When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep"

 

 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."  Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.

Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And He presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

 

- Luke 7:1-17 

 

In our recent readings, Jesus has been preaching what is called the Sermon on the Plain (as Luke tells us that He "stood on a level place").  Yesterday, we read the final teachings in this sermon, which began with a parable:  "Can the blind lead the blind?  Will they not both fall into the ditch?  A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.  And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye?  Hypocrite!  First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother's eye.  For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.  For every tree is known by its own fruit.  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.  For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say?  Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:  He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.  And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.  But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell.  And the ruin of that house was great."

 

  Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.  And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.  So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.  And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."  Then Jesus went with them.  And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, "Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.  Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You.  But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me.  And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."  When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick.   My study Bible comments that this centurion, who is a Roman Gentile, is unusual in his devotion to the Jews.  It takes note of his greatly worthy characteristics.  He is compassionate (his servant was dear to him), and has love for God and God's people (he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue).  He is humble in his deference to Christ (Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof).  Finally, he shows great faith in his confidence in Christ and Christ's authority and power (Jesus says, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!").

 

 Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still.  And He said, "Young man, I say to you, arise."  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.  And He presented him to his mother.  Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.  My study Bible tells us that this is one of three resurrections performed by Christ which are recorded in the Gospels (see also Luke 8:41-55; John 11:1-44).  It notes that these resurrection stories confirm the promise given to the prophet Ezekiel that God will one day open the graves and raise all the dead (Ezekiel 37:1-14).  Many people have exercised authority over the living; but only the Son of God "has power over both the living and the dead" (quoting from the Eastern Orthodox funeral service).  While Christ has power through His word alone (John 11:43), here He also touched the coffin to show that His very body is lifegiving.  According to St. Ambrose of Milan, this even also prefigures Christ's own Resurrection.  As Mary would weep for Jesus at the Cross, yet her tears would be turned to joy by the Resurrection; here a widow's only son is raised from the dead, putting an end to her weeping.  

 

 It's interesting to note the differences in the two stories given in today's reading.  The first is that of the centurion and his servant.  This centurion is wise in the ways of the institutions of the world and their protocols.  He's a commander of men within a distinct hierarchy in the supreme military of the time, one that revolutionized the notion of order.  He is also very humble, respectful of the Jews and their faith, and also of Jesus Christ.  Let us note that the text tells us that his servant is dear to him.  Not only is he respectful of the Jews and of Jesus, he also has compassion in his relation to his servant.  This is not a man for whom those under his command or in his household are interchangeable underlings.  In short, his respect and compassion show us his regard for community, his righteousness.  But it is noteworthy that in the case of that healing, he sends emissaries, the elders of the synagogue, to plead his case to Jesus.  He is both prudent and respectful.  And if we look closely, to send the elders of the Jews to Jesus is to ask others, in this sense, to intercede in prayer for him.  This intercession by others who've been asked to do so is simply magnified by the great trust, respect, and honor that the centurion shows to Jesus subsequently.  So much so, that Jesus proclaims to all, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"  But in the story of the widow of Nain, an entirely different process happens.   In that case, Jesus comes upon the funeral of the only son of a widow, and when the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her.  It's not the only time in the Gospels when Jesus is moved with compassion by the sight of women weeping over their departed.  In John 11:32-36, we may see Jesus' response to the sight of Mary (the sister of Lazarus) weeping, and all the mourners with her.  In this case, Mary is no stranger, and, as is noted in the text, Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters.  But there is another similarity here, in that the sisters have lost their only brother -- who is presumably the male head of the household; and the widow of Nain has lost her only son.  In terms of worldly authority and power, she is among the least of the world -- and so quite the opposite of the centurion.  I think that we have to appreciate the economics of the time, for even today in the most developed of countries, despite social and economic changes, the presence of a loving male protector and provider in a household still makes a great difference to all concerned.  In this case, we can presume that she was dependent upon this only son for many things, including a place of honor in the household.  In John's Gospel, we should be sensitive to the fact that, at the Crucifixion, Jesus left His mother in care to His "beloved disciple," John, whereupon John immediately took her to his own home (John 19:25-27).   So these two healings, paired together, tell us something essential.  Regardless of how we come to Christ, whether we are outsiders or insiders, whether we are people of authority or those without any power at all, whether others are praying for us or we feel alone and abandoned, God sees us.  God hears, and God responds.  It is most essential to observe how Christ is the God who sees, because He both notices and praises the centurion for his faith, and has compassion when He sees the weeping widow of Nain.  What this teaches is that regardless of how we come to Christ, or where we are in terms of faith, whether we are great or small, or even when we think God is absent -- God is always watching.  Christ is the Lord who sees, the one whose compassion means He knows our hearts and also our sorrows.  In the text the word translated as compassion comes from the Greek word for spleen, but means a depth of feeling in the core of the body, in one's "gut," so to speak.   When Jesus is moved with compassion He is deeply affected, even physically so, and not simply a detached observer.  He is a God who feels what we feel.  Indeed, in the compassion of the saints and of our Lord we might consider that there are times when we are numb, but the One who knows our hearts feels for us what we cannot feel.  Let us remember the Lord who is with us always.

 

 

So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives"

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"   Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee. 

 

- John 4:43–54 

 

Yesterday we read that while Jesus was still speaking with the Samaritan woman, His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."   And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "he told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Jesus' own country is Galilee.  This saying, that a prophet has no honor in his own country, is so significant that it appears in all four Gospels (see also Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24).   Naturally, there had been Galileans present at Jerusalem during Christ's first Passover of His ministry (John 2:13-25).  Jesus had performed many signs there.  While the Galileans received Christ having seen the signs, my study bible says that St. John Chrysostom gives greater credit to the Samaritans, who accepted Christ based on words alone without the same accompanying signs (see also John 20:29).  

 

 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  Here, Christ admonishes the people in general (you is plural both times), and not simply the nobleman.  My study bible comments that faith which is based on miraculous works only is insufficient for salvation.  This kind of incomplete faith turns quickly to scorn if the miracles cease (John 19:15).   

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"   Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study bible comments that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance.  Also, he doesn't understand that Jesus would have the power to heal even if his child were to die.  In the end, he inquires about the timing of the healing, still not entirely trusting in Christ's authority.   But only after all is confirmed do he and his whole household believe.  Therefore, in healing the child from a distance, Christ heals not only the body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman.  As the text tells us, this is the second sign which is reported in John's Gospel.  The first occurred at the wedding at Cana (see this reading).  My study bible says that, having revealed He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (in the calling of Nathanael; see John 1:45-48), Christ now demonstrates that He can also heal from a distance.  This shows that His divine power has no earthly limits.  It adds that while there are some similarities between this sign and the miracle recorded in Matthew 8:5-13, there are also many crucial differences.  These are therefore clearly two different encounters.

Christ's healing the nobleman's son from a distance displays at first glance a kind of confidence in the workings of His divine power that we rarely encounter in other things.  That is because this confidence is also a kind of knowing that comes from divine awareness, which also knows no boundaries.  So, essentially, we have both the effectiveness of Christ's healing power, and also His knowledge and awareness being displayed without "earthly" boundaries we would normally expect for any kind of healing procedure or for the awareness of something that has taken place.  My study bible emphasizes that in the context of John's Gospel, these are "signs" which reveal Christ's divinity, His "glory" as John might put it : "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" - John 1:14.  But, while it affirms qualities that belong to the divine which are on display in Jesus, there is something additional we can say about these capacities both to know and to heal at a distance that Jesus expresses.  These are qualities associated with the divine in which we invest and with which we seek to commune and petition in prayer.  Effectively, God's presence with us from a distance transcends the space and time boundaries of this world.  As boundaries they are rendered non-existent within the prerogatives and qualities of God.  That is, God can be with us, God can know what is going on with us, God can "see" us, God can heal us.  We do not have to be in the presence of God, beholding God with our own intelligible senses as human beings or earthly means of awareness to call God to ourselves, and to have God present to us.  Since it is healing which is on display in today's reading, let us understand that healing can take place on many levels through prayer, whether it be emotional, physical, spiritual or otherwise.  Healing takes place within relationships as well, even to help us be at peace with the choices others have made with regard to our relationships with them.  Moreover, God's healing activity takes place to restore God's relationship with us.  So when we observe this marvelous healing activity at a distance in today's reading, let us also come to terms with the idea that even when we can't come to God, God can come to us under any and all circumstances.  In this context, it is helpful to understand the name of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gives in John's Gospel, in John 14:16, 26.   In the Greek, He calls the Spirit "Paraclete"  (Παράκλητος).  This name is often translated as Comforter, or Helper.  But the literal meaning of the word comes from Para-  which means "from close-beside" and kaleo which means to "make a call."  It means "One who comes when called" and is especially used to indicate an Advocate, such as one who comes to help in a court or legal proceeding, one who can plead another's cause, an intercessor, one who comes to help.  But for our purposes today, let us consider God the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, as One who does the work of coming to our assistance, of helping us with intercession and prayer.  The personification of the Holy Spirit in the name "Paraklete" which is given by Jesus is one that exemplifies for us this divine quality of not needing to be physically present to help and to heal in all kinds of senses of these words.   Let us understand the power of prayers, and how they are related to the divine qualities of Christ on display in this second sign given in the Gospels.  

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast. 

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

 

- John 4:43–54 

 

Yesterday we read that, midst Christ's conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  

 

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).

 

So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  John's Gospel has already recorded Jesus attending one Passover festival (2:13-25).  While there, He performed many signs.  My study bible cites St. John Chrysostom, in saying that while here the Gospel tells us that the Galileans received Christ because of having seen His signs, greater credit goes to the Samaritans for accepting Christ based on words alone, without the accompanying signs (see also 20:29).  

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."   My study bible comments that Christ is admonishing the people in general (you in this last verse is plural both times), and not simply the nobleman.   It says that faith based on miraculous works alone is not sufficient for salvation.   This type of incomplete faith can quickly turn to scorn when miracles cease (19:15).  

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.   My study bible remarks that the overriding concern of the noble is for his child, even though his faith is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance.  He also doesn't understand that Christ would have the power to heal even if the child were to die.  In the end, he asks about the time of the healing, still seeking to validate (and not completely trusting) Christ's authority.  But after all is confirmed, he and his whole household finally believe.  Therefore, my study bible says, in healing the child from a distance, Christ heals not just the body of the child, but also the soul of the nobleman.   

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  This second sign of seven in John's Gospel reveals another facet of Christ's divine identity.  In this Gospel, He's already revealed that He can see into the hearts of people from a distance, in the story of calling of the disciple Nathanael (1:45-48).  By this second sign, Christ demonstrates that He can also heal at a distance.  In effect, my study bible notes, showing that His divine power has no earthly limits.  There are some similarities between this sign and the miracle which appears in Matthew 9:5-13, there are also crucial differences.  These are viewed as two different encounters.

 

In today's modern age of science, much more is made of different dimensional characteristics than possibly could be understood at the time of Christ.  But even then, the sciences were considered important and held a great place in education.  Mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and many other sciences were already quite developed.   From a shipwreck that occurred sometime in the first century before Christ, there has been discovered what is called the Antikythera Mechanism (after the Greek island next to which the shipwreck took place).  This device is an early analogue computer, one made of many gears which enabled it to compute eclipses, the orbit of the moon (including its period of irregular orbit), as well as the orbit of the sun through the Zodiac.  It tells us of the advanced understanding and importance of science at that time, despite a general Western point of view that such sophistication didn't exist until far later.  At this time, no educated person was without an equal training in science and letters, and so it should be understood that the earliest great theologians of the Church were also well-trained in the sciences.  Therefore, the understanding of Christ's revelation of Himself in today's reading as one whose power is not held back by earthly restrictions of space and other understood dimensions or limitations of worldly life  takes on a significance we can start to appreciate in the eyes of the earliest Christian theologians.  Even time was understood as not a barrier to Christ, as philosophically these earliest Fathers of the Church understood life and time as that which was characterized as always in movement, and even in the action of entropy, or gradual decline.  Christ's healings were seen as evidence of disruption of that cycle, and even in this sense defying the laws of physics that govern the world.  So when we read about His signs, we should try to understand them as our highly rational and educated ancestors did:  as evidence that His origin and nature were connected to a place that transcended these dimensions or limitations.  A sign, after all, points to something beyond itself, and that is the way that we need to understand Christ's miracles.  They are not some sort of magic trick, or sensational ability or gift.  They are signs of His divine nature, they point to something which we can't see but which He is fully a part of, although He is also fully a human being.  As these signs unfold in John's Gospel, we will continue to view the fullness of Christ's ministry, eventually revealing the fullness of His identity and its importance for us as human beings.  We should keep in mind that all of this is for us and so that we may become and grow in communion with Christ and all that is brought to the table in Him.  

 

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in His own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they had also gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

- John 4:43-54

On Saturday, we read the final section of the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, and her encounter with Christ.  (See the readings of Thursday and Friday for the earlier parts of the story.)  At this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So, when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in His own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they had also gone to the feast.  Jesus' own country is Galilee (1:46; 2:1; 7:42, 52; 19:19).  So central to the Gospels is this understanding that a prophet has no honor in His own country that it appears, in one form or another, in all four (see also Matthew 13:37, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24).  Galileans were present at Jerusalem during the Passover festival reported earlier in John's Gospel (2:13-25).  This is the second time that John has disclosed to us that Jesus performed many signs at that feast, although we don't know specifically what they were.  While the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, my study bible says, St. John Chrysostom gives more credit to the Samaritans (see Saturday's reading, above) for accepting Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also 20:29).

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."    Jesus is admonishing people in general here and not specifically the nobleman (you is plural both times).  My study bible tells us that faith based on miraculous works alone is insufficient for salvation.  This kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn if the miracles cease (19:15).

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  My study bible remarks that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand the true Lordship of Christ:  that He is Lord over illness even from a distance.  Neither does he understand that Jesus would have the power to heal even should the child die.  He inquires about the timing of the healing, still not completely trusting in Christ's authority.  But after all is confirmed he and his whole household believe.  In healing the child from a distance, therefore, Jesus not only heals the body of the child, but also the soul of this nobleman.

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  This is the second of seven signs that John's Gospel reports to us.  (We note that John also tells us Jesus did many other signs which he does not report in his Gospel.)  My study bible says that having revealed that He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (1:45-48), Jesus now demonstrates that He can heal from a distance.  This shows that His divine power knows no earthly limits.  While there are certain similarities between this sign and the miracle that is recorded in Matthew 8:4-13, there are also crucial differences.  These, it concludes, are clearly two different encounters.

The fact that there are no limits to Christ's power should tell us something very comforting, and also in which we can put our trust.  That is, there are no worldly obstacles to His power.  There is only the determination that God's will is to use power and authority in particular ways and for particular purposes.  By definition, God is so far beyond our own understanding and ways of being that what these purposes and ways are will remain mysterious to us.  Revelation is all about what it is that God chooses to give us and to teach us, both about ourselves and about God.  In today's reading, we're given to understand not only that God's ways are not our ways, but in particular that by applying a worldly way of thinking to Christ, we fail to know Him.  We fail to grasp what we are dealing with.  This is why faith is essential to our relationship and participation in the life He offers.  It is by faith that we begin to grasp something of God.  It is by faith that we are capable of sustaining this kind of relatedness and communion with Someone who is so far beyond what we are.  The demand for proofs is quite an interesting thing to think about, because there are indications here in this reading that reply to our constant demand.  John tells us clearly, in the words of Jesus, that "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." Proofs put Christ down at our level.  We demand that God conforms to our expectations and judgment.  He will say to all who demand one that "a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign" (Matthew 12:39, 16:4; Mark 8:12; Luke 11:29).  The connection through faith asks for something more and something different.  The food we desire is participation in Him, in the love and grace of God, in the work of the Spirit, in the communion of saints.  When we pray for our daily bread, this is a direct plea for the Eucharist and all that it means and adds to our lives and forms of community for us.  If we desire only proofs, we will never get enough to satisfy an impossible and spiritually infantile demand that does not recognize the love that is offered, nor the life it contains.  What is the work of faith?  How does it pull us and draw us?  What does it give us?  This is what we're asked through the Gospel today, and Jesus' words and teachings.

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet had no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

- John 4:43-54

Yesterday, we read the conclusion to Jesus' meeting with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well.   At this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."  

Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet had no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Jesus' own country is Galilee.  This statement, that a prophet has no honor in his own country, is found in all four Gospels.  The Galileans who witnessed His signs in Jerusalem were those who were there for the first Passover recorded in John's Gospel (2:13-25).  Jesus, we were told, performed many signs there (see 2:23).  It's a kind of caution recorded here against those who rely on signs for faith.  In chapter 2 we were told that Jesus did not commit Himself to those who believed because of the signs.  St. John Chrysostom comments here that those who received Christ because of the signs they saw at the Passover feast are far less creditable than the Samaritans who accepted Christ based on words and teachings without the accompanying signs (see yesterday's reading, above).

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  You people here is plural.  Jesus admonishes the people in general (not the nobleman alone) for faith based in signs (or miracles).  This is insufficient for salvation.  It's an incomplete type of faith, which turns to scorn if the miracles cease (19:15).  We will see the repeated insistence on "proofs"  that He is Messiah by the leadership, who demand signs from Christ.

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study bible says that the nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, although his faith in Christ is weak.  He doesn't understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance, nor that Christ could heal the child even if he were to die.  He inquires after the fact about the timing of the healing, still not completely trusting the Lord's authority.  It is after all is confirmed that he and his whole household believe.  Earlier in John's Gospel we learned that Jesus sees into the hearts of people from a distance (1:45-48).  Here, He not only heals the body of the child from a distance, but also the soul of the nobleman.  This is the second of seven signs given in John's Gospel.

Jesus performs signs (or miracles) but in a sense He does so reluctantly.  They are never done to create faith.  They are never done as proofs of identity or power or authority, despite the fact of the constant demand (especially by the authorities who insist that He prove Himself).  In fact, one may conclude that His crucifixion comes about because He refuses to give proofs, and so is charged with blasphemy, but it's debatable that the envious religious leaders would have stopped plotting against Him.  But what we do take home, so to speak, from this reading is that Jesus' signs are done from compassion.  He provides wine at the wedding in Cana at the prompting of His mother, as the hosts have run out of wine (an essential element for the wedding feast).  Here He takes compassion on the nobleman who implores Him to heal his son who is at the point of death.  It's almost as if Jesus does so reluctantly, because of the problems with a faith that relies on and demands signs.  Faith must begin in another place within us.  Its true root in the Greek is trust, and trust does not come from proofs and signs.  Trust is akin to love, to a kind of loyalty in which one trusts out of a deeper sense of truth within the heart.  The demand for signs is a way to hold back, to impose one's own standards on that which we don't really understand, nor have we the immense perspective sufficient to judge God.  If our faith depends on miraculous answers, it's not really the kind of faith Christ asks us for.  It's not the stuff of endurance, and it won't build us up as human beings.  In the story of Job, we encounter a man who loses everything, but continues looking for an answer, and for his day face to face with God.  In the end, Job is satisfied with God's love, with that steadfast assurance of communion, even though God makes it clear that Job must trust and cannot understand a plan for all of creation that is beyond his capacities to comprehend.  It is in God's very questioning of Job that we come to know encounter, and the struggle with our faith.  So Jesus reflects this in His lament about those who demand signs.  Faith is based in communion, even a kind of struggle in which we are engaged with God and God is engaged with us.  That is what produces true character and endurance, the kind of love that echoes itself in human marriage, in which we struggle through love and engagement and, yes, our own transformation through time.  Let us remember the depths of the heart as the place where faith is and where love goes, beyond even what we can understand.  That is where God awaits and encounters us in faith.

Your son lives!

 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.

- John 4:43-54

Yesterday, we read that while Jesus was speaking with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well,  His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why are You talking with her?"  The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did.  Could this be the Christ?"  Then they went out of the city and came to Him.  In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."  But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."  Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.  Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'?  Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!  And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.  For in this the saying is true:  'One sows and another reaps.'  I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored, and you have entered into their labors."  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of His own word.  Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."

  Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.  So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.  Jesus' "own country" is Galilee.  My study bible suggests that Galileans were present at the Passover in Jerusalem, when He performed many signs (2:13-2:25).  It says, "While the Galileans received Christ having seen His signs, St. John Chrysostom gives greater credit to the Samaritans for accepting Christ based on words alone without the accompanying signs (see also 20:29)."

So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine.  And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.  When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.   Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  My study bible suggests that here Christ is admonishing the people in general -- the you in this last statement is plural both times.  So, it's not merely the noblemen He's addressing.  A note says, "Faith based on miraculous works alone is insufficient for salvation; this kind of incomplete faith quickly turns to scorn should the miracles cease (19:15)."

The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"  Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives."  So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!"  Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better.  And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."  So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives."  And he himself believed, and his whole household.  A note says, "The nobleman's concern is clearly for his child, though his faith in Christ is weak.  He does not understand that Christ is Lord over illness even from a distance, nor does he grasp that Jesus would have the power to heal even if the child were to die.  Finally, he inquires about the timing of the healing  (verse 52), still not completely trusting the Lord's authority.  Only after all is confirmed do he and his whole household believe (verse 53).  Thus in healing the child from a distance, Jesus heals not only the body of the child, but the soul of the nobleman."

This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.  My study bible comments:  "This is the second sign reported in John's Gospel.  Having revealed He can see into the hearts of people from a distance (1:45-48), the Lord now demonstrates He can heal from a distance, showing His divine power knows no earthly limits.  While there are certain similarities between this sign and the miracle recorded in Matthew 8:5-13, there are many crucial differences; these are clearly two different encounters."

In healing from a distance, Christ demonstrates something we've noticed in commentaries in the readings we've just been through -- with the woman at the well in Samaria.  Worship doesn't happen at one place only; in other words, it's not tied to a place. "God is Spirit," Jesus said, "and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth."   By demonstrating this healing from a distance, Jesus teaches us something else about God as Spirit, in the nature of Spirit and how our faith works.  Prayer is intercession.  Our faith is not limited by distances -- not by time distances, and not by spatial distances.  We believe in a great cloud of witnesses.  Intercessory ability doesn't seem to be limited by any kind of condition of time and space; we call on saints to pray for us just as we pray for one another.  So Christ's example of encouraging faith in the father in today's reading sets us in a particular place to teach us about the lack of "conventional" limitations when considering what prayer is and how Spirit works in us, with us, and in our lives, through all things. Jesus teaches us about intercession, a kind of spiritual form of  "intervention" that can happen anywhere, anyplace, anytime.  It doesn't really matter who or what or why or where the prayer comes, we can all be intercessors.  Today is the day that churches around the world celebrate the Assumption or Dormition of Mary, Mother of God.  Denominations vary in doctrine and in practice, but the tradition  of the entire Church from its earliest history tells us of the veneration of Mary, particularly as refuge for prayer, the great intercessor of all intercessors.  Her archetypal appearance in the Gospels in this role was given us by John, in Jesus' first of seven signs in his Gospel, at the wedding at Cana.  The Marian apparitions around the world, in many forms, in many cultures, in many ways across time and space in the history of our faith, tell us of this great Intercessor, who helps to pray for us and serves as one who is ready when we need help to pray, a person who knew tremendous pain and yet never lost faith in her Son.  Early Christian history is filled with stories of her relationship as "mother" to all the disciples, as she is also Mother to so many who follow.  May we be blessed by such strength and such faith, even when we are faced with terrible sorrows for the love of the One we all call the Son.  She's the one whose words began the teaching for all of us, "Whatever He says to you, do it."