+ CUI
Chapel – March 20th, 2018 +
John 4:46-54
In the Name of the
Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
We often hear stories of lost hikers or people trapped in the
rubble after an earthquake or tornado who wait to hear the rumbling engine of a
rescue vehicle, the welcomed sound of a helicopter, or a voice calling out for
survivors – any sign that rescue is near.
When we, or our loved ones are sick, we look to a doctor,
surgeon, or nurse to give us a good diagnosis and proper treatment – a sign of
healing and restoration of health.
Even stories that take place in fictional cities like Gotham
City or Metropolis, people look to the sky for the Bat-signal or the Man of
Steel soaring through the clouds – a sign of hope in dark times.
The unnamed royal official in John 4 looked for a sign too.
His son was ill. Death was near. He had heard that Jesus had come from Judea to
Galilee. He had heard that he changed water into wine at the wedding at Cana.
And now he was in Capernaum. So, he did what any father would do. He went to
Jesus and asked him to come and heal his son.
Speaking to the Galileans around him, and the man he said: Unless
you see signs and wonders you will in no way believe.
Now at first, we might think, “Wow, that escalated quickly.
The man comes to you for healing for his son and you rebuke him? That seems a
bit harsh, Jesus.”
But when we look at Jesus’ words a bit closer, we see there’s
more going on here. As John reminds us at the end of the Gospel, “Now Jesus did
many other signs in the presence of his disciples which were not written in
this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
When Jesus responds to this royal official, he’s not saying
this Galilean will believe only if he sees signs and miracles. Jesus isn’t
rebuking this royal official’s lack of faith or weak faith in seeking a
miraculous security blanket.
Rather, Jesus’ response is a promise and a call to faith in
Him, the giver of the sign. He is the one who performs signs and wonders, just
as he did for Israel in the Old Testament. The same Lord who poured out water
from the Rock in the wilderness turned water into wine in Cana. The same Lord
who fed Israel with manna, bread from heaven fed the crowds declaring himself
the very Bread of Life. The same Lord who commanded Moses to lift up a bronze
serpent on a pole and save Israel would himself be lifted up on the cross to
save all people.
So, Jesus promises, and he calls this man, the Galileans, and
us to believe in him. Jesus’ words and signs reveal who he is and what he has
come to do. Jesus’ words and signs open our eyes to see where his signs and
words lead us, to his death and resurrection, the greatest sign of all. Jesus’
words and signs bring us from death to life, just as they did the for the
official’s son.
Sir, come down before my child dies.
Jesus said to him, “Go; your son
lives.”
By Jesus’ word, this
man’s son was healed. By Jesus’ word, his son passed from death to life. By
Jesus’ word, this official believed Jesus and the sign he gave.
Three times in this
story it is declared, “Your son, your child lives”. As Jesus will declare a few
verses later in John 5, “As the Father
raises the dead and makes them alive, so also the Son makes alive those whom he
wills…whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life…he
has passed out from death into life.”
That’s the sign:
healing. Restoration. Resurrection. From death to life. It is a familiar sign.
One which Jesus himself performs. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the great
fish for three days and three nights, so too will the Son of Man be in the
heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights. From death to life. Jesus lives.
And in him, you are
healed. You pass from death to life. You live. Jesus has signs for you too.
Simple, ordinary tap water combined with the living water of God’s Word,
baptizing you in the Name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, washing your sin
away, bringing you from death to life. Ordinary words spoken by a fellow sinner
that are filled with Jesus’ authority to forgive sin. A rather plain, ordinary
looking piece of bread and wine become Jesus’ body and blood given and shed for
you.
Like that royal
official, Jesus gives his word and sign to give you faith. Like his son, you
are brought from death to life. And you live.
In the Name of the
Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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