“A SECOND SIGN”
Saint John 4. 46-54
The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity: 16 October Anno Domini 2005
Fr Watson
Turning water into wine shows omnipotence not goodness. Helping a festive wedding celebration to continue shows care and concern but not necessarily goodness. Healing the sick shows both awesome power and tender love; goodness.
We love our own. We can sometimes be forced to show interest and moderate charity towards strangers, others. The Law commands that we love others as ourselves, but usually the most we can do is to love our own. But even then, we kill them too don't we? Eve "killed" Adam by eating of the fruit. Adam had already destroyed his "help-mate" by not keeping her away from the tree and the serpent. Brother killed brother with the murderous rage of Cain. It's been about the same ever since. We love our own; our own spouses, parents, children, siblings, and close friends, but we kill them nonetheless, daily, with our selfishness, cruelty, disobedience, and lack of servant hood. The nobleman from Capernaum had a sick son because the nobleman had a sick "self." The father of the sick lad was sick with his own sin, sick unto death, save for the Healer Jesus Christ. While the boy was at the "point of death," in reality, without Christ he and his father were already dead in their trespasses.
All of you, before you were likewise rescued and healed by the self-same Physician from Galilee, were dead. You were dead because you too are sinners. That's the real "point of death."
Adam and Eve had the Word of God. They had His gracious promises. But when they fell in sin, when they gave in to the temptation, they let go of the Word and clutched for the sign. They greedily grabbed for the wonder of the fruit. But the Word of God is the only true fruit of His heart.
You have His Word. You have His Holy Scriptures. You know His will for you is good and that His disposition towards you is that of love, sacrifice, protection and Fatherly goodness. You have His Son's presence with you daily in your Baptized identities as sons and daughters of the king, co-heirs of immortality. You have the Lord's own Body and true Blood as His pledge of undying protection and strengthening. And yet, you too still succumb to doubts, worries and manipulative self-meddlings; self-righteousness.
The fact that the nobleman implored Christ to physically come to Capemaum and heal his dying son was not sinful. But Jesus' criticism of the surrounding crowd is very instructive. "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."
The old Adam in everyone despises the Word. Why do you think so few people bother to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest the Word? Of yourselves, you don't want the Holy Scriptures or the Body and Blood of Christ. You rather crave "razzle-dazzle," warm "feelings," and results. Why do you think the charismatics and other "false-miracle" cults pack them in every service (or every show)? Why do you demand that the Lord heal the things in your life in such a way that you can see it, touch it, measure it, record it, and prove it? Jesus' words are meant to chastise unbelief.
But His stiff rebuke was quickly followed by good news. It was joyously good news for the nobleman. Jesus didn't make the trip to Capernaum but simply spoke healing and life: "Go your way; your son lives." Yes, the Lord could do this because He was omnipotent God, but more importantly He did it because He is Gracious Redeeming Savior. He could heal the son of not just disease but of sin. He could and did do this because He gave His own life of service and His own death of suffering on the cross. The Heavenly Father had His own beloved Son die so that the nobleman's son might live; live in 1st century Galilee, but also live forever with the Saints and Sabaoth.
Jesus' Words bring everything. Jesus' Words, God's very Words spoken by God's very mouth and tongue bring and give what they say. They create, distribute and fortify the faith itself which believes in them: "So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him..."
Through His Word, the Lord is present and saving for whomever He has called to be His own. He does it. It is done. It is good. It is yours.
This was the "second sign" Saint John tells us that the Lord performed when He had come out of Judea. This Second Person of the Trinity performed His second great miracle of an infinite number of miracles. His two miracles of Law and Gospel are given to you in His two means of Grace: the Word and the Sacraments. His feeding and firming is made yours by His two mysteries of Washing and Eucharist. From His two bloodied arms stretched out over you at Calvary to this days' Festive Feast; hear His Words and believe: "Your son lives." Your mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, wives and husbands live. You live. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.
In the Name of The Father and of The Son + and of The Holy Ghost