After two days Jesus continued on His way to Galilee. They had a very different pace of life to us! John refers to an earlier statement from Jesus about a prophet not being honoured in his home town (Lk 4:24). Surprisingly, he then says that the Galileans welcomed Him. They had seen what He had done at Passover time (John 2:13-25), this included various signs and also the clearing of the temple.
Jesus also went to Cana, where He had turned water into wine. A royal official whose son was ill came to Him and begged Jesus to come to his house and heal his son. Now this seems a perfectly reasonable thing to do, and even showing some faith. He had seen, or heard, about Jesus doing miracles, and so believed that Jesus could heal his son.
Jesus response was to say "unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe". Some commentators (including the notes in my study Bible) take this as a rebuke. However, at least from the reading in the TNIV, it is not necessary to read it as a rebuke. We could take it instead as a simple statement of fact. These people needed to see miracles in order to believe, for this is what in fact happened with the official. The offcial asked Jesus to come, instead Jesus simply told the man to go for his son would live. The man obeyed and trusted Jesus, and sure enough his son was healed. Clearly he had travelled quite a way to see Jesus, for it took him a day to get back (v52).
The son had been healed at the exact time that Jesus had said he would live. So the official and his household believed.
The man had acted in faith (and this involved some effort), but Jesus sought to expand the man's faith. Sometimes we will go to Jesus in faith, but He will not answer in the way we expect, but in an even better way. We need to be like the official who "took Jesus at His word".
Jesus also went to Cana, where He had turned water into wine. A royal official whose son was ill came to Him and begged Jesus to come to his house and heal his son. Now this seems a perfectly reasonable thing to do, and even showing some faith. He had seen, or heard, about Jesus doing miracles, and so believed that Jesus could heal his son.
Jesus response was to say "unless you people see signs and wonders you will never believe". Some commentators (including the notes in my study Bible) take this as a rebuke. However, at least from the reading in the TNIV, it is not necessary to read it as a rebuke. We could take it instead as a simple statement of fact. These people needed to see miracles in order to believe, for this is what in fact happened with the official. The offcial asked Jesus to come, instead Jesus simply told the man to go for his son would live. The man obeyed and trusted Jesus, and sure enough his son was healed. Clearly he had travelled quite a way to see Jesus, for it took him a day to get back (v52).
The son had been healed at the exact time that Jesus had said he would live. So the official and his household believed.
The man had acted in faith (and this involved some effort), but Jesus sought to expand the man's faith. Sometimes we will go to Jesus in faith, but He will not answer in the way we expect, but in an even better way. We need to be like the official who "took Jesus at His word".
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