jesus.
So this sign says what, exactly?
This story is a pointer to the nature of true faith and the ways faith grows.
Now these are not discrete boxes that are separate from one another. One kind of faith doesn't preclude the others. But the first two are markers along the way.
Firstly, there is faith that is associated with miracles. It's the “Wow!” faith that sees a miracle and says “Yes, Jesus is powerful!” It's the desperate faith that comes with a sense of urgency and need, looking for a miracle. There is nothing wrong with that sort of faith – you may start there; you may come back there – but you can't stop there. It's a faith that needs to grow.
Secondly, there is the faith that responds to the Word. It is the faith that believes the promises of God. We believe that what the Bible says is true. We believe God's word for us today. There is nothing wrong with that sort of faith. Indeed, we need the faith the hears and believes the Word. The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Romans 10. 17) So that kind of faith is necessary, and we do need to keep coming back to believe what God says to us in his word (instead of what our society tells us, or our inner broken emotions tell us).
Thirdly, there is a faith that is about allegiance not just agreement. It is about commitment not just creed. It is about belonging and behaviour not just believing. It involves a complete reorientation of a person's life; we no longer simply come asking Jesus for things. We no longer simply agree with Jesus' word. We hand our lives over to him. That is why – although John doesn't make a big thing of it – the marker of faith in Jesus is baptism: enacting burial of our old self and rising to new life with Jesus. Maybe at the beginning of this year we need to come back to the river – to re-state our baptismal commitment or if we've never done so to make that public commitment.
And the sign says something about Jesus.
It is about who Jesus is and what he does. Jesus the Word, the Messiah, the Lord, is worth trusting in.
He is Messiah.
He is the Christ. Not only Son of God but god the Son. All that God is, Jesus is. Eh deserves our adoration and worship
He is mighty.
- He has the power to heal, now. And he's not limited by time or space
- His word is reliable. His promise is as good as a miracle.
- He can make the miracle of transformation, rebirth, happen in our lives.
And he is on a mission.
He's for Jerusalem and Galilee. He's here for the sophisticated and educated; and he's here for the rough and ready farmers and fishermen. He's here for the people who live decent, respectable lives and he's here for the ones who cause all the bother. He's for Jews and non-Jews, insiders and outsiders. Jesus can bring salvation, healing and hope to any – even outsiders – who are able to take Him at his word, trust in him and commit themselves to living for him.
© Gilmour Lilly January 2016
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