Ecclesia Princeton
Ecclesia Princeton
7 Signs: Lent 2025- Lydia Andres: The Healing Of The Official’s Son
Ecclesia intern invites us to behold Jesus in wonder and respond to him in trust.
I'm going to start off this morning by reading from John 4, verses 46 through 54. You can follow along in a Bible if you brought one, or I've got slides in the back. I'm reading from the NIV translation this morning, so hear these words from the book that we love Once more. He visited Cana from Galilee, where he had turned water into wine, and there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick in Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. Unless you peoples see signs and wonders, jesus told him, you will never believe. The royal official said sir, come down before my child dies. Go, jesus said your son will live. Go, jesus, said your son will live. The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on his way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him yesterday, at one in the afternoon, his fever left him. Then his father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus said to him your son will live. So he and his whole household believed. This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea in Galilee. This is the word of the Lord Signs and wonders.
Speaker 1:When I hear the word wonders, my mind immediately begins to think about the things I've seen in the world and wondered at Sometimes, maybe. When I say wonders, perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is the seven wonders of the ancient world. I was able to go and visit one of these wonders recently. Craig, if you could throw up the first slide, there it is. This is the wonder I was able to see last summer. This is the temple to Artemis, or at least what's left of it. Now, while this wonder did not cause me to stop and stare and wonder because of its great size or detail, no, this wonder caused me to laugh, as this is a pillar, it's a singular pillar, and there's a family of birds making their home at the top of it. And there's a family of birds making their home at the top of it. But there are other places and things that I have stopped to wonder at.
Speaker 1:I paused to wonder at the theater in Hierapolis, hiking down the large stairs to see the ornate details that made up the stage, amazed at the construction of these stone blocks. I was left in wonder at the knowledge that these people had while building it, that they made a design that would give the natural amplification of the voice even to the seats in the back. I yet again paused at the man-made details when I looked at the ceilings of a once church then turned mosque at the church of Korah. The ceiling depicting the birth story of Mary and Jesus and then the story of Jesus, the colors still singing of this vibrant song of the Savior and his life.
Speaker 1:But it's not just human-made buildings that I've had cause to pause and wonder about. Most commonly, I'm caused to pause and wonder at the world around me, particularly at the sky the way that the sun catches in a fluffy cloud as the sun sets, casting a glorious array of colors into the sky, the sun disappearing for a time, moving us from a bright blue sky of the day to the sky adorned in color, to darkening and moving us into the next rhythm of the day. And then we look back up to the stars that have come out and perhaps you begin to wonder just how big the universe is, or how far out and large each star is, or perhaps you begin to wonder how they got there and what their purpose is. I'm constantly left in wonder at something so expansive. And yet if we believe that God is infinite, then we also believe that God is far larger than the universe could ever hold.
Speaker 1:Nehemiah 9, verse 6, declares that you alone are the Lord. You've made the heavens, the heavens of the heavens, with all their hosts, the earth and all that is in it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to them and the heavenly host bows before you them and the heavenly host bows before you. So we pause to think about the one who made the heavens and earth, the gift that we are given to have a planet where the temperatures are safe to live and air that we can breathe. And in this process of reflecting and wandering, the sky has become a wonder that points us to the one who gave us the sky to live under. The sky has once again served its purpose unto God by being a vessel that points us back to him.
Speaker 1:And just as the sky has caused us this morning to reflect back on the nature and wonder of God, jesus uses signs and wonders to catch the attention of those around him, even those who are far away, that have heard the stories of what he has done and through those signs and wonders, come to see the one who has performed them. Through those signs and wonders, come to see the one who has performed them. Last week, pastor Ian preached on the first sign, where Jesus turned water into wine, and here, in John 4, we are introduced to the second sign that Jesus performs. It also happened in Cana. The story here centers around a royal official and his dying boy. Jesus heals this dying boy. This is called Jesus' second sign because it is quite literally the second miracle that John records Jesus is performing.
Speaker 1:Now, this season of Lent that we're in is a season of simplification, preparation and purification, is a season of simplification, preparation and purification. These stories of Jesus working signs and wonders sets us in a posture of preparation as they build in anticipation of what is to come and as we celebrate who, we see that Jesus is. Now, we, as readers, 2,000 years later, who are able to hold this book in our hands, who are able to read ahead and know these stories, we're able to see the patterns and to sit in anticipation of what it is to come as we read through the stories. What does he do. How are we thus changed by knowing who this Jesus is and what he does?
Speaker 1:And while this passage seems, at the surface level, to be about a miraculous sign and wonder of Jesus healing this boy, there is more that lies beneath the surface. The signs and wonders seem to create almost a distraction from what it is that Jesus is actually wanting the people to see, as there seems to be more to this passage than Jesus just healing a boy. What Jesus desires the people to see is himself, that they might know his nature and his power, is himself that they might know his nature and his power, especially as this passage follows passages like Jesus meeting Nicodemus at night or the Samaritan woman at the well, two stories where Jesus talks about life. This life that he speaks about is not just physical life, but what some might call a spiritual life. But the term spiritual life seems to fall flat of what it is that this life is that Jesus is really talking about.
Speaker 1:In John 10.10, it talks about the good shepherd and the sheep and that the sheep know the shepherd's voice. Jesus is the good shepherd and we can know that Jesus has come, as John 10.10 puts it, that they may have life and have it abundantly. This abundant life is for the ones who know the voice of the shepherd and follow it. This abundant life is not just about one element of life, but it is about the whole of life, as Jesus offers this life that is truly life. This is a theme that continues on in this chapter and in the followings, as Jesus is highly concerned about the life that is truly life for those that he encounters. Yes, he did come to heal the sick, but he's also come with the purpose to seek and save the lost. This is a holistic real life is Jesus' focus. He comes and corrects those who are looking for something that is less than that, and in our passage this morning we see him rebuke them for looking for less than what he came for. He rebukes them for desiring a distraction over the fullness of the real life that he offers.
Speaker 1:What struck me as I read this passage is that the royal official requests Jesus to heal his boy, not once but twice, and Jesus responds to his request the second time. But it's Jesus' response the first time. That left me wondering. Jesus in his first response comes off a bit harsh, and if I was responded to like that, I don't think I would have asked a second time, but maybe that's just the midwest, I don't want to bother anyone mentality that I grew up with and continue to wrestle through today. It seems that Jesus seems to feel strongly about being asked to perform signs and wonders. As this passage is not the first time that this is brought up, jesus, in both the first sign and here in the second sign, seems almost reluctant and harsh towards the people who ask for these signs and wonders. Yet both requests come with faith.
Speaker 1:Before the action is ever taken, the rebuke is given in verse 48, where Jesus says to the royal official unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe. Upon first glance it may seem like the only person that Jesus is talking to is the royal official, but that is not the case. We can gather this from reading the three verses that come before our passage, and they read after the two days that he had left for Galilee, he had been with the Samaritan woman at the well. Now Jesus had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country. When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done at the Passover festival, for they had also been there. He then enters Cana, where he had earlier turned water into wine, and this royal official approaches him there, and we can gather that there are more people crowded around Jesus than just this official, as it says that Jesus was welcomed by the Galileans for they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem. As they saw Jesus, they came to see him again. They were probably excited to see if Jesus would work signs and wonders, perhaps for a friend or for a family member.
Speaker 1:We can also gather that Jesus is speaking to the crowd, as he says in verse 48, unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe. This is not a private conversation between Jesus and this royal official. There's a whole group of people waiting there to see Jesus do something, because they had heard and seen him work signs and wonders before and, as Jesus knows they're listening in, he gives this word for all their ears to hear. So we could read these verses as saying and then Jesus said to him, knowing that the rest of the crowd was listening in and addressing them as well. Jesus says you all see signs and wonders. You all will not believe. The official says to him sir, come down before my boy dies, and Jesus responds to him, and to him, only go, your son will live. So we see that this rebuke is not directed only at the royal official, but also at whatever crowd had been gathered there to see Jesus, as the news of what he had done had gone before them.
Speaker 1:While this rebuke from Jesus seems harsh, we need to get to the bottom of what he's really rebuking, because Jesus is not saying how dare you enjoy these signs and wonders that I perform? Because you enjoy these, you really have no faith. That's not at all what Jesus is saying. Jesus is instead rebuking those who only came looking for a miraculous sign. I like the way that this one commentary put it, when they wrote that there are some scholars that frequently assert that Jesus's words are a rebuke to those who base their faith on signs. But Jesus' words have a more subtle purpose than that. If his words are simply a rebuke, then one would expect Jesus to refuse the man's request, but he does not. Verse 48 may thus be helpfully read as an astute observation on Jesus' part.
Speaker 1:Jesus here is rebuking those who have, as CS Lewis and Augustine of Hippo put it, misaligned loves. Jesus wants the people to come looking for him, the one who works the signs and wonders, and not the signs and wonders themselves. Jesus does not seem against signs and wonders themselves, as he could have easily turned this royal official away, but he doesn't do that. But Jesus does seem to be against signs and wonders as the end all be all, as the only thing that people have come to see. And it seems that all the crowd except this official have come to see Jesus do these signs and wonders, as it says that they had all seen what he had done in Jerusalem at the festival. The royal official here seems to be a different story. The royal official here seems to be a different story. He seems to have heard that this Jesus could do these things, but has some faith that this man, who he has never met, might be able to save his son. He hears what Jesus tells him, that his son is healed, and he takes Jesus at his word. He believes what Jesus says and leaves for home. What is most moving here is the progression of faith that we witness in this royal official. He hears Jesus working signs and wonders, but these great miracles don't stop at mere amusement for him. Instead, they work as a vessel to move him to seeking out this Jesus.
Speaker 1:This is the heart of a desperate father. Now, I don't know what it's like to be a desperate parent of a child who's actively dying, but I do know what it is like to watch a spouse be sick. My husband, luke, and I just experienced a wave of sickness go through our home back in February, and I mean the whole month of February, and while it was awful to experience whatever flu I had, it was painful to watch Luke go through it too and to know that there was nothing that I could do except keep food in the home and give plenty of quietness for him to rest. I can't imagine the desperation this father would have experienced over his dying son. He goes to find Jesus, having only heard the stories of Jesus, and dares to ask what many may today think is a crazy request. He does it not once but twice, and his request is that Jesus would come to his house and heal his boy. But Jesus speaks the word that his son will live and for the man to return home to see his son. And the father believes Jesus at his word. He leaves, he doesn't ask Jesus, are you sure you've healed my boy? Maybe you need to speak specific, special words to heal him? Or maybe you have to move dust from your hand into my hand to make a medicine to apply to his forehead? No, the father does none of these things. He believes Jesus at his word and starts on his way.
Speaker 1:The official finds this preliminary faith and obeys Jesus as he starts back home and as he approaches home he's met by his servants, who meet him and tell him that the boy's fever has broken. When the father asks what time it happened, he realizes that the fever broke at the same time that Jesus said that he would heal his son. And it is then that we see this work of healing the official's son act as a vessel of greater revelation of who Jesus is. The whole family believes in Jesus. From that moment, the father and the family have a full-fledged faith in Jesus. From the sign and wonder that Jesus performed, this miracle moved them to belief. And this is the reason that Jesus uses signs and wonders to grab the attention and turn people towards him.
Speaker 1:Here we witness a genuine request to see sign and wonder turn into a faith that is born of desperation. There's nothing wrong with a faith born of desperation All through the Bible and all through our Christian history, god has been meeting people in their most desperate places. This is something that God continues to do today. I think, of those who are at the end of their rope, whether that be the end of their life or when there are no other options to turn to and all hope feels lost. This seems to be the story of the dying boy and his father, a father so desperate to save his son that he would believe the words of a man that he had never met before. God meets us in those desperate places, even if our demands for healing or for a sign are not met, because even when Jesus heals in miraculous ways, our earthly bodies are still dying.
Speaker 1:The healing that Jesus is truly offering is life, life to the fullest. That is only found in him. And you may ask but what of those that God does not heal? We are told that a name for God is Jehovah Rapha, meaning the Lord that heals, and yet sometimes that healing does not come. I wish I could offer up an explanation for why some are healed and others are not, but we are not told why we are left to grapple with the pain of the unknown or watching a loved one suffer, all the while calling out to God to make things right With a cry. This is not the way things are meant to be. Won't you come and make your glory known and heal that which is not right? Sometimes this prayer is spoken aloud and sometimes all the strength the heart has left is to cry it deep within our spirits has left is to cry it deep within our spirits. For some, this healing comes on this side of living and for others, this healing is not for this side. And yet we are offered the hope that one day we will be resurrected with Christ and all things will be made new.
Speaker 1:What is most beautiful is that this boy and his family receive not just a physical new life through the miracle that Jesus works, but they also receive a new life, that is, life to the fullest. In the Greek, the verb live zao has a double meaning in this context. Has a double meaning. In this context it is used to mean to recover from illness and it also carries associations of Jesus' gift of life. Jesus does not accompany the royal official to see his son. The boy's recovery derives only from Jesus' word and promise. The boy receives this physical life, as he was physically healed, and he also receives, along with his family, this living that Jesus offers. It's more than just a physical life. Jesus offers to them not just like the life that they had been living, but a life that is truly life, life that is about the here and now, but also about the what is yet to come, the life that is offered in John 10.10, that we read earlier, that Jesus has come, that they might have life and have it to the fullest.
Speaker 1:This za'o life is more than just about Jesus healing a sick boy. It is about bringing the fullness of life Again. The miracle acts only as a vessel to see the Jesus who performs these wondrous acts. Here Jesus gives more than physical life, and the boy and his family receive it. Here they see the work of the gift of life that this boy has been given. In verse 53, the refrain the son or the child lives is repeated for the third time in the story. The repetition of this phrase leaves no doubt that the focus of this story is on Jesus' promise and gift of life. Jesus giving life is the focus of the story, not just the physical giving of life, but the true life as well. I'd like to invite the worship team forward as I begin to wrap up. I'd like to invite the worship team forward as I begin to wrap up.
Speaker 1:Jesus works these signs and wonders for the sake of getting the attention of the people, so that they might see him and believe in him. It seems that our passage from last week John 2, 11, holds the interpretive key. Jesus' disciples saw him turn water into wine at Cana, but it was not the miracle in and of itself that led to their faith. Rather, they saw Jesus' glory in the sign, and it was in Jesus, and not the miracle, that they believed. The sign is a vehicle for seeing the glory of Jesus, which leads us to repentance and to faith. We are not to trust solely in the sign, but to trust in the one who performs the signs and wonders, because all these signs are all about the revelation of Jesus' identity. We see Jesus through his works, as he acts according to his nature.
Speaker 1:What a joy it is that Jesus chooses to reveal himself to us through signs and through wonders. What excitement it is to be able to witness the working of God in such incredible and miraculous ways that our minds have trouble wrapping around it, and yet we wish to see it for ourselves with our eyes and while Jesus does rebuke those who gather around to witness signs and wonders that Jesus is becoming known for. His rebuke is against the people looking only for signs and wonders, the one who would believe that it is by the signs and wonders that they might be saved. But Jesus instead wants them to see that the signs and wonders are intended to point them towards the one who performs these signs and wonders. The signs and wonders, the signs and wonders are not this end-all be-all. They are the results of glory of the one who performed them. This is a glory that has its ultimate revelation in the action that would take place later in the book of John.
Speaker 1:The event that this season of Lent leads us into the ultimate revelation of glory we see in Jesus' death on the cross and in his resurrection. For it is in this death and resurrection that we find this new and full life. It's in the death and resurrection that we're offered this new and full life. It's in the death and resurrection that we're offered this new and full life. This is the same life that the boy and his family received. It is the life that is fully life that is promised from John 10, 10, abundant life. It is through the act upon the cross that this offer is given to us.
Speaker 1:This is a story about the healing. This story about the healing of this boy is only a taste of the glory that is yet to come. And so, while this second miracle is about the healing of a dying boy, it is also about the realization of who this life-giving Jesus is, that he comes both to give new physical life to the boy, but also a fullness of life that is extended to the boy, his family and to us. It is this new life that Jesus offers us today, and all we have to do is say yes. Even the smallest yes will do so. I return to my earlier questions. Do you know who this Jesus is? Have you heard, seen and know what Jesus did? How are we changed by this knowledge of who Jesus is and what he does? I want to invite you, during this season of Lent, to lean into praying and reflecting on who Jesus is and what might be keeping you from drawing closer to him. Amen.