Slices
Prepare
‘Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy…’ (2 Samuel 7:28). Meditate on this truth with thankfulness.
Bible passage
Jesus heals an official’s son
43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44 (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honour in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there.
46 Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay ill at Capernaum. 47 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.
48 ‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe.’
49 The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’
50 ‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he enquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, ‘Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.’
53 Then the father realised that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he and his whole household believed.
54 This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.
Explore
Imagine visiting a landmark tourist attraction only to realise on your departure that you’d spent so long viewing the visitor information boards that you never focused on the landmark itself! The importance of avoiding that danger in relation to Jesus is in view here.
The healing of the royal official’s son is designated a sign by John (v 54), but one the official doesn’t need to see to believe. Although initially assuming Jesus’ physical presence would be required (vs 47,49), the official is content to take Jesus at his word (v 50). He believes that the Word who spoke creation into being (1:3) can speak new creation into being in the life of his son. The detail about the precise timing of the healing (vs 52,53) emphasises the appropriateness of his faith.
Jesus can be taken at his word and requires faith without the need of signs as proof (v 48). Our faith should not be in the flesh but in the Word made flesh (1:14): in other words, faith in the Messiah himself and not in the marks of the Messiah. To allow the latter to distract from the former is to mould Jesus in our image rather than allowing him to renew the image of God in us.
Respond
Listen now for whatever word God has for you. Resolve to take him at his word when it becomes clear to you.
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Exodus 5,6; Acts 20
Pray for Scripture Union
Mission Partner Stort Valley Schools Trust gives thanks for deepening relationships with schools, staff and students, particularly those championing the work from within. Praise God for the permanent Soul Spaces now established in several schools and pray for more opportunities for this in other schools.
