Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.
I used to be a die-hard Cincinnati Reds fan. I followed 162 games a year and more in the rare years they made the playoffs. I could name the regular starting 8 and their back-ups along with the rotation, bullpen, and any talent we have coming through the pipeline.
I also used to be a die-hard Indianapolis Colts fan.
I still am a fan of both teams, but I can’t claim to be die-hard anymore. Lots of games come and go without much of my notice.
I know some of the players. I can tell you Jacoby Brissett is as the starting QB for the Colts and he had a knee sprain last game, but I can’t tell you his stats or who’s protecting his blindside.
So, I can’t claim to be a die-hard fan anymore, but I can promise you this: I am no fair-weather fan.
You know that saying? A fan when things are going great. Not a fan during the rough seasons.
When they’re winning, wear the jerseys, attend the games, and talk about them all the time. When they’re losing, find another team and jump on their bandwagon, or just renounce the sport all together.
Jesus today is warning against being a fair-weather fan of his.
A man comes up to Him. A man who had traveled about a days journey because He heard Jesus was near and He knew Jesus had once turned water into wine.
His son was ill and he asked Jesus to come down and heal him, for he was at the point of death.
This is no game. His son was at the point of death. The Greek says something literally like “death is coming,” or “death is intended for him.”
Jesus though, seems to play a game with him.
Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.
If it’s not a game Jesus is playing, it certainly seems cruel. For that man, now does not seem to be the appropriate time for Jesus to be teaching him about faith.
“This is an emergency. Act now, teach later if you want to teach, Jesus. C’mon. This isn’t a time for lecture’s.”
And this man seems to have displayed faith already.
He left his dying son, traveled about a day’s journey, to seek Jesus. He believed Jesus could come back with him and heal his dying son.
The man seems a bit frustrated and not in the mood for games. But he won’t yell at Jesus and give up.
The official said to Jesus, “Sir come down before my child dies.”
Jesus seems to be done warning about fair-weather fans but he’s not done testing the man.
Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.”
That’s not exactly what that man wanted. He wanted Jesus to come with him.
It would seem he has three choices. 1.) Press Jesus to give him exactly what he wants. 2.) Give up on Jesus. 3.) Trust Jesus and His Word of promise.
The texts says, the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.
The rest of the story is quite beautiful and doesn’t need a preacher to explain anything to you.
51As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
Jesus is here today and everyday in your life and he tests our sinful tendency to be a fair-weather Christian.
There is a temptation to be a big fan when things are going very well
Jesus is giving you exactly what you want. When it’s obvious team Jesus is winning and will win. Let me put on my cross necklace, go to church, and let everybody I’m on team Jesus and they ought to be as well.
What about when He isn’t giving you what you want? The son who was about to die, did die. Mom, dad, marriage, kids, grandkids, well, we can just say that health, wealth, love and success wouldn’t be the terms that come to mind.
Do you hide your faith, not exactly proud to be His follower in what He tells you to believe and how to live?
Team Jesus doesn’t exactly seem like it’s winning right now around us. Maybe we should get on the bandwagon and agree with what everybody else is doing or saying
Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.
Jesus warns about a type of faith that is excited at first, but then when troubles and persecutions come, it withers away in the heat because it had no root.
What Jesus was doing that day with that man and what Jesus is doing this day with you and me is to deepen our roots in Him.
To be more than His fan. To know we are God’s children. To know we are the Bride of Christ, come what may –
Troubles, persecutions, insults, injuries, shrinking churches, a mocking culture, family and friends abandoning or being apathetic to what we hold so near and dear.
“Do you want to go away as well?” Jesus will ask His disciples one time after some hard sayings made more than 5,000 people leave.
We could either 1.) Demand Jesus give us exactly what we want. 2.) Abandon and give up on Jesus. or 3.) Trust Jesus and His Word of eternal life. Trust what He tells us to do and trust the promises He tells us to believe.
Our Lord with His warning and promises, with His teaches and His gifts is not here today to play games with us.
We’re not in a game. We’re in a war.
And we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness.
We don’t need Him to be our fan. We need His encouragement and support, sure.
But we need more than that.
We need Him to be our Father, who loves us, and fights for us, and defends, and disciplines us when we are going astray.
We need Him to be the founder and perfecter our faith.
We need Him as our Creator who created everything good to declare us good again through the death of His Son.
We need Him to deepen our faith in Him in all circumstances so we can take up the shield of faith with which we can extinguish the flaming darts of the evil one.
Our faith is not in our health or wealth or family or friends or reputation or feelings.
But in Jesus and His promises.
The man in our text has it right. After he is warned and challenged – he simply believes the Word Jesus had spoken and went on His way.
What Word does Jesus give you? St. Paul summarizes the Church’s preaching this way.
Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified….Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:22)
God is no fair-weather fan of ours – loving us when we’re good and hating us when we’re bad.
When we were bad, while we were yet sinners Christ was crucified for us.
When we are bad, the preaching and faith in Christ crucified the only power that releases us from the bondage of sin and guilt.
Jesus on the cross is our sign and our wisdom and our power.
The Son of God is no stranger to suffering or mockery or pain or even death. He chose the path of crucifixion and He did it willingly to put us on not only on His team, but to put us in His family, forever.
In our text, we have a father who out of love is searching for Jesus to come and heal his son.
And in our text, we have the Son of God able to be found because His Father send Him to heal His people and give them life.
Do you want a sign that God is for you, no matter what?
In Baptism we have the promise that we left children of God. That we will live and die and live again in the crucified and living Christ we were baptized into.
As ones made children of God in Baptism, we can either
- Demand God give us exactly what we want. We’re not gonna do that. We can tell Him exactly what we want as children of the Father. But then we’ll trust He knows better and go on our way believing His Word.
- We can give up Jesus. We’re not gonna do that. He was forsaken for us on the cross and He won’t leave us or forsake Him.
- So, let 3.) listen and trust Him. He’s good and He give’s life.