March 27 2006

Jn 4:43-54 At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him,“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him,“Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him,“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,‘Your son will live,”and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.
In this Gospel story, the man said that his son was healed just at the time that Jesus told him that his son will live. I view the story and the timing as the son being healed at the moment that the father believed what Jesus had just said. The belief in Jesus and the power of the Lord to save lives is a choice that we make.

I chose now to believe and from the time that I believe I see more than I ever saw in the times when I lived in the darkness of unbelief. The miracle of healing has the power of good and like a ripple of water spreads out from Jesus to the son to the father and the entire household of the father and son. The household could be compared to the kingdom of God.