Read John 4:43-54.

When Jesus first announced his ministry in His hometown of Nazareth, the people rejected Him. As Jesus once said, “Truly I tell you, . . . no prophet is accepted in his hometown” (Luke 4:24; see also John 4:44). The people of Nazareth in Galilee simply couldn’t believe that the young man they knew, the boy they had watched grow up, the local carpenter’s son, was the Messiah they had all been waiting for. When Jesus read from the book of Isaiah in the synagogue and declared its fulfillment—when He pointed out in Scripture how God had blessed Gentiles rather than just the faithless Israelites, drawing out the parallel to His day—the people of His hometown were appalled (see Luke 4:16-28). In fact, they tried to throw him off a precipice (v. 29).

But later, once the Galileans had heard about the miracles Jesus had performed in Jerusalem during the Passover (see John 2:23), they welcomed Him (see 4:45). Traveling in Galilee again, Jesus visited Cana, the village where He had turned water into wine, demonstrating His authority over creation. I believe He deliberately returned in order to have a special encounter with a certain nobleman. While He was there, a royal official came to Him, a member of King Herod’s court. In the eyes of the world, he was a man of stature, power, and authority. If he wanted to see King Herod, he needed no appointment. Yet, he made the three-to-four-hour journey from Capernaum to see Jesus.

This official had a son back home who was sick, and he knew that if something didn’t change soon, his precious boy would die. Beneath his title, wealth, and position, this man was a dad in desperate need. And so he went to Jesus and begged Him to come heal his son.

What was Jesus’ response? He rebuked him and all the Galileans listening in: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, . . . you will never believe” (John 4:48). Now, you might be tempted to think that Jesus was insensitive in His response, but He knew the man didn’t need an instant miracle. He needed something more: an iron-clad trust in Jesus—a deeper faith.

If you wait to believe until you see, you may never truly believe—because real faith trusts God before the evidence appears. On-demand miracles can create a jaded spirit, so Jesus sent the man away with a simple promise: “‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live’” (v. 50). Jesus didn’t go with the official to Capernaum. He didn’t give him a miraculous sign to prove the boy would live. He just gave the worried father His word. It was, in a sense, a training course in developing faith.

But there’s another reason why Jesus sent the man away with a simple promise. He wanted everyone listening in—then and now—to understand that God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we expect. This is why our faith in Jesus must be deep enough, wide enough, high enough, and strong enough to embrace whatever answer He lovingly gives us. Jesus did heal the son, but only after accomplishing something far greater than healing: He shepherded the nobleman’s heart into transforming faith.

When the official was on his way home, one of his servants met him on the road with news that his son had recovered. And when the man inquired about the time the fever left the boy, he was told one o’clock the day before—the precise time when Jesus told him his son would live. That man hadn’t even rushed home the same day! He trusted Jesus; his anxiety and fear were gone, giving way to peace. Jesus led the man from a flickering faith into a flaming faith. He knew that Jesus wasn’t a mere healer, prophet, or miracle-worker; he had been face to face with God in human flesh—the Savior of the world.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the gifts of faith and of Your Holy Spirit. I ask for a deeper and maturing faith by Your power at work in me. Thank You that You are at work to bring me from one point of glory to another—that one day I will know my full redemption in Your perfect presence forever. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“‘Go,’ Jesus replied, ‘your son will live.’ The man took Jesus at his word and departed” (John 4:50).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Evidence of the Exclusivity of Jesus: Flickering to Flame: LISTEN NOW

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