Jesus is back in Cana of Galilee, the place where the turned water into wine (as John helpfully reminds us!) He's been away in Jerusalem, where he has driven all the traders out for the temple - and worked a number of miracles that john doesn't bother to list) and then returned through Samaria. John tells us about an individual encounter in each place: in Jerusalem it's Nicodemus, and in Samaria it's a woman who's had a colourful past who had come to draw water from the well. With both of them, the same themes emerge: Jesus is the life-giver, and his life can be received through faith.
So that's the background to this "second" sign. Now Jesus is back, he's a bit of a celebrity. It's a bit like Andy Murray coming home to Dunblane with the Wimbledon men's trophy, or the Pars coming home to Dunfermline victorious from Hampden. (I don't know which of these is more likely!) He's the local lad who has made a good impression in the big city. People are proud of him, crowding around him, hearing rumours of what he has done, some have seen what he had done. And one man travels the twenty miles or so from Capernaum. He's a Royal official, probably working for Herod Antipas. He comes to Jesus to ask him to heal his son who is at death's door. That took faith. His place while his son was dangerously ill was at the boy's bedside, or supporting his wife. Maybe, like a lot of men, he felt he would rather be doing something, anything to help. So instead of sending a servant, ho dashes off to Cana to get Jesus. There is an element of faith whenever someone calls out to God for help in a difficult situation.Jesus' response seems a wee bit prickly. But he's not actually criticising the official; he is talking more generally: "You people won't believe unless you see miracles." He's challenging something in the culture. There was an appetite for the spectacular. It varied from the attitude of Herod himself who was so pleased when Pilate sent Jesus over to him (Luke 23. 8), because he wanted to see a miracle from him; through to those who said "Come down from the cross and we will believe in you." (Mark 15. 32). There are still the same things today. There are those who will just gawp at healings and lap up stories of answered prayers, but it's only a matter of curiosity. Thes don't actually engage with what is happening. There are still those who take the attitude that if God will "prove himself" to them they will believe. And there are still those who will explain away a miracle. What's interesting is that Jesus knows all that. He won't ever let himself be just the genie we can call up when we need him, who says, "Your wish is my command." But that doesn't mean he's not going to help.
The official isn't put off. Faith is persistent. "Sir (literally, Lord), come down before my bairn dies!" His motive isn't curiosity, it's simply compassion. And that resonates with the heart of Jesus himself. He answers "Away home. Your son has revived. He's going to be OK." That was it. No laying on of hands; no oil; no prayer. Just "Away home: your son has revived. !" It is compassion that moves him. The motive for any healing or prayer ministry is not "proving something" but showing the Father's love.
And the official believes it will be as Jesus says, and goes home. He doesn't need to insist on Jesus coming down with him. He doesn't cajole or whine. He takes Jesus at his word and goes home to find out what has happened. That's another expression of faith: being able to obey what Jesus says.
And while he heads down towards the lake, he meets his servants, breathless with the good news that he boy has indeed revived, turned the corner. And the moment the fever left was the exact moment when Jesus spoke to the official. This was no coincidence. This was a clear healing miracle. A clear love-gift from Jesus to the official, his wee boy and his family. In response to that, the official "believed" - and so did all his household. That word again. The sign does what it is sent out to do. It demonstrates that Jesus is the life-giver; it shows the love of a heavenly Father. And faith grows. The official and his household believe. This isn't just the faith that comes hoping for a healing, or even the faith that persists in asking; it isn't even the faith that is prepared to take Jesus at his word and go home. This is a conversion; it is the kind of faith that makes a person committed to Jesus.
The official believes, with all his household. You will find once or twice in Acts, the same expression: it happened with Cornelius and "all his household". The Holy Spirit just got them. It happened in Philippi with a business woman called Lydia who was baptised, with all her household; then it happened with the Jailer at Philippi. Then it happened in Corinth where Crispus, the leader of the synagogue believed, with his entire household. So when the official believes, the circle of influence widens. Wife, children, slaves, soldiers attached to this VIP's household, became followers of Jesus. They were not just the people Jesus had been walking closely with. They were at the very least not the respectable Jews of the synagogue. If they were Herod's people, they were rich, careless about the law, and compromised with the Romans. Maybe they weren't Jews at all. They were - like the Samaritans - to some extent outsiders. That's what we want, right? All sorts of people, a rainbow of race and politics, class and culture, gender and age. We want to bring the prodigals and outsiders to believe in Jesus and commit to Him. Part of how we do that is through "signs" - ways of demonstrating that Jesus is the life giver and the one who loves all people. That happens through gifts, generosity and godliness, through charismata, compassion, and character.
As a Church we are "Learning to show the Father's love". But it's tempting to shy away from demonstration. We're afraid of sensation-seekers and freeloaders who are only here for what they can get. We don't want to encourage shallow, sensationalist and selfish versions of faith. We've seen that Jesus had the same concerns. But he was motivated by love, and in love he did the sign. Sure, Jesus said "Blessed are those who have not seen, yet have believed" but he never said anything against those who come to faith through what they see.
So let's not be halted by an immature or incomplete faith. Faith can develop and grow. As we show the father's love, we are motivated by love, and we introduce people to Jesus, the life giver. We will be able to help people along that faith journey to get to know Jesus.
And let's not be afraid of demonstration, of signs, of the miraculous. As long as we are motivated by compassion and love, and seeking to point to Jesus the life-giver, our "signs" - charismata, compassion and character - will draw all sorts of people to Jesus.
It would be tempting to stop there. But to stop there would leave it a s a matter of what we think. We need to take it to what we do. we need more than open-ness to the idea of demonstration Father's love. We need to pursue the practise of showing the Father;'s love, to press in to let God shape the signs in gifts, generosity and godliness. And to do that we need to develop our faith and to pray, to call out to God; have the faith to ask. Have the faith to pray with perseverance and passion, have the faith to do what Jesus says; have the faith to commit, for life!
© Gilmour Lilly July 2012
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