The Gospel for Monday of the fourth week in Lent is taken from John 403rd to the 54th verse. At that time, Jesus left Samaria for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. 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. Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he made the water wine. Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
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. Who was near death. Jesus said to him, unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe. The royal official said to him, sir, come down before my child dies. Jesus said to him, you may go, your son will live. The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him the fever left him. Yesterday about 1 in the afternoon, 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. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.
Jesus was used to people constantly looking at him, wondering who he was. And they wanted some kind of proof that he was who he said he was. And it was tiring to Jesus to constantly prove before anyone would believe in him that he was who he said he was. What’s different here is this man looked at Jesus and knew who he was, knew the power he had believed he had it, and simply said, please come before my child dies. And Jesus knew the difference in a moment. He was not asking for Jesus to prove who he was.
He was simply asking Jesus to do what he came into the world to do. It’s a beautiful way of understanding what belief and faith really is in Jesus. Closing prayer, Father. Confidence. Confidence as you are in our life, giving us all that we need, enabling us to do the things we called to do. Help us to be always conscious of this presence within us that will always accomplish what is necessary.
It is not we who do your work. It is you who do your work through us. That’s our confidence always in you and in your presence. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
