6 As he traveled through Galilee, he came to Cana, where he had turned the water into wine. There was a government official in nearby Capernaum whose son was very sick. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Jesus to come to Capernaum to heal his son, who was about to die.

48 Jesus asked, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” 49 The official pleaded, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.” 50 Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son will live!” And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.

51 While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well. 52 He asked them when [he] had begun to get better, and they replied, “Yesterday afternoon at one o’clock his fever suddenly disappeared!” 53 Then the father realized that that was the very time Jesus had told him, “Your son will live.” And he and his entire household believed in Jesus. 

54 This was the second miraculous sign Jesus did in Galilee after coming from Judea.

John 4:43-54 (NLT)

Remote healing

This was the second of 7 signs John specifically highlighted. John shares in John 20:30-31 that there were many more that he didn’t record. This is one of the few that were done remotely – a sure sign of power.

Take a moment to allow your imagination to take you there. This desperate father walks 6 hours (see map) to beg this miracle worker, his last hope, to come heal his son. Jesus speaks the word of healing and tells dad to go home in faith, knowing his son is healed. He finds out the timing was exactly when Jesus spoke the word.

Tenacious faith

I love how this father didn’t allow anything to deter him from accomplishing his goal of seeing his son healed. Of course he wanted Jesus to come to his home and do the healing but his faith was so strong (tenacious) that he took Jesus at his word and headed back to Capernaum. It seems like he completely ignores the reprimand from Jesus (which was to the people, not just him) and says, “Okay, but I don’t care about signs and wonders, I just want you to come now to heal my son!”

He surely believed at the point of hearing Jesus’ words of healing – otherwise he would have insisted on Jesus coming to his home. When he received the news of the timing, his faith was bolstered. When he saw his son healthy, the faith was confirmed. And it spread to his household…and probably neighbors. 

<- Reflection ->

• Do you have that kind of tenacious faith? If you’ve dealt with a serious life issue, you’ll know.
• As you read and study these accounts from the life of Jesus, do you have a feeling similar to mine? The more I read, the more I wish I could have been there – not just to see these miracles, but to see Jesus and know Him personally in the flesh.