Faith IS Weakness

So He came again to Cana in Galilee, where He had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to Him and asked Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when He had come from Judea to Galilee.

John 4:46-54

If you were about to announce to the world that you were the Messiah, wouldn’t you do something huge? Something that gets the attention of the world announcing – “The Messiah is here, and now get ready.” But with Jesus the true Messiah, for the first two miracles, there was no Divine catastrophic event or overthrow of earthly powers – just two subtle miracles that only a few people saw! Jesus’ first sign was at a wedding, and the second sign in John 4:46-54 is almost at a funeral.

Both signs occur in Cana, and notice John calls them signs not miracles, because a sign is a miracle with a message. The signs that John gives us in his gospel are for the purpose of causing us to believe in Jesus so that we find life IN Jesus (John 20:30-31). So, the signs are not just a display of Jesus’ power, they point beyond the miracle to who Jesus is and what He came to do.

To see it, let’s set the scene – We have an unnamed man whose son has fallen gravely ill. He hears that Jesus is in Cana, so he travels 25 miles from Capernaum to Cana. When he finds Jesus, he requests that “Jesus go with him to see his son and heal him, for he was at the point of death”. This man is desperate, he’s at the end of his rope because his son is dying. This man is powerless and helpless to do anything to heal his son, but somehow, he hears about Jesus. We don’t know what he knows about Jesus, we can only assume word is spreading about Jesus being a miracle worker, and this man thinks, “Maybe Jesus can heal my son.”

Jesus’ response is interesting and telling, because it reveals the human condition. Jesus said to him, “Unless you (y’all plural) see signs and wonders you (y’all) will not believe.” Isn’t that so true of us? Everyone has faith! Everybody believes and trusts in something. The issue is not the amount of our faith, it is the object of our faith. Is the object worthy of our faith? Jesus knows our weakness and frailty, He knows we believe more in what we can see than in what God says! For us, we think what we see is more real and true than what God says. We base truth and reality on our feelings, our circumstances, and what we think. We conclude these are more real and true than what God says.

This man is no different; he thinks Jesus has to be with him and his son in order for Jesus to heal him. But that is not true! Jesus simply says, “Go; your son will live.” And what is amazing is that John tells us, “The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. And as he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour the fever left him. The father knew that was the hour when Jesus said to him, ‘Your son will live’. And he himself believed, and all of his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when He had come from Judea to Galilee.”

This man starts off with little faith, which grows after he finds out his son was healed at the exact same hour Jesus said, “Go your son will live.” He went from trusting that Jesus is a miracle worker to trusting that Jesus is the Messiah come to save His people. He went from trusting in what Jesus can DO – to trusting in WHO Jesus is.

So, what is the message of this miracle? What is this sign pointing to? It is not the amount or quality of our faith that saves us – It is the object of our faith who saves us! The man’s son was healed not because of the quality of his faith, but by the power of the One who spoke the word. The power of Jesus is that He doesn’t have to be physically present to heal this man’s son. He can simply just speak his healing into existence by the power of His word.

Which raises the question, what is saving faith? Faith is a nobody that trusts in Somebody. Saving faith is WEAKNESS trusting in the STRENGTH of somebody else to save me. This sign shows us Jesus doesn’t just want to heal this man’s son physically. He wants to save this man’s entire household spiritually so they can find true life in Him!! Jesus is more than a miracle worker – He is the Messiah come to save a people for Himself. This man’s son was saved, because God lost His on the cross to save you! So the only question to leave you with is this – Are you seeking a miracle worker, or are you seeking the only One who has life, and who can give you life, by giving up His?