After the two days he left for Galilee. (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, for they also had been there. Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. “Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” “Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.” Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed. This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

First, I find it interesting here that there is a note that while he was welcomed in Galilee, he was not shown the honor due a prophet. Jesus was from Nazareth of Galilee and this was about 8-10 miles south of Cana. And Samaria was farther south still. So coming from Samaria, he would have gone through his hometown and then onto Cana. Reality was, he loved those he grew up around, but their faith was small and they likely still saw him as the little kid they once knew. They could not see that God had given him the ministry of a prophet and he served the people in love and truth like a prophet of God. Do I see people as God sees them, especially those close to me … my family and friends? Or do I dismiss them because I remember when they were in diapers and were a dependent child?

Second, here in Cana we see he is respected by an outsider, a public official from a distant town. This official from Capernaum comes to him and asks him to heal his son who is dying. He traveled about 20 miles to see Jesus. He begged Jesus to come and heal his son. And Jesus commented that the people had little faith and unless they saw miraculous signs they would not believe. Then he healed the son remotely with a word. And upon traveling back and confirming this was true, the man and his whole family were saved. Here are some takeaways from this passage: 1) Jesus loves persistent petitions. He likes to see a sold-out heart. This official would not take no for an answer. And Jesus rewarded him for this persistence by doing a miraculous healing. Will I pray for those I love persistently? 2) We, as people, are typically of the “low-faith” variety. We like to see things before we believe in them. Jesus was looking for someone like this official who took the Son of God at his word, and believed him. Jesus can heal my heart and fix my challenges by a simple word. Do I believe it? 3) Finally, this man’s faith in Jesus led his whole family to follow the Messiah, God’s Chosen One. He testified of the truth to them. How does my faith shine into the hearts of those around me, my family and friends? Will it compel them to trust God with their lives too?

Lord, thank you for realizing that I have a weak faith and it needs to be built up. May I trust you to do your good, faith-building work in me! Thank you, Father!