Signs and Wonders

February 24 Signs and Wonders John 4:43-54

“Here, primarily, shines forth the humanity and kindness of Christ…. He asked that Christ would come and heal his son… it is worth noticing that although Christ does not grant his desire, He gives him far more than he asked.” John Calvin “Commentary on John” Vol. 4:113

Two days later, Jesus and His disciples left the Samaritans, many of whom had believed in Him, and they made their way to Galilee. There, Jesus received a warm reception, in contrast to the way in which He had been received in the south, but it was a reception based upon signs and wonders. A second contrast is also evident: the Samaritans had believed on the basis of the woman’s faith; the Galileans wanted miracles.

It was fairly common, at that time, to believe in the power of prayer, especially if that prayer was offered by an important rabbi. Families would sometimes invite rabbis to come to their homes to pray, to ask favors of God. Some months earlier, at Cana in Galilee, Jesus had performed His first miracle when, to spare His mother’s embarrassment, He had turned water into wine. Now, a second miracle was needed at Cana. A royal official, probably a man in the service of Herod Antipas, was beside himself with worry about his little boy. The child was sick, close to death. His father came to Jesus and asked that the rabbi would come to pray for his son, that he might be healed. The official was from Capernaum, some thirteen or so miles away, not an inconsiderable distance. Jesus’ response sounds almost like a rebuke to us, but it was not. Jesus wanted to do more than heal the child; He wanted to teach the father. The suffering man would learn that this wandering rabbi was not just good at interceding with God; His prayers were also effective over a distance. Jesus did not need to travel to Capernaum. One word from Him and the child was healed.

As a person under authority, the child’s father recognized authority when he saw it. He believed Jesus’ promise, so he hurried off home. Later, when he was met by some of his servants who had been sent to meet him, he learned the astonishing news that his son had begun to recover at the very time that Jesus had spoken. As a result, both he and his household believed.

We do not all grasp all there is of Jesus at the same time. For some, like the woman drawing water at Jacob’s well, revelation is almost immediate. She moved from unbelief to faith in a very brief space of time; it was as if the scales had fallen from her eyes and she saw Jesus, in all His glory. But for others vision comes more slowly. The anxious father saw, at first, only a teacher of exceptional power, whose prayers would be potent; but Jesus was still only a man. Later, he experienced the power of Jesus’ word. A promise was made and it proved to be good. The child recovered; but this was no co-incidence. The timing was perfect. Gradually it dawned upon him – this was more than a man, it was the Messiah.

In a sense, there is always more of Jesus for us to discover. Our faith may be partial or incomplete; we fail to recognize the Word made flesh. Then, we learn to take Him at His Word and to trust His promises, until our experience leads us beyond respect to reverence and thus to praise.

For further reading: Psalm 42