Jesus Heals the Official's Son

Jesus Heals the Official's Son

This Sunday at CDC, we were privileged to have sister Goh Poh Gaik share on the healing of the official’s son from John Chapter 4. Running through the passage, sister Poh Gaik taught us many important lessons but at the end of it she emphasized two very critical points that she wanted us to take home.

 43After the two days he left for Galilee. 44(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.)

Sister Poh Gaik exhorted us here to learn to appreciate and treasure those who have risen up from among our own ranks – not becoming jealous of them but encouraging them to greater heights for the Lord’s service.

45When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.

 46Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine.

Here we learn that is good for us to return to places we have ministered before to encourage them and confirm the authenticity of our message.

And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.

Here we learn that all of us have problems, no matter how rich or poor, high-ranking or low-ranking. All of us need Jesus.

47When 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.

Here we see the initiative that this father took to seek out Jesus. It was no small distance to travel from Capernaum to Galilee in those days, but the father took the trouble to find Jesus for the sake of his son.

 48"Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."

Here we are exhorted to believe even without signs and wonders, to believe that God is there even when everything seems to be going wrong.

 49The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."

The royal official mistakenly assumed that Jesus had to go to Capernaum to heal his son. Too often, we put God in a box, and sometimes even “tell” God what to do. We would do well to just present our needs to God and let God work in His ways, which are far beyond our ways and thinking.  

 50Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live."

      The man took Jesus at his word and departed.

Here, we see that the man believed that Jesus had healed his son. We need to learn to take God’s Word as it is and believe.

51While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."

Sister Poh Gaik shared here that it is sometimes important for us to check and verify miracles. Too often we are quick to claim this or that without proper verification and this can be dangerous and cause the church to lose credibility.

 53Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.

Firstly, the father had believed that Jesus could perform the miracle. Secondly, he now believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God.

Coming back to sister Poh Gaik’s two main points. The first point is that the father pleaded to Jesus for his son. Speaking specifically to fathers, we were exhorted to learn to spend time with and pray for our children with genuine love and concern in our hearts. Sister Poh Gaik pointed out that when she was preparing for a Christmas message, she was drawn to how the angel spoke to Joseph in dreams in regard to the safety and welfare of his wife and child. The safety and welfare of his family is the responsibility of the father, not only physically and materially but also spiritually.

The second point is that the father influenced his household. Because of his faith in Jesus, he and all his household believed in Jesus too. As fathers, we need to pray that God will help us be a good and powerful influence in our families, helping them learn and do what is right and true.

May the Lord help fathers everywhere who call upon His name to be loving, concerned fathers and also fathers of good influence.

God bless, Jason