Wednesday 05 July 2023
- Bible Book:
- John
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.' (v. 52)
Background
We continue our journey towards the end of chapter four by reflecting on a miracle Jesus performs for a royal official in Capernaum, Galilee. We are reminded that Jesus performed an earlier miracle in Cana, Galilee. This was for a Jewish gathering, where water was turned into wine for the guests at a wedding. Having just read about Samaritans accepting Jesus, we see here a Gentile – a non-Jew – approaching Jesus. If we read the corresponding accounts of John’s story in Matthew (8:5-13) or Luke (7:1-10), the official in question is named as a Roman centurion. Subtly John reminds us that the message Jesus brings is for all people. All can enter relationship with God through faith.
Jesus questions this official’s faith, suggesting it takes the form of evidence – signs and wonders – but the official presses on, suggesting he knows his child will live if Jesus intervenes. Our translations often suggest the response of Jesus is for a future event: "your son will live" (v. 50). However, the Greek word Zao means ‘to be among the living’ and is used in the present, not future, tense. This is borne out when the official returns to find the very moment Jesus spoke those words, the boy recovered. As a result, the faith of the father flows through the entire household. In Roman times, the household would not be simply the family, but all the servants and those connected with the family. The miracle caused many within a non-Jewish community to believe in Jesus.
To Ponder:
- What caused the official to believe so strongly in Jesus, do you think?
- Why was it important for John to record the events of Jesus’ encounters with the woman at the well and the royal official in the same chapter?
Prayer:
We pray that our journey of faith will be an ever-developing one and, as we encounter others, may God help us to journey alongside one another.