The Word Is Enough
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
We know the nobleman’s
son is healed. But the man himself doesn’t know. Jesus tells the man that his
son is alive. The man does not know if his son will still be alive when he gets
back to home. Jesus could have very well have meant that the nobleman was
wasting his time seeking signs and wonders; he should go home while his son
still lives, before it is too late. The man’s son is alive for now in Capernaum, yet the man is in Cana.
The surprise is
this: Jesus says to the man, “Your son
lives,” and this word causes the nobleman to believe. In this Word from
Jesus, the nobleman learns to leave Capernaum
for good. He stops trying to get the Lord to come to his house. He believes. It
is a remarkable thing. Jesus hasn’t promised him anything, and yet the nobleman
believes. Jesus merely states the reality: “Your
son lives.” The nobleman gets no sign or proof; He gets the simple
statement that his son is currently alive. But the Lord’s statement tells the
nobleman that life is in our Lord’s hands; it tells the man that our Lord has
compassion. Jesus knows the man’s son. He gave him life and He sustains it. He
knows whether the son is alive or dead; He cares. It is not a sign or a wonder
for the nobleman. It just a statement: Jesus is the Lord of life.
This Word Jesus
speaks bestows faith and confidence in the nobleman. Jesus is good, no matter
what happens. The nobleman stops looking for signs and wonders. As Job
confessed, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has
taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord.” The man’s son lives. That is
a gift from the Lord. “Blessed be the
Name of the Lord.” His son may yet die. The Lord may take him away; even so:
“Blessed be the Name of the Lord.”
This is faith. Now the nobleman is seeking the Kingdom and not signs and
wonders. Now he knows that Jesus is the Lord of life. He goes home in faith. He
accepts that the Lord will work all things for good.
The man still desires
time with his son on earth, of course, but he also trusts that the Lord is good.
Even if he doesn’t get time on earth, he will get time in heaven. This life is
transitory, temporary—the mere wink of an eye when compared to eternity. If the
nobleman must mourn, he will mourn. But he will not despair. The Messiah has
come. He has laid down His life as a ransom. He pays the price in blood for the
nobleman and for his son. Even if his son dies, his son lives. That is what
Jesus said, and it must always be true. “Your
son lives” means your son will always live.
This is important
for us, too. We live on that road between Cana and Capernaum. We’ve all prayed for all sorts of
stuff—most significantly the lives of our loved ones. Mostly that gift hasn’t
been given. We’ve gone back home with nothing more than a statement from Jesus:
“Whoever believes in Me will ever die.”
We’ve all suffered; barring return of our Lord, we will continue to suffer the
death of our loved ones. We beg Him to come, to bring healing our loved ones. He
says, “Your loved one is My loved one, baptized into My Name. He lives. That is
enough. Believe and go.”
And off we go. No
proof. No miracle. Apart from Christ, there is only death. If Christ says the
boy lives, he lives, even if he dies. That has to be enough—not just for the
nobleman, but also for us. And it is enough. The nobleman goes back to Capernaum. He leaves Cana, where water was changed into wine. While we abide
in this dying place, we come to our own Cana,
where blood hides in wine, and we find not just our loved ones who have gone
before us in the faith; we also find here Our Lord Himself, where He has
promised to be. This is the House of the Lord. For the time being we must go back
to our own Capernaum.
But we go in faith, with the Word of Jesus: “Whoever
believes in Me will never die.” God be praised, it is enough. In the name
of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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