Persevere and Insist

Believe in Jesus.

43 [a]After the two days, he left there for Galilee. 44 [b]For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. 45 When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast.46 Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. 48 Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” 49 The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. 51 While he was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. 52 He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” 53 The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. 54 [Now] this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.-John4:43-54

It is hard to explain why Jesus said to the official, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” As a very good reader of hearts and minds, is it possible that Jesus sensed that the official doubts that his son will ever be healed by anybody? Or, is it simply a test just like the Syro-Phoenician woman? Or, does Jesus wants the official to truly believe and have faith that anything is possible with the God-made-man? Jesus, through the Gospel, is teaching us to believe and have faith that miracles do happen no matter how impossible it is. However, it is true that some petitions are not granted because God knows that it is not good for us. Sometimes, we need also to humbly persevere and insist to God to grant what we ask of Him.

Image courtesy: artist