Our focus over the past few days and the next couple of weeks is on the supernatural acts of Jesus, including healings, miracles, and signs and wonders. Today, we will examine how Jesus healed someone from a distance:
And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. 47When 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. 48“Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” 49The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” 53Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed (John 4:46-53).
The Capernaum royal official believed that Jesus could heal his son because he had heard the stories of the miraculous signs Christ performed in Jerusalem. The Greek word translated as "royal official" is basilikos, meaning “king's man.” This individual held a high rank as one of Herod's trusted officials. Yet his rank meant little now—he was a man desperate for his son’s healing. As he witnessed the boy’s health decline, feelings of desperation, hope, and faith in God surged within him upon hearing of the miracles and healings attributed to Christ.
4 Stages of Faith Growth: Learning from the King’s Man
1. Faith That Takes a Risk
He believed enough to walk 19 miles uphill to see Jesus at Cana. Living with his son in Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee, he took a risk by not visiting the doctor. Instead, he chose to trust Christ, hoping Jesus would travel the 19 miles to Capernaum to heal his son. The five-hour journey was likely filled with worry and heartbreak over his son's potential death. Was his decision right? Was Jesus too busy? Could He really do what people claimed? Did he have time for Jesus to return? Perhaps his son was already in a coma when he left. The official believed his boy was dying (v. 47).
2. The Persistence of a Desperate Heart
He pleaded with Jesus for His help. The phrase "begged him to come" in verse 47 is in the imperfect tense, indicating that he kept imploring Him repeatedly. This man was relentless; he placed all his hope in Jesus, pleading urgently and desperately. The mere thought of losing his son was unbearable. This royal official cared deeply and would do anything to improve his son's condition. Wouldn't you? This desperate man, clad in his official garments, drew a crowd eager to see what was unfolding.
3. Trusting the Word Without a Physical Sign
He trusted Jesus' word that his son would live. The Lord told him, “You may go; your son will live” (v. 53). If I were in his place, I might have thought, "No sign? No prayer? This doesn’t seem right! How can I be sure you’re telling the truth? Are you expecting me to believe the healing happened without you laying hands on him?" When he returned home the next day, he found out that the miracle had taken place at the seventh hour of the previous day (v. 52), exactly when Jesus had said, “Your son will live” (v. 53).
4. A Household Transformed by Truth
He and his entire household believed. Can you imagine the joy that filled his heart when he returned home and saw his family? It's no wonder his whole household believed when they realized that the very moment Jesus told him to go home was the exact time his son was healed. Isn't the Lord amazing? Keith Thomas
Continue Your Journey…
If you found this meditation meaningful, there is so much more to explore about God’s plan in the Gospel of John found in the All Studies box on the groupbiblestudy.com Home Page. Click on Study 9: Jesus Heals the Royal Official’s Son.
YouTube video teachings at: https://www.youtube.com/@keiththomas7/videos