Jesus healed a lot of people during his ministry. All over the place in the gospels, we hear about people bringing him people who are blind, mute, paralyzed, demon-possessed, etc. It's maybe one of the most distinctive features about his ministry. But because I read about these healings so often, it can be easy for me to just skip over them in my study. It becomes same old, same old.
At my small group Bible study the other night, we were talking about the healing of the official's son in John 4, when an idea came running through my mind that I had never thought of before. In John 4:46-54, an official comes to Jesus and asks that he would heal his son, who is ill and near death. Jesus tells the man to go home and that his son would live. As he's on his way, some of his servants meet him and inform him that his son is beginning to recover, noting that his turnaround happened at the same time Jesus was speaking with the official.
In our discussion, we were talking about why this story is included in John's gospel. Every healing that Jesus did isn't recorded in the gospels, and John includes less miracles than the other three. So why pick this one?
There is something unique about this story about the official's son, and it's something that I think can teach us as well. The official gives us an important lesson in faith. The way in which his son was healed is a little different than most of the healings Jesus did. In most cases, there is no time between when Jesus declares healing and when we see the person healed. If I bring my demon-possessed kid to Jesus and ask him to cast out the demon, he does it and I see right away that what Jesus said has come to be. But in the case of this official, there is a waiting period. Jesus announces that his son would be healed, and then the man has to turn around and walk home, not really sure if Jesus had actually healed his son or if it was just an empty promise. He's on the road for an entire day before he finds out that his son is recovering. He's walking that road without confirmation that what Jesus says actually happens. But the text tells us that, while he was on the road, this man believed that what Jesus said would be true (Jn. 4:50). He had faith in Jesus' promise, even though he couldn't see its fulfillment quite yet.
I find this interesting, especially in the context of John's gospel. John tells us about some other promises that Jesus makes. For example, in the fourteenth chapter, Jesus says that he is leaving to prepare a place for his followers. He says that he'll return and take us there with him. He promises to send his disciples another Counselor, the Holy Spirit, in the meantime. He says that if we remain in him the way a branch remains connected to the vine, we'll bear much fruit. He says that we'll have trouble in the world, but that we can be confident because he has overcome the world.
What do we do with all these promises? We adopt the attitude of the official in John 4. We believe. We have faith. Even when we can't see how or when Jesus' promises will come to fulfillment, we trust in him nonetheless. Of course, some of the promises Jesus makes in John have already been fulfilled. The Holy Spirit came to the church at Pentecost in Acts 2. But for some of those other promises, we haven't experienced the end result yet. We're still waiting for Jesus to come get us and take us to the Father's house. We're living in this time between the announcement of blessing and its manifestation. We're walking that same road the official walked--from Jesus to his son, waiting to hear that Jesus was right.
So my encouragement is simple. Believe. Jesus has made good on all his promises so far. And there are times when life seems too out of control, too tragic, for him to bring good into it. It tests our patience and our perseverance. But Jesus proves true. The challenge for us is to trustfully follow.
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