Arrivals Delayed
John 4:46-54
Some messages that are meant to heal can also hurt.
Photo by Kostiantyn Trundaiev on Unsplash
Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his entire household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee. - John 4:46-54
A dear friend of over fifty years passed away late last week.
I like to think that my wife, who passed away almost two years ago, was there to greet him upon his arrival.
When we read of Jesus or Isaiah giving a parent the life of their child, we can’t help but ask why? Why not my child? Why not my friend? Why not my spouse?
And we have good reason to ask that question. If we believe that the ultimate joy in life is to reach that final destination, then delaying our scheduled arrival could be harmful or at least selfish.
When stacked up against all of eternity, the time we have in this mortal state is but a fraction of a second. We are like the mayfly, which lives only one day.
We are mere tourists on this planet, and we all have different itineraries.
So, why did Elijah bring the widow’s son back to life, and why did Jesus help restore the official’s son?
In both cases, it was not about the sick, dying child. It was about the widow who would have no means of support without a son, and the official who could help spread the good news of Jesus as savior.
That sounds a bit heartless in a way, at least in Jesus’ case.
I know my friend Barry, and I know he is in his element now, playing the piano or organ for Jesus accompanied by all the angels and souls singing with him.
Each of us will be in our glory when we finally arrive, but from where we sit today, that final stop on the road is what we dread.
A child was born yesterday. A beautiful baby, the granddaughter of a dear friend, and that new life warms the hearts of all who lost loved ones.
That is God’s gift to all of us who are left behind for a while after the ones we loved went on ahead.
So, maybe it is unfair that some are cured and others die, but the result is merely a delayed arrival at the final destination.
Unlike a delay at the airport, we should enjoy every moment of our delay, for soon, we will be called to board the flight.
More to come...