The Miracles of Jesus - Healing of a Nobleman’s Son

 

By: Rev. Dr. George Toma

 

Last week I talked about the first miracle of Our Lord Jesus in Cana of Galilee according to the book of (John 2: 1-11), which was about turning water to wine. Today I would like to talk about the second miracle that happened in the same city, Cana of Galilee, the city of poor (John 4:54)
“ This is again the second miracle which Jesus did after he came from Judea to Galilee.”

 

The Miracle of the Nobleman’s son is written in (John 4: 46 – 54) “Then Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And there was at Capernaum a servant of a king, whose son was sick. This man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee; so he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son; for he was near death. Jesus said to him, Unless you see miracles and wonders, you will not believe. The king’s servant said to him, My Lord, come down before the boy is dead. Jesus said to him, Go, your son is healed. And the man believed the word that Jesus said to him and went away. And as he was going down, his servants met him and brought him good news, saying, Your son is healed. And he asked them, At what time was he healed? They said to him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. And his father knew that it was at that very hour when Jesus told him, Your son is healed; so he himself believed and his whole household. This is again the second miracle which Jesus did after he came from Judea to Galilee.”

By reading this story we find out that the miracle of the Nobleman’s son takes place in Cana, even though the Nobleman’s son himself was in another place, in Capernaum. We learn that the distance will never be an obstacle for Jesus to perform a miracle.

Many scholars believe that the following story of “the Nobleman or Centurion” in the Sacred Gospels of Matthew and Luke refers to the same man in the book of John.

(Matthew 8: 5-13) “ When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, Saying, My Lord, my boy is lying in the house, paralyzed and suffering greatly. Jesus said to him, I will come and heal him. The centurion then answered, saying, My Lord, I am not good enough for you to enter under the shadow of my roof; but just say a word, and my boy will be healed; For I am also a man under authority, and there are soldiers under my command; and I say to this one, Go and he goes; and to the other, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard it, he was amazed, and he said to those who accompanied him,Ttruly I say to you that not even in Israel have I found such faith as this. And I say to you that a great many will come from the east and from the west, and sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be put out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. So Jesus said to the centurion, Go let it be done to you according to your belief. And his boy was healed in that very hour.”

 

(Luke 7: 1-10) “ When he had finished all of these words in the hearing of the people, Jesus entered Capernaum. Now the servant of a centurion was seriously sick, one who was very dear to him; and he was near death. And when he heard about Jesus, he sent to him Jewish elders, and besought him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they begged him earnestly, saying, He is worthy to have this done for him; For he loves our people, and has even built us a synagogue. Jesus went with them. And when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent some of his friends to him, and said, My Lord, do not trouble yourself; for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof; That is why I was not worthy to come to you; but just say a word and my servant will be healed. For I am also a man under authority, and there are soldiers under my command; and I say to this one, Go and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it. When Jesus heard these things, he was amazed at him, and he turned and said to the people who followed him, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith as this.

 

Nobleman was a Roman Official, walked around 3 days to meet and request Jesus to touch and heal his son, because he heard that Jesus is a miracle worker. So, when he heard that Jesus was again in the region of Galilee, which is several days journey away from where he works and lives, he himself went to meet and beg Jesus to go to Capernaum to touch and heal his son, because his son was about to die. The Nobleman believed that Jesus was the only hope to cure his son. It means the Nobleman was sure that only a touch of Jesus could affect any cure, before death.

By reading the story, we get the following about the Centurion/ Nobleman:

• He was a man of high position.

• He was a wealthy man.

• He was a well-known individual.

Beside all of the above, as human being he was suffering because of his son’s illness. There were many obstacles, which could have kept him from going to Our Lord Jesus; such as the distance from Capernaum to Cana of Galilee, his wealth, his high position, and of course, his pride. Nobleman, as a father, put his position as a Roman Officer, his pride, and his wealth on one side, and was seeking just for a way to find a cure for his beloved son. He humbled himself, because he knew that there is to be no limit whereby a parent to express love for his son. That’s why distance was not a problem for him. His goal was to get to Jesus, because it is a matter of life and death. We can learn from this Roman Officer (the Nobleman) the benefits of humility by coming to Jesus to seek His favor.

 

If we take a look at the situation of the son, we find out that he was very sick person. He was unable to think about himself. He was powerless and weak. He was lying upon his bed and knowing nothing that was going on. His father took the responsibilities upon himself and tried to find a solution. Even maybe the father was thinking to himself to go to Jesus to help his son.

 

We can apply and reflect the role of the father on ourselves. Let us turn to Jesus in time of difficulties that anytime we face. Let us submit our problems to Jesus and don’t depend on ourselves to solve them, because no matter who we are and what position we have, we are not able to find the solution for uncontrolled difficulties. Jesus is the only One, Who can do something about our problems.

 

Let us consider the Roman Officer (the Nobleman) as a model for ourselves, because he has shown us the method to go to Jesus Christ in the time of our need. Jesus cannot interfere and take the initiative to solve our problems, if we don’t approach and invite Him in our lives. In general many people instead of going to Jesus to meet their needs, they go everywhere but Jesus. Roman Official did something totally different. According to his position he was able to order Jesus to come and meet him, but he did the opposite. He, himself, went to Jesus, begging him to help his son. In other words, he came humbly. It is time then to learn from the Roman Official to go humbly to Jesus and ask him for help in difficult situations.

 

Unfortunately there are people, who feel so proud of themselves, think that everything is for granted, and have a strong believe in themselves. These kinds of people never wish to bend themselves or to come to Jesus in a humble way. As we know coming to Jesus means to deny ourselves, and needs effort to approach Him as Zaccai did. We read about that in the book of (Luke 19: 1-10) “ And when Jesus entered and passed through Jericho There was a man named Zaccai, who was rich and chief of the tax collectors. And he wanted to see who Jesus was; but he could not because of the crowd, for Zaccai was small in stature. So he ran ahead of Jesus, and climbed up into a leafless fig tree, that he might see him, because he was to pass that way. When Jesus came to that place, he saw him and said to him, Make haste, come down, O Zaccai, for today I must stay at your house. And he hastened and came down, and welcomed him with joy. Now when they all saw it, they murmured, saying, He has entered to stay in the house of a sinner. But Zaccai rose up and said to Jesus, Behold, my Lord, half of my wealth I will give to the poor; and I will pay fourfold to every man from whom I have extorted. Jesus said to him, Today life has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and save that which was lost.” Let us learn from Zaccai, to put effort and come to Jesus because our effort will pay-off.

 

If we go back to the story of the Roman Official (the Nobleman or Centurion) we will find out that there were for sure many people, who were sick and in need of healing. The difference was that the Roman Official was the only one, who had come to Jesus and put his trust in Him. Many didn’t even try to come to Jesus and they missed the opportunity of healing. As we know Jesus was, is, and will be with us forever. He is here and waiting for us to approach Him.

 

By reading (John 4: 47,49) “ This man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee; so he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son; for he was near death. The king’s servant said to him, My Lord, come down before the boy is dead.” we realize how the father was insisting that Jesus will go with him and heal his son. The persistence of Canaanite Woman also was another good evident to let our Lord does a miracle. We read about that miracle in (Matthew 15: 23-28) But he did not answer her. And his disciples came up to him and urged him, saying, Dismiss her, for she keeps crying aloud after us. And he answered, saying to them, I am not sent, except to the sheep which went astray from the house of Israel. But she came and worshipped him, saying, My Lord, help me. Jesus said to her, It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. But she said, Yes, my Lord, even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table, and they live. Then Jesus said to her, O woman, your faith is great; let it be to you as you wish; and her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

By reading these two stories maybe the following questions will come to our mind:

• Why did our Lord not make it easier for people to believe and receive a miracle?

• Why did He put these obstacles in their way?

It seems to us that Jesus wants a person to earn what he/she gets, because faith without putting an effort is worthless. Read (James 2: 17) “ Even so, by itself, faith without works is dead.”

 

We will grow in faith as we encounter the difficulties during our life. But, if we avoid these encounters and turn away from them, our spiritual life will become stunted. This applies for sports arena too. The coach never makes it easier for his team to play ball easily. He always introduces obstacles in players’ ways in order to develop a hardness in their skills. He prepares his players to encounter the obstacles and challenges that may face them in the game.

 

Can we imagine what would happen if:

• The little Zaccai had not left his home and gone in search of Jesus and he didn’t climb the tree? Probably Jesus would not have had an encounter with him and He would not enter Zaccai’s house.

• The Nobleman had not walked a distance of 3 days to meet Jesus? His son would have not recovered from his illness and probably the son would have died.

• The Canaanite woman had not accepted the challenge of Jesus in helping her? Her daughter probably would not have healed.

In our life we experience the same many times. How many times we ask God when something seems to be going the wrong way “Why me, O God? For a while we think that God has turned away form us. By reading (Luke 18: 1) “ He also spoke to them a parable, that they should pray always and not get weary” we understand that we should never give up in order to grow in the spirit. We will find ourselves living upon a new and refreshing plain in the Presence of God by reading from the book of ( Matthew 7: 7-8) “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. For whoever asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door is opened.”

 

For sure any person who pursues God will overcome obstacles, regardless of how big these obstacles are. Persistence is very important and God honors it. In (John 4: 47) “...so he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son; for he was near death” the Nobleman was begging Jesus to heal his seriously ill son. Lord Jesus responded to the persistence of the Nobleman according to (John 4: 50) “ Jesus said to him, Go your son is healed...” The Nobleman trusted Jesus completely and believed in His Words. That’s why his son was healed from that moment.

 

St Paul encourages us in his letter to Hebrews to put our faith in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 11: 1-6) “ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, as it was the substance of things which have come to pass; and it is the evidence of things not seen, And in this way it became a testimony concerning the elders. For it is through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen came to be from those which are not seen. It was by faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice to God than Cain, and because of this, he received a testimony that he was righteous, and God testified to his offering; therefore, even though he is dead, he speaks. By faith Enoch departed and did not taste death, and he was not found, because God took him; but before he took him away, there was a testimonial bout him, that he pleased God. Without faith man cannot please God; for he who comes near to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.”

 

We all are sinners. Because of that we need to believe that the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the only one, Who can forgive our sins. In other words, in order for our needs to be met, we need to accept and believe in His Words. From the story we realized that the Nobleman (the Roman Official) took the words of Jesus right where he was and returned to his village believing in Jesus’ Words and in God’s Work.

 

By reviewing ourselves we will find out that many times we failed to fulfill Jesus’ instructions, even though we know what we had and have to do. It is absolutely right that we accept what we think instead of obeying Jesus’ commands. We ignore His instructions and pretend that we didn’t hear His Words, or they will not apply for a specific situation. Even sometimes we blame the daily life circumstances; such as we are too busy to listen to His commands. These excuses didn’t apply on the Roman Official, who walked for 3 days to meet Jesus, to receive and follow His instructions, and to believe in Him.

If we take a look at the following examples, we will find out that Jesus didn’t do things the same way twice. He has His own plans and ways to accomplish the tasks of cures.

The story of the blind man according to the book of ( John 9: 1-12) “ And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his mother’s womb. And his disciples asked him, saying, Teacher, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus said to them, Neither did he sin nor his parents. But that the works of God might be seen in him, I must do the works of him who sent me, while it is day; the night comes when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. When he said these words, he spat on the ground and mixed clay with his saliva, and he placed it on the eyes of the blind man. Then he said to him, Go and wash in the baptismal pool of Shiloha. He went and washed, and he came seeing. His neighbors and those who had seen him before begging, said, Is not this he who used to sit down and beg? Some said, It is he; and some said, No, but he resembles him; but he said, I am he. Then they said to him, How were your eyes opened? He answered, saying to them, A man whose name is Jesus made clay and placed it on my eyes, and he said to me, Go and wash in the water of Shiloha; and I went and washed, and I see. They said to him, Where is he? He said to them, I do not know.”

 

The story of the lepers according to the book of (Luke 17: 12-19) “And when he drew near to enter a village, he was met by ten lepers, and they stood afar off; And they lifted their voices saying, O Jesus, our Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them he said to them, Go show yourselves to the priests; and while they were going, they were cleansed. But one of them, when he saw that he was cleansed, turned back, and with a loud voice praised God. And he fell on his face at the feet of Jesus, thanking him; and this one was a Samaritan. Jesus answering said, Were there not ten who were cleansed? Where are the nine? Why did they separate themselves so as not to come and give praise to God, except this man who is of a strange people? And he said to him, Arise, go; your faith has healed you.”

 

The story of the Canaanite woman according to the book of (Matthew15: 21-28) “ And Jesus went out from thence, and he cam to the border of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman from these borders came out crying aloud, and saying, have mercy on me, O my Lord, son of David; my daughter is seriously afflicted with insanity. But he did not answer her. And his disciples came up to him and urged him, saying, Dismiss her, for she keeps crying aloud after us. And he answered, saying to them, I am not sent, except to the sheep which went astray from the house of Israel. But she came and worshipped him, saying, My Lord, help me. Jesus said to her, It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs. But she said, Yes, my Lord, even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table, and they live. Then Jesus said to her, O woman, your faith is great; let it be to you as you wish; and her daughter was healed from that very hour.”

 

We learn from the above examples that Jesus doesn’t respond to our pattern of thinking, plans, ideas or suggestions. We cannot put God in a box. He Is Almighty God, the All-Knowing and All-Powerful God. The only thing the Roman Official did, he believed in Our Lord, without any question or suggestion. Then we should follow his steps.

 

Finally we need to remember the sequence of the process of healing in today’s story:

• Jesus declared the healing of Roman Official’s son even though the son was far from the place where the words of Jesus were spoken. It means that Jesus did His work completely.

• The servants announced that the boy was healed, alive and fully recovered. It means the servants proclaimed the fulfillment of worship.

Today, we can take home joy in Jesus Christ and become a model for our families as head of the household did in the book of (Acts 16: 15) “ And she was baptized together with her household, and she begged us, saying, If you are sincerely convinced that I believe in our Lord, come and stay in my house; and she urged us strongly.” And also reading (Acts 16: 31-34) “ And they said to him, Believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, and both you and your household will be saved. And they spoke to him the word of the Lord and to all who were of his household. And he took them at that hour of the night and washed their wounds; and then was baptized in that very hour, he and all his household.”

 

Summer Theology Course
At Mar Gewargis Church
July 19, 2006
Summary of the lecture prepared by Jenny Soro