He Trusted His Word
John 4:43-54
Linden Heights Baptist Church
June 23rd, 2012
NRS John 4:43 When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee 44 (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). 45 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. 46 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. 47 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. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. 51 As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. 52 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.” 53 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. 54 Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.
INTRODUCTION
Can you push a man across Niagara Fall in a wheelbarrow is a different question from will you get in the wheelbarrow. Our Vacation Bible School themes change from year to year. This year as you can see we had a beach theme. While the theme shifts annually, the message of Vacation Bible School has been the same for every year that I have been a part of it. This is by design. We want this week to be a time when we intentionally emphasize the importance for our children to learn that Jesus loves them and wants them to be his followers. As you know with children it can be easy to manipulate a certain response. Let’s play follow the leader. Repeat after me, but we do not want to simply instill in our young people a formula to recite that creates the mistaken understanding that they have a relationship that is not there. This is a little like the scandal at the High School I taught at in North Carolina. Apparently a few teachers were giving their students the answers to the tests. They wanted to show results. They ultimately didn’t really respect what the tests would show, so they thought they would play the system. This is a temptation we can slip into as a church. We want to guard against.
Each night our young people looked at stories from the Bible. One of those stories was the passage I just read from this morning this story of the encounter between Jesus and an unnamed Royal Official. It’s a nice story so far as the ending is good. Here one finds this sick child healed. There isn’t too much drama to the narrative. It’s not exactly like the parable of the prodigal son. Often times the parables have an unexpected twist. This healing encounter creates certain specific challenges to the present day reader. It may almost like a book on Baptist History. This church wing was added in 1914 with proceeds from Sunday School class A…etc. The story may have some interest especially to a person who knows the individuals personally but beyond that it is dreadfully dull. It is dull because it doesn’t really have much relevance for us today. This story has a message for you today. Each of the stories included in John’s gospel are done so for a reason, and they are done so for the hearer for you. I want to suggest that this is meant more to be like a cooking show where you might decide to go to the store and give this recipe a try for supper tonight.
A PROPHET’S HOMETOWN
Jesus has been traveling and he is returning to the Galilee. This is a region in the northern part of Israel around the Sea of Galilee. There is a slight reference to the fact that his hometown did not receive him very well. It may be easy for us to glide over this passing remark. And yet I believe this detail is important. In the passage just prior to this morning’s lesson we find there were Samaritans who had received Jesus message. This was surprising because the Samaritans were a remnant that had intermarried with other cultures and had a distorted form of the worship of YHWH. But from this group people believed, and yet people from Jesus own hometown would not receive his message. We may from time to time misidentify just what challenges and obstacles we face to trusting in Jesus. It is a mistake to assume that if you only lived in Jesus’ day then you would find it much easier to believe. The obstacles to belief are no more and no less challenging that you are confronted with this very day.
In verse 46 we find the introduction of the main problem that will precipitate this encounter. There is a royal official in Capernaum whose son is very sick. We rightly emphasize that Jesus was a friend of sinners. We read in scripture that this was of concern to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. Look who he sits with. Look who he drinks with. These are prostitutes, tax collectors and other notorious sinners. Jesus welcomed and was welcomed by people on the margins. People are often on the margins for very real reasons. They have habits that hurt those around them. They have disappointed loved ones. They have brought shame on their family by neglecting important obligations. You know the feelings such behavior create especially when you or a loved one is on the short end of such a relationship. I want nothing to do with them. I just want them out of my life. In this encounter we find someone from a different social setting. Here we find a leader a royal official. He comes because he had a need.
A reason that we are drawn to power is that power gives the impression of giving us security. This is not an illusion. Power truly does offer a real difference that provides capabilities that would otherwise not be present. Take money for example. This is one form of power. I give this piece of paper given it has a large enough number on it, and I can receive in return what I want…at least many things. But power whether it is money, or might, or cleverness, or charm, is limited. And a sick child is a quick way to get the attention of someone who has lost sight of this. I am not suggesting that this child was intentionally made sick. I am just making the observation that these kinds of developments bring to stark contrast that which we have control over. There is a memorable line in the children’s story the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In this story Lucy is asked about the Lion figure Aslan. She is asked if he is safe a perfectly sensible question for someone to ask who is about to be in the presence of a lion. Lucy’s answer is quite illustrative of our place before God. Oh no he’s not safe, but he’s good. The question does a relationship with Jesus makes us safe, is misleading, because of how we understand safety. It may not be safe at all. But he is good.
FROM BELIEF TO BELIEF
The royal official came to Jesus begging. Jesus’ response is curious and puzzling. It is puzzling for a few reasons. Unless this generation sees signs and wonders they will never believe? It almost seems like he is grieving the obstinacy of people to receive him. I think perhaps this seems overly harsh to us today because we might share something in common with the crowds, with this man. We might assess or need in a similar way. He thought his greatest need at that moment was what was before him his severely sick son and in our minds this is a reasonable concern. But he is not coming to Jesus because of who Jesus is. He is coming for what he needs.
We know that Jesus did not go with the man. He simply told him that his son would be well. This strikes me as interesting for a number of reasons. There are times when Jesus healed people by touching them. In fact there are times when people by merely reaching out they are able to be healed when they have touched him. Jesus healed a blind man by spitting in the mud and rubbing this on his eyes. And yet here he simply says the words, go your son will be well. This to me is a great reminder of the power of God to bring healing. This encounter is interesting also because I think in many cases we might find the invitation to a royal official to be a nice thing. Let’s see how the other half lives. Let me get a peek into the White House. Jesus goes to the homes of the reviled. He passes in this moment. It is also interesting to note that this official believed…he trusted in Jesus’ words. He went home.
So the official returned home and he is met by his servant who brings him news that his son is better. He realizes that the son’s improved health coincided with his encounter with Jesus. And here in verse 53 we find the interesting part of the story. It is at this point that he believed who Jesus was. Didn’t he already believe when Jesus spoke to him about his son? He believed Jesus’ words. He trusted Jesus words and it was in trusting Jesus words that he came to believe who Jesus is. We tend to think of this is backwards. It seems more natural to us to begin with a conviction about who Jesus is. You believe who he is and then you believe his promises. I believe this telling of the encounter is clearly intentional. It is only in our experience of trusting in his promise that we come to discover who he really is.
CYNICISM
One of the greatest joys to me at Vacation Bible School is to see our children singing the songs of faith. There was a lot of singing this year and there was a lot of dancing. I will only critique my own dancing it wasn’t very good. Not least because of my well known deficiencies in the rhythm department, but the moves were so quick and complicated. It is fun to see the children dance with abandon. My greatest obstacle to dancing isn’t really rhythm. Not that my rhythm is good, but this isn’t my greatest obstacle. It is self-consciousness. I think a great obstacle to our trusting in Jesus’ promises is the cancer of cynicism. I think this often creeps into our ability to hear the words of Jesus. Cynicism may take many forms. These people just want my money. These people are doing this simply because they want something from me, my time, my affection what is the angle that is being worked here.
In the movie Finding Nemo there is a scene where Marlin and Dory find themselves deep near the ocean floor (for those not familiar with the story they are searching for Marlin’s lost son Nemo.) They are so deep it is very dark when to their surprise the see a light. This light catches their attention and they find themselves gazing at it. Only to find that this light is filament from the anterior fin of a anglerfish. Who needs creative monsters when you have the ocean. They escape but just barely. Cynicism is a lure it. It is a tool of predation. It seems to offer an explanation of human behavior which is safe predictable, negotiable, controllable.
Crises sharpens our focus upon those questions that are of most significant. Normally when we use the word crises we are thinking about some terribly bad set of circumstances a microburst that randomly tears apart a neighborhood. I am not going to argue about how one might appropriately use the word crises, but I am using it in a slightly different way. The English word crises is a borrowed word from Greek. In Greek Krisis means to judge. And it takes a little reflection to see the connection. When we are faced with decisions that will have an impact on our lives either direction or through the affect such decisions have on others this creates focus. But it doesn’t mean that we make the right decision.
CELEBRATION
So how should one responds to the message of this story from the Bible? We are called to make a decision about Jesus. Is he God? How might I know that? How might I know if I really even believe that? Hear his promise to you. Trust Him. Respond to him. This is what we Christians mean when we talk about making a personal profession of faith. If you have never done that for yourself, by yourself I hope you will this day. When I say something like this day, you might again be tempted to think I am trying to close a deal. After all the successful salesperson knows how to close the deal, I want you to make this decision free of pressure. But there is a risk not often recognized in the absence of a call to make the decision. We can fail to recognize there are other pressures other claims calling for our attention calling for decisions.
For some of you today you have made this decision maybe even many years ago. And yet you find your spiritual life filled with cynicism and bitterness. I think of a visit to a tractor show some years ago where I saw a tractor that had a tree growing right through it. Left in the woods the machine had some major challenges to get working again. In fact for the farmer the tractor had no more utility. It is not that the machine was unfixable. It was cost prohibitive for the output it could bring. We are not cost prohibitive in the eyes of the Lord. How do I move from this place forward to healing. Here is the way. Trust in the promises of Jesus. May God grant this for you and for me. Amen.
Reflections 