FOUR WORDS

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Once more He visited Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged Him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at His word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

John 4:46-54

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Words matter. They really do.

Through any one day, we will speak or write thousands of words on average and anyone who has lived long enough will know that those words have an ability to inspire and motivate or devastate and harm those who receive them.

Given this, wouldn’t it be great if we could be assured that we will always say or write the right things at the right time, every time? You would interested, right?

Well, there is one way and only one way to achieve this and that is to learn from the Master of words, Jesus, the One who always spoke words of perfection, words that faultlessly impacted people the people He shared them with.

One such incidence is found in our scripture passage for today as Jesus finds Himself engaged by an official who is desperate for help. Look again at these words here:

Once more He visited Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged Him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.

“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”

The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”

“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”

The man took Jesus at His word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed.

This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.  John 4:46-54

Remember the wedding where the bridegroom ran out of wine?

Jesus’ mother came to Him and asked Him to intervene in the situation, full knowing her son possessed the power to make something special happen. That something special happened when He had the wedding servants fill six large stone jars with water, each holding 20 to 30 gallons. He then had them draw some out and take to the master of the banquet who in turn praised the bridegroom for saving the best wine for last. Yes, Jesus turned water into wine, his first documented miracle, and He did so in Cana.

Fast forward now to today’s passage where we find Jesus doing something even more amazing than His water conversion wonder, healing a young child who was on the brink of death with just four words.

Did I mention that words matter, especially when they come from the lips of Jesus?

God’s word tells us that a certain royal official from Capernaum got wind that Jesus was in Cana, having traveled north from Judea. And so the sought out Jesus and “begged Him to come and heal his son” who we’re told was “close to death” in Capernaum.

Think about what this official did. It was a 20 to 25 mile walk from Capernaum to Cana and it would have been uphill as Capernaum was located at sea level. Essentially, this royal official believed and trusted in Jesus so much, confident that He could heal his son and save him from death. It says a lot for the level of hope this man had in Jesus but we get a sense that Jesus wasn’t exactly impressed. In fact, Jesus almost rebukes the man for making the journey, perhaps thinking the man should have just trusted Him from a distance instead of coming all the way to Cana to beg for a miracle.

“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.”

The man seems to be unoffended by Jesus’ statement for he is centered on one thing and one thing only, Jesus healing his son before he dies. It’s obvious the man wanted Jesus to come to Capernaum and perform the mighty act of restoration but Jesus has other plans, plans that would include helping the royal official grow stronger in his belief and trust In Him. Instead of scurrying away to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus speaks these four words:

“Go, your son will live.”

And so the official, taking Jesus at His word, departed and headed home. Along the way, he met up with some of his servants who were trying to find him in order to share some miraculous news:

His boy was better, his fever had lifted, and was going to live.

What a moment of elation that was for the royal official! He had traveled to Jesus with the anticipation that the impossible could happen, that Jesus could take the improbable and make it probable. And with a meager four words, Jesus delivered.

What was the end result?

The royal official and his entire household believed.

Today, Jesus is still using His words to work miracles in the lives of people, healing and transforming and drawing people to a place of belief in Him, to a place where they find life from where they once were destined for death.

For the dying boy in Capernaum, it only took four words to change him and his family forever.

Jesus can use His words to do the same for you. You just need to place your hope and trust in Him.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com