Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
It’s Christmas Day. It’s somewhat tempting to write on the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was certainly miraculous! But I really wanted to tackle all the miracles that Jesus did in chronological order. One might argue that the virgin birth was the first, but when Jesus turned water to wine the bible explicitly says (John 2:11) This beginning of miracles did Jesus… And this next passage where Jesus heals the son of a certain nobleman is says plainly (John 4:54) This is again the second miracle that Jesus did.. So I’m gonna stick to the plan.
So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee. (John 4:46-54)
This second miracle seems more to be about this certain nobleman that it does his son. We don’t meet the son. Jesus doesn’t meet the son. We know nothing really about the son, other that he was sick and at the point of death; and that he was indeed healed at the seventh hour. I can’t help but thinking about the many loved ones through the years that also were at the point of death. And we besought the Lord that he would heal them. But unlike this that we just read, healing never came, and they never amended and instead of the fever leaving, they ended up leaving.
We’ve seen one after another not get healed. We’ve read over and over about how Jesus cleansed the leper, made the blind to see, made the lame to walk, and raised the dead. It’s possible that maybe we’ve grown somewhat numb to the miracles that Jesus performed. They seem so distant sometimes; something we only read and hear about, yet something we don’t ever really experience.
But don’t lose faith. You are not some second-class Christian; for Jesus said rebukingly Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. Do we need to see our loved ones raised from their death bed in order for us to believe? I mean is that what we’re waiting for to give God the honor and glory he deserves? Jesus told Thomas (John 20:29) Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Did you hear that? You’re blessed!
Sure! Miracles are great! But remember that (Romans 10:17) Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. We weren’t there 2000 years ago when all these miracles took place; we can only read about them. But Praise the Lord! (Ephesians 1:12,13) That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Listen, I’m not saved because I saw some miracle. I’m saved because I saw the miserable sinful wretch that I was, and I begged God that he’d have mercy on me and save me.
What does strike me as also miraculous is that the nobleman and the whole family got saved. Especially because Paul explained (1 Corinthians 1:26) How that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. Yet this certain nobleman having seen nothing, believed it all. He might have heard of the water being turned wine. But Jesus hadn’t healed anybody yet. Nobody had been raised from the dead. No blind had been made to see. No lepers cleansed. No lame to walk.
Yet, he came to Jesus and said Sir, come down ere my child die. And the nobleman needed not to see anything more. Jesus didn’t even have to go see his son, touch his son, or even look upon his son. But the nobleman believed and was satisified on just his word. Jesus said Go thy way; thy son liveth. That’s all it took and the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
The bible says the he himself believed, and his whole house. And there is the miracle of a miracles. His whole family believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now everybody in the house but the father had seen the son healed, so they may have not believed until the father came home and told them what Jesus had said. So daddy, don’t take likely the position that God has saw fit to put you in. God can work miracles through fathers. I remember years ago I heard that old preacher Lester Roloff say, “Get the dad! And you’ll get the whole house!” Don’t wait for miracles daddy to trust and serve God. He wants to save your whole family.