3 rd Sunday after Epiphany
Text: Jn 4.46 -54
songs available:
You who has all things LIS 17: 1-3
My God, lend me your ear, LIS 292: 1-4
The cross that God gives me LIS 289: 1-4
Glory and praise to God helping LIS 161: 1-3
46 "Jesus returned at Cana in Galilee, where he changed water into wine. There was at Capernaum a nobleman whose son was sick.
47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, as he was about to die.
48 Jesus said "If you do not see signs and wonders, you do not believe?"
49 The nobleman said to him: "Sir, come down before my child dies!"
50 "Go ahead," said Jesus, "your son lives." The man believed what Jesus said to him, and it went.
51 He was already down when his servants met him and told him: "Your child lives."
52 He asked what time he had gone better, and they said: "Yesterday at one o'clock in the afternoon, the fever of left. "
53 The father knew that it was that hour Jesus said to him: "Your son lives." Then he thought he and his family.
54 Jesus was the second miraculous sign after returning from Judea to Galilee.
Dear relatives of Christ takes care of you!
"Takes Does he really care for us? "We ask ourselves sometimes. "Is he cares much about what happens to us? "This is not now that these questions sometimes creeps into their minds.
We sometimes think: "Ah! Only if Jesus was walking today in the streets of our city, instead of having it there two thousand years to Cana, Capernaum and elsewhere in Palestine! We would go to him, like Mary at the wedding at Cana, as the royal official at Capernaum came to meet, also at Cana! "
But, then, forgetting several things.
Jesus' mission was not to cure all patients: most have not been cured and, indeed, even those he has healed are fallen sick and died one day, as will one day also our case, after experiencing one or more healing in the life .
When Jesus worked miracles by taking action to solve a problem, it was always to support his preaching, not for the miracle in itself. Moreover, the Bible calls his miracles "signs" (v. 54), events that carry a message: that the Almighty Lord Jesus.
That said, it's not because we can no longer meet at the corner of our street that is disconnected from our lives. There is very intimately involved.
First because he redeemed us dearly so that we can be safe with him.
Then because that "it has the power to submit everything to his authority" (Phil 3.21) and "his dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not cease" (Dn 7.14)
event related in our text - the healing of the son of a "nobleman" Herod Antipas (v. 46) - "second miraculous sign " wrought by Jesus at Cana (c. 54), did something to teach us? We respect he?
course! He shows us how
LORD JESUS COMES IN
FOR HIS OWN MANY
1. who have faith in him,
2. growing faith in the touch of His Word,
3. who attribute the benefits.
X X X 1 X X X
Lord Jesus intervenes
for our good who have faith in him
The first thing that strikes me reading this, c is that Jesus has no bias against any class or politics whatsoever. "An officer of the king" Herod Antipas among believers! For a scoop, it is!
Note the differences with the other story, heard in the liturgical readings of the day (Mt 8.5-13): If they both lived in Capernaum, for "the king's officer" is a son who is ill, for "the Roman officer" is a servant "the king's officer" asks Jesus "down" of Cana to Capernaum and heal his servant, "the Roman officer" did ask so much: "Just say a word and my servant will be healed! " (Mt 8.8)
Fortunately that Jesus does not expect us " so great faith, " (Mt 8.10) than that given in example, 's Officer Roman " ! Fortunately it does not turn away from those who have faith in "the king's officer" , or that, this vacillating father exclaimed "I believe, help thou my unbelief! " (Mk 9.24).
yet Jesus had a low opinion of Herod Antipas and his clique. Had he not put his followers in custody: "Beware of the leaven of Herod! " ? (Mk 8.15)
But our Lord does not mix, he knows how to separate things. Even in the midst of a group of depraved morality may still be of good repute. Remember "Obadiah, the head of the palace" of the immoral King Ahab! Not only was he remained a believer, but it also hid and fed a hundred prophets. (1 Kgs 18.2-16)
It reminds me of my friend, Viola Fronkova, Bratislava in Slovakia, which, under the communist regime aggressively atheist, worked in a department by day and night, animated biblical circles underground.
No, Jesus comes "for the good of all who love him" (Rom 8.28), whether Jewish or French or Slovak, regardless of the regime under which they live and whatever occupation, provided that they lead a life of repentance and faith in him.
So he received in the inner circle of the apostles a "Matthew" , former collector of Roman category of people who were known to be collaborators and thieves, but also a former terrorist, "Simon the Zealot" .
And in our text, it does not turn away from the officer of a king decried as immoral manners. Whether we be a lesson: Jesus cares for all humans: we also do not discrimination or segregation between people.
But Jesus cares about everyone, it's also a huge comfort to ourselves: therefore, we too are not excluded from his interest, his caring, concern, whatever we have done, whatever may be our opposite impression.
"The son of the nobleman was ill" (v. 46). Jesus did not turn away from this man. He does not refuse to help him. Oh! he came to refuse to perform miracles, "Because of their unbelief" , as at Nazareth. (Mt 13.58)
And before you take action, he said to the officer, but his words are aimed in fact to the crowd as he speaks in the plural: "If you do not see not signs and wonders, you do not believe? " (v. 48)
" The nobleman " shows that if. Him, he believes without seeing. When Jesus said "" Go, your son lives! ", The man believed the word Jesus said to him and went away. " (v. 50)
Although it took to believe the word of Christ! "At a time when Jesus told him:" Your son lives. " " (v. 53), his son had recovered to about thirty miles away!
Do not think it was easy for this man to believe what Jesus said to him. He expected something else. He wanted Jesus to come and see first hand and act accordingly.
Sometimes we also expect something else. Here, when Paul insisted for God to deliver a serious problem, God replied: "My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9) He really had to trust Jesus believed that God would act powerfully in leaving him in his ordeal.
Let us trust in Jesus who went to the wrath of God and the sufferings of hell in our place for us to avoid them! Let us trust in him, even if his behavior does not match what we thought, or when his response is different. "All authority he was given " (Mt 28:18) says it: he can use it for our good, and he'll use it for our good.
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Lord Jesus intervenes
for our good that strengthen our faith
in contact with His Word
It is true, as I said before, it is not simple nor easy to trust in Jesus, especially, in addition, when nothing works as expected or desired. Not only is it not simple, it is impossible without the intervention of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel.
Remember the beginning of explanation of 3 th Article of the Creed Petit Catechism " Martin Luther " I believe that I can e , by my reason and my own strength, believing in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to Him. " This we confess in us based on biblical words like this: " Nobody can say "Jesus is Lord!" except by the Holy Spirit. " (1 Cor 12.3)
But we also continue to confess with Luther: " [...] , but the Holy Spirit which by the gospel, called me, informed of his gifts, sanctified and kept in the true faith. "
The words that Jesus addressed to " the king's officer " have their effect, have affected this father felt. It reminds me that Jesus once said: " " The words I say to you are spirit and life "" (Jn 6.63), and through my words the Holy Spirit produces spiritual life of faith waiting to follow the life everlasting. "
Dear friends, let us never forget! There are some who say they do not need to go to worship and be saved. True, the cult is not a meritorious work, it's not there to earn salvation, we go because it's the place where God heals, heals us, comforts us and we weapon to face life, to face life and death. It "Meeting" that God does not want us "abandon" (Hey 10.25), avoiding or attended only rarely, because in doing so we prevent the Holy Spirit to make us grow in faith, even to keep us in faith through the Word and sacraments.
"The nobleman" heard the words of Jesus. This is what led him to place his faith in him. The Good News that Jesus has announced it has strengthened his faith in Jesus.
And our faith, Jesus strengthens when we just listen to worship, when we come to meet him in sacrament. It says things so strong, so comforting, so loaded with hope and encouragement that makes us grow in our faith in him.
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Lord Jesus intervenes
for our well
who ascribe all glory
When we escape from danger when we cure a disease when we overcome an ordeal, when something we succeeded at that we ascribe to which we attribute the glory?
"The father knew that Jesus' (v. 53) was originally the healing of his son. He might be skeptical and say: "This is a fortuitous coincidence that my son was healed "at the very hour when Jesus told him:" Your son lives. " "(v. 53)
He could have said:" This is the care he was given by my wife and other caregivers who have cured my son. "No, he ascribes all glory to God.
Dear friends, these past weeks, these last months, we prayed for Andre Ménégaux as "the king's officer" had prayed for his dying son. Weeks in a coma ... That was long! What a profusion of care also ! One day I counted twenty devices and screens of all sorts connected to him.
A month ago he came out of a coma last week it was able to sit in a chair. This week his mind was clear and we were able to maintain. The next day - last Thursday - it could leave the ICU to a rehabilitation center.
On my arrival in the service, Wednesday, a nurse approached me, all radiant, "Is not that wonderful? We did it! "
not my desire I want to minimize the efforts, the amount and intensity of care provided by that service ... but when we were alone, the Lord is above all that we thanked him for answered prayers for the family, our prayers also including in our worship.
We can thank him for the coverage we have, because none of us could afford months of intensive care also.
We can thank him for giving his blessing to the care and support caregivers. We know with Jacques: "Every blessing and everything perfect gift is from above, they descend from the Father of lights " (James 1.17).
In saying this we do not want to minimize the role of policies that have put up our coverage, nor the doctors and nurses. Thank God we do not dispense to thank - and thank them with warmth and emotion - those whom God has used to do us good to get out of tight spots.
But never forget "recognize" - as "the king's officer " did - as a last resort we owe to our Lord, it's the kindness, concern and intervention of God that we must.
"What God gets all the glory due to him through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen! " (1 P 4.11)
Amen.
Jean Thiébaut Haessig
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