URC Daily Devotion Tuesday 20th May 2025

St John 4: 43 – 53

When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee  (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honour in the prophet’s own country).  When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival. Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you  see signs and wonders you will not believe.’  The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.  As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive.  So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’  The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household.  Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Reflection

The Bible stories we remember can sometimes seem a little harsh, but perhaps embellishment and exaggeration is what’s needed to make them memorable. After all, “please heal my boy”, “consider it done” isn’t much of a story even if that’s in effect what happens.

Jesus is a little tense, annoyed because people in his home town didn’t really believe what he told them about God but suddenly when he starts being treated as entertainment, they’re all with him.  Bob Dylan, in his early years, got annoyed, and then rebellious, when people wanted him to stay a folk singer playing only acoustic not electronic music. They wanted him to be what they wanted, not who he really was.

Jesus out of annoyance observed the people would only believe if they saw signs and wonders.  It seems unfair to say this to a man who believes in him and wants healing not for himself but for his dying child. However, the comments are probably aimed at a wider audience (they plural in the Greek) including us.

The man decides to ignore the pointed comment and took Jesus at his word; he had nothing to lose. Walking home he was given a miracle.  Prayers answered but not in a great theatrical stunt.

Jesus we know evokes deep faith that persists in the most adverse of circumstances. He sees through the superficial attachments that fade away when he doesn’t exert power in the way others think he should. Compare Judas – who spent years learning his teaching but despairing when Jesus wasn’t the leader he wanted –  to the thief on the cross who glimpsed the son of God.

This then is the power of the story – we ask, trust,  and receive an answer by acknowledging Jesus to be who he really is. The story may be dramatic but, ironically, it teaches us that while signs and wonders do not need to be conspicuous, if we pay attention they will be there.

Prayer 

Jesus, we know you can perform miracles 
but you are not a performer to be bidden;
help us in our unbelief.
We know you can heal us 
but your idea of wholeness may not be ours;
help us in our unbelief.
We know sometimes you choose 
to speak not in the whirlwind 
but in the still small voice of God;
help us in our unbelief.  Amen