He was back in Cana of Galilee, the place where he made the water into wine. Meanwhile in Capernaum, there was a certain official from the king’s court whose son was sick. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and asked that he come down and heal his son, who was on the brink of death. Jesus put him off: “Unless you people are dazzled by a miracle, you refuse to believe.”

But the court official wouldn’t be put off. “Come down! It’s life or death for my son.”

Jesus simply replied, “Go home. Your son lives.”

The man believed the bare word Jesus spoke and headed home. On his way back, his servants intercepted him and announced, “Your son lives!”

He asked them what time he began to get better. They said, “The fever broke yesterday afternoon at one o’clock.” The father knew that that was the very moment Jesus had said, “Your son lives.”

That clinched it. Not only he but his entire household believed. This was now the second sign Jesus gave after having come from Judea into Galilee. (John 4:46-54)

True faith doesn’t require much evidence, since faith is a gift from God, not something we create in ourselves. Herod the Tetrarch was the ruler in Galilee. One of his officials had a sick son, on the brink of death.

Jesus criticized the people around him for needing miracles in order to believe. John the Baptist had announced Jesus was the Messiah, and Jesus had begun preaching his message, but he hadn’t performed any other miracles. Jesus’ only miracle up until then had been turning water into wine at a wedding. But this official in Herod’s court believed that Jesus’ status as the Messiah was enough. If Jesus was the Messiah, then healing people was part of the package. When Jesus told him his son lived, he believed it and headed back home. Not only did this official believe Jesus was the Messiah, soon the other members of his household did too, when they heard about the miracle. They were dazzled and so they believed. Jesus was right: for some people, a miracle was enough. But for the father, he had believed simply because he knew that the Messiah could take care of his boy. He had believed before any miracle.

For others, like the religious leadership in Israel, even after Jesus had performed many miracles, it would not be enough for them to believe. Jesus’ promises are certain because of who he is. We don’t need dazzling miracles. If we doubt, the doubt is in ourselves alone.

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