NOTES for Joh 4:43-54
An important man—a royal official—comes to ask Jesus to heal his son. Jesus answers with words that at first glance convey a negative attitude toward what is happening; He said something similar to the Pharisees who tested Him (see Mk 8:12). But the royal official is driven by concern for his son and the desire that his life should continue. Jesus simply states the sad fact that it is difficult to believe without a miracle. Yet the Lord came to earth so that people would believe in Him. The Lord’s heart responds to the grief of a man who is losing his son, and He heals the young man. Not wishing to turn the healing into a loud and noisy spectacle, Jesus sends the royal official home with only the words that his son will recover. He leaves the father room for spiritual growth—in faith. The royal official had to believe the Teacher’s words and go home, despite his fear that he might find his son already dead. And the most important step on this path was taken: he did not “steal” this miracle from the Lord. It would probably have been easy to think that the young man had finally begun to feel better. This, after all, is what the servants who went to tell their master thought. Sometimes it is easier for us to think this way too.