The Healing Thread
John 4:43-54
Do I sense some hesitation on Jesus’s part?
Photo by Trương Tuyết Ly on Unsplash
When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival. 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 4:43-54
When the royal official came to Jesus and asked for healing for his dying son, Jesus made a comment about the request.
Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.
But the official didn’t take that as an answer. He persuaded, politely. Sir, please...
The faith was real. The man believed Jesus could save his son’s life. And it was that faith that healed him.
Who was healed?
First, the man was healed of all doubt and uncertainty. He put 100% of his trust in Jesus. Yes, he probably had no place else to go, but he believed this was going to work. And he didn’t give up or get discouraged.
I believe that the healing happens first in our souls when we come to Jesus for help.
The connection between Jesus and the boy was the father. He had to be healed first, and though we don’t see that explicitly, we can imagine that the thread of healing, the spine of the Holy Spirit working through all parties, reached from Jesus to the boy, through the father.
This unbroken thread is what holds us all together.
It is our lifeline, with God at one end, and each of us at nodes along the way.
We see this work with prayer circles. People get together to pray for someone and do so fervently. They make sure there is a connection from one to the other, from the core of the group, where God is, to the outer extremities, where the people in need of prayer are.
The Holy Spirit is that thread that holds us and binds us.
There is no way to prove this. You can take it as pure speculation or theory, and that’s fine. But when the moment comes when you need help fr yourself or for a loved one, you will probably pull on that thread, and it will tighten.
All the nodes will align, and faith will reveal itself through action.
The healing nodes will light up and the thread will do its work.
So, Jesus made a comment. You want wonders. There are wonders all around you and you don’t see them.
Sir, please...
Yes. Your faith is all you need.
More to come...