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Gospel: John 4: 43-54
At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.
Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Let’s walk for a moment in this father’s shoes.
His child is deathly ill, lying in bed at home. Although he’s a high-ranking government official, no amount of wealth or influence will cure his child. He needs Jesus.
However, there’s one major problem: the Lord is 20-miles away in Galilee.
I imagine this father sprinting, searching desperately for Jesus until he finds him. Finally, out of breath, he throws himself at the Lord’s feet, begging Jesus to visit his home.
But the Lord insists, “You may go; your son will live.”
What proof does this father have? How can he know for certain? If we were in his shoes, wouldn’t we ask the Lord for a sign, or confirmation of the healing?
But, the Gospel says, “the man believed what Jesus said to him and left.”
Now he can walk – not run – back home.
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This man’s forty-mile roundtrip journey from his home in Capernaum to Galilee and back is symbolic of the Christian journey.
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We begin by searching.
Though it may not be an ill child, something inside of us is stirred, causing us to look for Jesus. After a certain period of time, we find him.
We encounter him.
That encounter with the Divine changes our perspective; it fills us with peace. Then we do what this father did – return home and share the Good News with others.
As the Gospel says, “He and his whole household came to believe.”
Which stage of the journey am I in?
Am I still seeking, searching for answers? Have I found the Lord? Am I now sharing my faith with others?
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May the Lord bless our Lenten journeys, so that we may proclaim with others at Easter, “My Lord and my God!”
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Image credits: (1) QuoteFancy (2) 123RF (3) Kairos Network Church