The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.”Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.
True faith is a gift of God’s grace; there is no other explanation. We don’t deserve it, and there is no criteria for who gets it and who doesn’t. God loves us all without limit. This man is an official of the corrupt king Herod. The official is not one of the “pure” religious leaders or some pious local. He is, however, a father who has faith that Jesus will heal his son.
Faith cannot be manufactured; it is God’s gift to willing recipients. In the verse prior to this passage, Jesus says to the skeptical Galilean crowd, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” (4:48). A “seeing is believing” type of faith is false, and it is this type of faith that Jesus warns against in John 20:29 when Jesus confronts Thomas who refuses to believe in the resurrection until he sees and touches Christ’s wounds: “Then Jesus told [Thomas], ‘You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.’” In contrast, the official stands as an example of true faith. For the official believes Jesus at his word: “And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.” The official’s faith, moreover, does not begin at seeing “miraculous signs and wonders.” He believes and starts home to hear the good news of his son’s healing.
This text forces me to look at my own faith life. Am I a disciple of true faith, knowing that God’s will be done, not mine? Is my faith a willing offer to trust in God’s word? Or am I like the many skeptics of Galilee who scoff at Jesus, demanding he provide signs and wonders in order for me to believe?
I pray that we all listen intently to the love of God in our lives and have faith that he will provide the healing and strength that we need.
Have a blessed week!
Stan
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