Your Child Will Live

When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival. Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee. John 4:43-54

It is so very hard to see a child dying, harder still when that child is yours or a member of your family. Every parent I know would give their life for their child, would take their place in the pain and the fear. It is at this desperate, painful place we find a father begging Jesus for the life of his child. This man was very important, yet the nearing death of his son put him on his knees in equal footing with the people on the streets, begging for help. Jesus sends him on his way with hope, and the man carried his hope with him and that hope was confirmed, even before he reached his child. Lov carries us through on the hardest, most painful journeys. 

Gracious Creator, source of love and healing

you carry in your arms on tough journeys

you surround us with angels and comforters

and breathe new life where all was broken.

We tend to blame you when things go wrong

despite our selfish and greedy ways of living

we are always pushing other people down

and not offering a hand to those in need.

Help us dear Lord to see all of your children

let us be ready to beg for them and help them

let us see your heart in every other person

and live always sharing the love you give us. Amen.