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Jesus told him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
John 4:48 HCSB
Jesus used signs and wonders as a tool to lead people into faith. Later in His ministry, He began using parables in the same way. With both methods, there were those who believed and those who rejected Him. Sometimes we think that if someone would just experience a miracle of God, they would become a believer. When we look back at the history of the human race, we find this is simply not true. For example, Israel saw the glory of God many times in their history and went right back to sinning. Furthermore, Satan can use signs and wonder to deceive us (2 Th 2:9).
It is also important to consider who Jesus is addressing with His statement. He is back in Cana – Galilean territory. His statement to these Galileans (“you people”) is condemning because He knows their motives. Many of them came only to see the miraculous signs and wonders. If the only way we will believe in God is if He does something miraculous in our life, what does that say about our faith?
It is true, however, that Jesus’ signs and wonders would lead to Salvation for some. This particular story begins with a royal official who had enough faith to seek Jesus in the matter. Most likely, this official was not a Jewish man, and he had walked 40 miles round trip (2 days) from Capernaum to intercede for his son. This alone illustrated tremendous faith.
On the other hand, his struggle to believe is seen in how he addresses Jesus. First, he thought Jesus had to “come down” to Capernaum to heal his son. So, he was limited in His understanding of Jesus’ sovereignty geographically. But the second limitation is the fact that he believed Jesus was powerless if his boy died.
“Sir,” the official said to Him, “come down before my boy dies!”
John 4:49 HCSB
This is such a foundational narrative illustrating the power of Jesus and what He would eventually accomplish at the cross. Death, sickness, and sin could not separate Him from fulfilling God’s purpose and plan. With one statement, Jesus not only healed the boy but did so without seeing him or touching him. He healed from 20 miles away and this is what spoke so deeply to this official. He went home to discover that the very hour Jesus had spoken that phrase, his boy was healed.
Jesus takes the little faith we have and overcomes our misguided thoughts. He meets us where we are and silences our doubts. This man was still skeptical of the distant healing when he arrived home. Even when we struggle to grasp His power and purpose, He is working to draw us in deeper. He demonstrates time and time again that He will deliver on what He has promised.