Healing of the Official’s Son

Jesus continues to surprise people with His authority and power. When a Roman official’s son falls ill in Capernaum, Jesus is at Cana in Galilee again. Capernaum is around 18 miles away from Cana, which is about a whole day’s walk. This man was so desperate for Jesus’ help that he made the journey to get Jesus to come to his home and heal his son. Jesus tells him to go home because his son will live. It’s amazing that this foreigner to the Jewish faith took Jesus at His word and went home only to find his son completely well. It turns out, on investigation, that he had recovered at the exact moment that Jesus said, ‘Your son will live’.

What power! What timing! What precision!

The Psalmist seemed to know this powerful God and his inimitable quality of sending his word to heal people (Psalm 107:20). The prophet Isaiah also spoke of the power of God’s word, which is incapable of returning void but instead will accomplish the purpose that God has for it (Isaiah 55:10-11). Jesus, God in the flesh, demonstrated this power to a gentile family and on seeing the miraculous bring to life a young child caused them all to put their trust in Him! The rest of the family didn’t see Him yet they trusted Him. What faith!

It all began with the faith of the official who dared believe that this man Jesus had supreme authority over sickness, that His very word would accomplish the healing! Any parent will know that proof is essential before we believe someone’s diagnosis of a child, but here was a man who just trusted the word of a small town rabbi.

How much do you trust God’s word to you?

Do you believe that every word of God that is written is His life-giving word for you?

In seasons of your life that are especially hard, is your reliance on God’s word or man’s assurances?

As you meditate on today’s scriptures, ask God to give you the grace and patience to wait for His Kairos (appointed) time. We cannot coerce God nor can we cajole Him into doing things on our schedule. He is sovereign and is working all things out for our good. Which means that while our lives are being knitted together by Him, He is also working out things in others lives and there are points of intersection and divergence that He is taking into account.

What looks chaotic and outside of our timeline to us is perfectly planned and executed by Him.