Your Son Will Live

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.

John 4:46-47

I love this story in the early chapters of the Gospel of John.  Jesus had left Judea and arrived in Galilee, where “the Galileans welcomed Him for they had seen all that He had done at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.”   Those things which they had witnessed were the first clearing of the Temple courts, and his subsequent healing of the infirm and paralyzed.  He also returned to Cana, where He had performed His first miracle at the wedding feast.  It was in the town of Cana that Jesus was approached by an officer from Capernaum.

The Scripture does not name this man, so with your permission, we will call him Thaddeus, who was evidently a royal official in Herod’s service. He pleaded with Jesus to come to Capernaum and heal his son, who had a terrible fever and was close to death. Jesus simply looks at the man and says, “Go home.  Your son will live.”  John says that, “The man took Jesus at His word and departed.”  Amazing.  What faith!  What courage!  On his way home, the Thaddeus was met by his servants, who brought the joyous news that the boy had recovered.  He asked exactly when the boy recovered; the servants replied, “The seventh hour.”  It was the time that Jesus spoke His words of healing.

Words of healing?  Yes – words of healing.  Jesus was the One of whom the Psalmist wrote: “He sends his command to the earth; His words run swiftly.”  He was and is the Creator God: “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of His mouth.  For He spoke and it came to be; He commanded and it stood firm.”  There was no need for Jesus to go to Capernaum.  All He had to do was speak the Word.