The man believed ...

Then Jesus went back to Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. A government official was there whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to go to Capernaum and heal his son, who was about to die. Jesus said to him, “None of you will ever believe unless you see miracles and wonders”. “Sir,” replied the official, “Come with me before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go, your son will live!” The man believed Jesus’ words and went. On his way home his servants met him with the news, “Your boy is going to live!” He asked them at what time it was when his son got better, and they answered, “It was one o’clock yesterday afternoon when the fever left him.” Then the father remembered it was at that very hour that Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” So he and all his family believed. John 4:48

A government official, anxious that Jesus should follow him straight away to Capernaum where his son lay dying, approaches Jesus knowing that Jesus alone can bring the healing that he is seeking. He wants him to come and lay his hands on his son because he knows that this is how Jesus has brought healing to others. Jesus, in what may have been a slightly exasperated tone and probably a little fed up that people refuse to believe in him unless they can see tangible proof of his miracles exclaims, not perhaps so much to the official but to the crowd, "None of you will ever believe unless you see miracles and wonders!"

Jesus then turns to the official and tells him: “Your son will live". The official can do nothing but accept these words in faith, as he is a full day's journey from home. He must have faith in a miracle unseen. It isn't until the next day, as he arrives home, that he discovers that his prayer has been answered - his servants confirm that the healing took place at the exact hour that he was having his conversation with Jesus the previous day.

I often think about his journey home … did he walk that full day’s journey firm in the belief that his son was cured? … did he secretly harbour niggling doubts that his son might still be unwell? Was he astonished by the news that his servants brought to him, or did he greet the news without a flicker of surprise? Despite the fact that I like to think that he was completely normal and therefore did have small doubts, I suspect that in reality his faith in this unseen miracle and on this occasion was rock solid. Faith in Jesus’ power over our lives and in our prayer life is so important: indeed, in so many places in the Gospels Jesus reminds us of the necessity of faith in order to bring about the miracle. In Mark’s gospel, for instance, we hear of a visit Jesus made to Nazareth – his own home town – where ‘he could work no miracle … he was amazed at their lack of faith’ (Mark 6:5). Just imagine that for a moment … such was their lack of faith that could actually work no miracle!

But, going back to the official in this passage, we are told that “The man believed Jesus’ words and went”.

One of the difficult things about faith, especially in our current world which demands answers and explanations, is that we are required to believe in things unseen. Actually, it was much the same in Jesus’ day: in Matthew 16:4 we hear that Jesus castigates the Pharisees and Sadducees who have asked for a sign, “It is an evil and unfaithful generation that asks for a sign!” The official’s request for a miracle was witnessed by an entire crowd but the actual fulfilment of this miracle was hidden from them all: it was witnessed only by the servants, a whole day’s journey away.

This is therefore an account which should challenge our attitude to Jesus and his power. The whole Gospel is calling us to have faith in things unseen. We are living here and now in the 21st century and the faith that is being asked of us is no more than what was asked of the man in this story. He knew of Jesus and he met him. So far, that is no different for us, for we know of him through the Bible and we meet him in so many ways but, primarily, of course, in the Eucharist. But, do we believe? Do we have faith?

We need to ask ourselves, to what extend do I know that Jesus is powerful? To what extend do I know that Jesus can work miracles in my life? Do I approach him, as the man in this story approached him, with faith in what he can do for us?

The faith of the official is the sort of faith which is required of us if the full potential of God’s healing hand over our lives is to be completely realised. And this passage, above all, serves to remind us of the omnipotence of Jesus: His power cannot be confined in any way or by anything whatsoever. It is not confined by location or time, it transcends all and is absolute.

This should be a great encouragement for us to have faith in Jesus' power over not only our own lives but the lives of those for whom we pray. It may be that those for whom we pray are at a distance from us, either physically or spiritually.

Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. Matt 7:7.