10 November 2019
Text: John 4:46-54 (Gen 1:1-2:3, Eph 6:10-17)
In the name of +
Jesus. Amen.
Our
Lord Jesus returns to the city of Cana, where He performed His first miracle. And while there, He performs another miracle –
this one a healing. A government
official approaches Jesus to tell Him that his son was “at the point of death.” This official was probably working for the
administration of King Herod – the same phony royal family that tried to kill Jesus
by slaughtering the baby boys at Bethlehem. It’s also possible that this official was
actually a Roman soldier serving in King Herod’s court – as Herod’s kingdom was
puppet administration.
At
any rate, he asks Jesus to come and heal his dying son. Our Lord’s reply is interesting; He says “Unless
you [and it’s the plural ‘you’ as in “y’all”] – “unless [you people] see signs
and wonders y’all will not believe.” However,
the official is undeterred in his prayer to Jesus for healing. “Sir,” he says – and the actual word used is
the word “Lord,” – “come down before my child dies.”
As
a government official, he certainly understands that if you want something done,
you don’t waste your time asking someone for something if that person doesn’t
have the power or the authority to grant your request. The official comes to Jesus, asks Him as “Lord,”
and then he requests a miracle.
Indeed,
it sounds like this official – who at very least works for the corrupt Herod,
and may well also be a Gentile – somehow knows who Jesus is, and believes in Him.
For who other than God can do such “signs
and wonders.” And notice that unlike the
others around him, the official actually doesn’t need a sign in order to
believe – for he has come believing already, believing that Jesus has the power
and the authority to heal his son.
“Jesus
said to him, “Go, your son will live.” And
as confirmed later by the official, when Jesus said that it was so, it was so –
at that very hour.
Of
course, this healing of the son is a great miracle – far more wonderful and
wondrous than turning water into wine. For
death was turned away on that day. But
even this isn’t the greatest miracle of our Gospel reading – for we are specifically
told: “The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.”
He
believed. In other words, He had faith
in the Word of Jesus. And that, dear
friends, is the greater miracle! Faith
is a gift, and indeed, a miracle. For on
what basis does he believe that Jesus has the power and the authority – by means
of His Word – to heal and save? Maybe he
heard about our Lord’s last visit to Cana, when the Word of Jesus changed the
molecular structure of a substance. At
any rate, he believes; he has faith. And
through this faith in the Word of Him whom he called “Lord,” his son was saved
from death.
It
may seem strange that this reading was paired up with the creation account in Genesis
as our Old Testament reading, but we see the Word bringing all things into
being. “And God said…” God speaks the Word, and it is so. God speaks, and the universe comes into
being. God speaks the word, “Your son
will live,” and it is so. The Lord Jesus,
the Lord God, has both power and authority not only to create the universe, but
to restore that which is broken in the universe – including mortal human beings
who suffer their mortality on account of sin.
St. John, whose Gospel teaches us about this official in Cana, had
previously described Jesus as “the Word” who “was God” and who was “with God” “in
the beginning.”
Jesus
is the Word who speaks the Word, and John records the Word, and we read and
hear the Word. St. Paul teaches us that “faith
comes by hearing… the Word of Christ!” And
this Word is preached to you at this very hour, dear friends!
And
so look at how magnificent this passage is, dear brothers and sisters: “The man
believed the Word.” He believed in the Lord,
and He believed the Lord’s Word of promise applied to him. Such faith!
Such saving faith!
And
look what else happened – a third miracle: “all his household” believed. For they witnessed the miraculous healing,
and the official had discussed this healing with others. The Word of God has this kind of power. And you, dear friends, are hearing this Word,
and you are hearing it by the Lord’s divine providence. It is no accident that you heard this Word
today – at this very hour. And this Word
of God – proclaimed from the Scriptures and preached as the Gospel, the Good News
– creates faith in you – healing, saving, death-destroying faith.
Our
Epistle lesson also mentions the power of the Word. For St. Paul compares various attributes of
the Christian like the armor of a Roman soldier. The apostle describes faith as a shield – a
piece of armor necessary for survival. Without
a shield, a soldier was easily knocked off by an arrow or cut by a sword. The shield, that is, faith, is our protection
from the attacks of the evil one. And
faith comes by hearing: hearing the Word of Christ. St. Paul describes the Word as the “sword of
the Spirit.” The Word is the only
offensive weapon in this soldier’s armory. And with a sword, he can counterattack an
enemy. He can parry with his shield of
faith, and then strike back using the Word of God.
For
the Word creates, the Word redeems, and the Word repels the evil one. And when we have faith in the Word –
specifically in the Word Made Flesh and all that He promises us from the cross
and the empty tomb – we are healed and rescued from death – eternal death –
saved just like the official’s son.
Dear
friends, we need the shield of faith, and our faith is given to us by means of
the Word. We desperately need the Word
of God. We need to hear it read aloud in
this holy place. We need to hear its Good
News preached where the Word has authorized preaching in His name. And we need to eat the body and drink the
blood of the Word Made Flesh, whose Word makes it clear that His body and blood
are given to us “for the forgiveness of sins.”
And when we hear this Word, when we believe, when we have faith, we are
healed that very hour!
And
the Word has the power to create in us faith – and not only us, but our entire
household. May the Eternal Word dwell in
us, restore us to life, and sustain us in faith for all eternity!
Amen.
In the name of the Father
and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
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