I’m a very visual person. I retain things better when I see them in print. I remember people better when I’ve met them in person and seen their faces. Directions make more sense to me when they are mapped out than when they are just spoken to me. When I memorize things, I need them written down so that my eyes can take in the information, process it and then store it for future reference. (Not as easy a task as it once was!)
I depend on my sense of sight to know and believe and understand things. Usually, this doesn’t present huge problems. Except, of course, when it comes to faith.
John 4:46-53 –
Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47 When 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.
48 “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
50 “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”
53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him,“Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.
I guess I’m not the only one who has struggled with needing to see something to believe it.
When Jesus was on earth, His entire ministry was with people who had the same problem. They’d heard about who Jesus was and what He said about what He could do, but they had to see it for themselves to truly believe. I think most of them wanted to believe, but were just trapped and blinded by their own humanness. They needed concrete evidence.
While I’m sure this frustrated Jesus, having to prove Himself as God, He knew the frailty and condition of the human heart and mind. And so He gave them miracles.
The particular man in this passage heard Jesus say, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” But he was desperate for a miracle. Not just because he wanted Jesus to prove Himself, but because he was a father who was fighting for his child’s life. So he asked any way. No pride. No shame. Just sheer desperation.
And here is where things shifted for him a bit and I believe probably changed him at his core. His request? “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus’ response? “Go, your son will live.” He asked the man to take Him at His word and trust that He would heal his son, not based on what the man could see happening, but on what Jesus said WOULD happen.
“The man took Jesus at his word and departed.” He didn’t whine or beg or doubt. He just “took Jesus at his word” and left, trusting that the miracle was already taking place, EVEN THOUGH HE COULDN’T SEE IT.
And what did happen? “While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him,“Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.”
This man moved forward in faith before he saw the results. And this led to not only him believing, but everyone in his household as well. He gave testimony as to what Jesus had said to him. They saw the miracle that came from that promise.
I want my faith to have more than just eyes to see. I want it to have ears to listen to what Jesus is telling me, what He is promising that I can’t yet see. I want it to have feet that walk it out when the final results aren’t in yet. I want it to have hands that are active and available to join Him in making those miracles come true for others. And I want it to have a mouth that shouts and sings out about how faithful God is to His promises, how loving He is in “working all things together for good”.
Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
John 20:29 – Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
