Jesus said to him, “You
may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
Entering the latter half
of Lent we turn to the Gospel of Saint John. I am reluctant to compare the
gospels to one another or describe a gospel as deeper, more beautiful or
meaningful than the others – all four of them are transcendently beautiful and
far deeper than human comprehension – but the Fourth Gospel is certainly
overwhelming in every respect.
One of the greatest
scholars of the church, Origin, aptly said of it, “A mouse could wade across
it; an elephant could drown in it.” If you think you have read and understood Saint
John’s Gospel, go back and start over.
One major theme of the
Gospel is the challenge of faith. In today’s gospel a royal official approaches
Jesus, begging him to come and heal his son. Jesus seems unmoved by the appeal,
and even angry that this ruler of the people should demand something of him. He
replies sharply, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not
believe.”
Throughout John’s gospel
our dear, friendly and approachable Jesus confronts and challenges. This is a
story of encounter, if not crisis. In fact we should not read this gospel
looking for the Jesus' personality. Saint John has better things to do than
describe the Messiah in terms of 21st marketing; he is not selling a well-packaged product. He is demanding faith.
That’s what Jesus wants
of this royal official and that’s what he gets. The middle management
bureaucrat might have turned in a huff and went home. He would not be the last
to be put off by Jesus demands. In John 6, we’ll see a whole crowd of people
walk away.
However, this fellow abandons
his royal prerogatives and begs Jesus in all humility, "Sir, come down before my
child dies.”
With that the Most
Humble Lord, who has stooped down from heaven to save his people, gives the
word of healing, “You may go, your son will live.”
The father of a dying
child – no longer described as a royal official but as “a man” -- hears,
accepts and believes Jesus’ word. He needs no further proof. There is no wave
of the magic wand, no incantation of mystic words. There is only a word of
command. It is accomplished.
The answer to prayer can
only be spoken from one humble person to another, from Jesus who, like a
sacrificial lamb is led to slaughter without complaint, to a man who has
stripped off every entitlement and asked for mercy as a helpless parent who loves his child.
“The man believed what Jesus
said to him and left.” Our life is built on the Word of God. There will always
be skeptics who want something more than a word from God. They would put God to
the test as if they are superior to God, as if they can judge the Judge. Their arrogance will
have no satisfaction and that is their doom.
Those
who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are
condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son
of God. (John 3:17)
As we prepare for Holy
Week and Easter, let us purify our intentions, choosing once again to see and
accept in God's goodness.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.