Cana Revisited

The second of John's seven signs of Jesus also happens at Cana.

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 whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee. - John 4:46-54

The healing of the young boy by Jesus happens without Jesus ever seeing the child.  It is a sign of the extensive power of God.  The child is healed from a distance, without contact.

Even though Jesus says the man just needs a sign to believe, he chooses to help him.  Although the man comes to Jesus with the hope of a cure for his son, he doesn't truly believe until he hears that his boy's fever has broken.

This is a perfect sign for us today, living in a time of isolation, where contact is remote and virtual.  It shows us that we do not have to come to Jesus with faith, but we can leave with faith, even if we do not feel his presence.  All we need, as John points out throughout his Gospel, is a sign.

We can come to Jesus with the hope of salvation, and leave knowing we are truly saved and redeemed.  That is the good news of God's love and mercy.

So, in our remote access world, it is important that we remain connected, that we have hope for we will never find faith by staying away.

We may all know people who are lonely and depressed.  Why not invite them to come join the virtual gathering and leave with a dose of faith, having arrived with the hope of overcoming the loneliness?

More to come...