John 4:46 – 54 Second sign – Healing the Official’s Son
(Joe Stehle)
John 4:46-54 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
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Our passage today starts simply – “He came again to Cana, where he had made the water wine” – then tells us about an official in Capernaum whose son is near death. This sounds almost casual to us today, since Capernaum is only about 20 miles from Cana, but when we stop to consider what it was like then, there is more to the story. First, the fact that news of Jesus going back to Cana spread quickly to Capernaum tells us of the interest in the signs of Jesus’ ministry. Second, since there was no Children’s Hospital in Capernaum, the official needed to make a long trip to help his son. Can you imagine walking 20 miles to try to get help?
Verse 50 is a beautiful picture of both care and obedience. Jesus responded to the official’s plea with a simple message. “Go, your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. The confirming detail encourages faith – the time when the fever left the son was exactly when Jesus said he would live. “And he himself believed, and all his household.”
Please pray that each of us can live our lives with the certain faith demonstrated by the official. Please pray also that the officials of Greenfield and Pittsburgh who will be open to our work and our building project and provide any required zoning approval.
Weekly Prayer Focus: New Building Design Process
Daily Prayer Request: For Zoning Approval. In order to proceed, we will need to have our plans for renovation and construction approved by the zoning board. In particular, we will need to deal with parking constraints and prove we have enough available spaces. Please pray for God’s guidance and grace in that process.