What would you do if your son were sick to the point of death? The doctors told you, “I’m sorry, there’s nothing more we can do. We have to wait and see.”? Desperation calls us to seek help wherever we can find it.
As we read John 4:43-54, we see what happens when a father desperately needs Jesus to heal his son.
Desperate Faith
Jesus had just returned to Cana of Galilee, and rumors had spread as far as Capernaum that Jesus was there. A desperate father, an official of the court of Herod Antipas, heard the news. So, he immediately traveled nearly 20 miles to plead with Jesus to come and heal his son.
Once more, He visited Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. 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. John 4:46-47 NIV.
The Heart of the Father
Imagine what courage, humility, and desperation it took for this father to leave his son’s side.. It was a life-or-death situation. Watch his son slowly die or seek the Healer?
Today, it would take us about 20 minutes to travel from Capernaum to Cana. However, it took this father two days to get to Jesus. There was a possibility that his son would die in his absence.
It would have been easier to send one of his servants to bring Jesus there, but he didn’t. There was no one else who could help now that his son lay at death’s door. This was the father’s love, not duty.
Genuine Faith
He wasn’t looking for a sign, so we wonder at Jesus’ response to the father:
“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” John 4:48 NIV.
We’ve learned, in the past, that Jesus knows a person by heart. Desperate faith is not the same as heartfelt faith. Desperate faith is for the moment; heartfelt faith is for a lifetime.
I’ve seen people come to church out of desperation, bow down at the altar, and pray for help. They find the answers they need, and when the trouble goes away, they never return to church.
Genuine faith is heartfelt.
The father’s response
Can you hear the father’s trembling voice, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
I would have expected my compassionate Jesus to walk with him to heal his son. The father could have forced Jesus to come, but he didn’t.
Jesus responded in a way that demanded heartfelt faith.
“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” John 4:50 NIV.
Jesus has a way of making sure we’re serious. If the father were too proud to take Him at his word, then maybe he didn’t believe that Jesus would heal his son. The watching crowd would know it too.
The Healer was not subject to time and space; His word alone had the power to heal.
So, the father took Him at His word and returned to his son. Those words would have to carry him all the way to Capernaum.
He took Jesus at His word.
His desperate faith had turned heartfelt. The father put his faith into action. He believed, and without seeing, trusted that Jesus had healed his son.
Seeing is not always believing.
Healing Turns into Heartfelt Faith
While he was on his way back, a servant came and told him that his son was well. He received a reward for his faith! Yet, we saw a little doubt creep in, and so he asked at what time the fever broke. The answer was at the same hour Jesus said it.
Now he and his household believed.
His desperate faith turned heartfelt. Honest faith impacts those around us. As an official in Herod’s court, he may have been mocked and criticized for his faith, but that didn’t matter. He knew that Jesus was the One who healed his son, and that was good enough for him.
Jesus Heals on Purpose
Jesus has no intention of exhibiting His power to heal to satisfy the curious. He’s still in the heart business. The healing of the father’s son was just the beginning.
I would like to imagine that he and his family were among those numbered in the upper room on Pentecost. There were 120 unnamed believers. Maybe his heartfelt faith became stronger. Was he among the 3,000 baptized in water after hearing Peter’s sermon in Acts 2? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t doubt it.
You can’t meet Jesus, take Him at His word, and remain unchanged.
Believe and watch what happens!
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see…And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. Heb 11:1 & 6 NLT.
Call to Action
What would you have done in the father’s place?
I don’t know what’s happening in your life. Do you have a sick son, a husband’s mild heart attack, a daughter drowning in sin sickness, or do you need healing?
You can take Him at His word. He is still in the healing business. He is trustworthy because He is worthy of our trust. His love is enduring, and His faithfulness does not fail.
When we take the Lord at His word, things change. The transformed soul never sees things the same. The mind devoted to the Lord thinks in a whole new way. Move in heartfelt faith and watch what happens.
He is called Trustworthy because He’s worthy of our trust.
My child, never forget the things I have taught you…Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your ones. Prov 3: 1a & 5-8 NLT.
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Sister bear, what a powerful message about Jesus, the ONE who knows who we are and He hears our groanings. Signs, Desperate Faith, Genuine Faith, Faith Working itself out,
Faith is the substance of thins hoped for the evidence of things not see. (Hebrew 11:1,6) Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God, must believe, that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.