Faith, Signs and Wonders

The Royal Official. Some time after Jesus had arrived in Cana, a royal official traveled from Capernaum to visit Jesus. This man was most likely an official of King Herod, the Tetrarch of Galilee. If true, he would have been a significant individual. We know that this man came to Jesus for a serious reason because he had traveled 16 miles (25.7 Km) from Capernaum to Cana in order to ask Jesus to heal his sick son.

The Greek word for “sick” is in the imperfect tense which means that the official’s son had been sick for a long time. We do not know the nature of the son’s illness. It is not important; otherwise, the Holy Spirit would have told us. The Holy Spirit simply wants us to know that he had been sick a long time. Have you ever noticed that God does not tell us everything in the Bible? He does the same with each one of us. He never tells us more than we need to know. God expects us to trust Him while we do His will. If God told us the end result of following His will, some of us would not follow Him because some of us would not like the outcome!

Recently, a man was grieving his situation after doing God’s will. He saw what God had to say in the Bible. He obeyed, but he did not enjoy the outcome. Would he have done God’s will if he had known the pain that would have followed? God does not tell us everything about the official’s son. God only wants us to understand the message that He is trying to send us in this study.

Since the official’s son was very sick and since the father loved his son greatly, he started begging or imploring Jesus to come to his home and heal his son. The original language tells us that this official was repeatedly begging Jesus. He was not timid. He asked Jesus to come “down” to Capernaum. He said “down” because Capernaum was at a lower altitude than Cana. Capernaum is on the shore of Galilee at an altitude of 686 ft (209 m) below sea level. The father was serious and passionate because his son was near death. If we look closely at the passage, we discover that the father believed 1) that Jesus needed come to go to Capernaum in order to heal his son, and 2) that Jesus did not have power over death. The father did not believe that Jesus could raise the dead. He did not understand that Jesus did not need to go to Capernaum and He did not need to go immediately.

Signs and Wonders. How did Jesus respond to him? Most of us would have been offended by Jesus’ next words. Jesus did not offer to go to Capernaum. He did not promise to heal his son. Instead, Jesus saw the man’s heart and saw a very unusual person. He was not like the crowd standing around Him. This official was like the Samaritans. He did not need signs to believe. He had already heard the new reports and believed. The crowd needed to be like him. So Jesus said to the crowd,

So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” (NASB) John 4:48

The word “signs” refers to significant events such as healings - events that should capture our attention. The word “wonders” includes special indications of coming events - a special event that is greater than a “sign.” Together they cover every miraculous event that Jesus performed. “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” They were just like the people in Jerusalem. They needed signs and wonders to believe. Jesus’ words were not enough. They had doubts and were looking to be convinced. They were not like the Samaritans who simply believed Jesus after discovering that He was the Messiah. When Jesus said that they “will not believe,” He used a double negative - “they will not, not believe!” This is a strong statement. They will NOT believe without signs and wonders. It is sad when people do not believe God and want signs and wonders for proof.

The Same Is True Today. The same is true today for many people. Unless they see signs, they will not believe. Most of the people in the crowds in Jesus’ day needed signs and wonders to be repeated again and again to help them continue believing. The truth was - Jesus would never be able to do enough signs and wonders to cause them to believe. Yes, they were thrilled with Jesus’ “magic show,” but they were unwilling to believe in Jesus. There have always been churches filled with those who seek a show or signs. Some pastors give their congregation a good show with exciting preaching filled with watered down biblical content. Other pastors and teachers repeatedly promise their people “signs and wonders” to encourage them to believe that God is present and at work. Jesus had a different approach, He rebuked the crowds for seeking a sign. There was something more important than a sign or a wonder. It was choosing to believe in Jesus and do what He said!