In the story of a son healed, we see how the father’s faith was a journey. A government official, probably a Gentile, had traveled sixteen miles to ask help from Jesus, a Jewish teacher. This father was desperate because his son was on the verge of death. He was willing to try anything to have his son back.
As we look at the details of this story, we can see how the father’s faith grew in response to the situation. William Wiersbe has a way of describing this process. The father’s faith begins with crisis, moves to confident faith, then is confirmed, and finally, it becomes contagious faith.[1]
Crisis
We don’t know the exact problem with the son, only that he was very ill with a fever. Most likely, they had tried every treatment they knew without any result. Jesus’ reputation as a healer must have reached Capernaum. The official was desperate, and it seemed like there was no other recourse than to seek out Jesus.
God may allow similar things to happen to us. Our human nature drives us to try to fix the situation ourselves. Only when we humble ourselves and admit our helplessness may we be willing to seek help from God.
Confident Faith
The official had assumed that Jesus would come and lay hands on his son to heal him. But Jesus did something surprising. He didn’t travel to Capernaum; Jesus only stated that the son would live. At this point, the father had a decision to make. Would he believe that his son was healed or would he continue to hound Jesus? The official acted on Jesus’ word with confidence.
John 4:50b And the man believed what Jesus said and started home.[2] There are times when we must simply act on God’s word. We may not see results immediately, but because we are confident in His power and love for us, we can act in faith.
Confirmed Faith
We wonder what the father thought as he traveled the sixteen miles home. Even before he reached home, his servants met him with good news. John 4: 51 While the man was on his way, some of his servants met him with the news that his son was alive and well.[3] His confident faith turned into confirmed faith. Often, God will only confirm His Word after we are willing to step out and act.
Contagious Faith
All were amazed when the servants confirmed that the boy recovered when Jesus pronounced the healing. The result was that the whole household believed. The father could see that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God, and he couldn’t help but share this faith with the family.
When we realize who God is, His love for us, and what He has done, we can’t help but share it with others. Faith is a journey, as we can see from this story. Where are you on your journey? What are the next steps you need to take? To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/healing-a-son
[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 303). Victor Books
[2-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.