Jesus made a second lap through Cana, where he previously delighted a wedding crowd with wine of an otherworldly vintage. On this trip, doubtless inspired by stories about the wine, a royal official approached Jesus and begged him to heal his son.

A father urged The Son to heal his son.

The official continued to pester Jesus, knowing his child lay dying. Finally Jesus replied, Go, your son will live.

Then the man took Jesus at his word and departed. The boy’s turn from the edge of death timed to that very instant Jesus spoke his fate.

We’re not told if this official was Jew or Gentile, God-fearer or indifferent, or if he treated his people with equanimity or harshness.

We do know he loved his son. We also know that he saw only one solution to his problem. Only one person possessed the power to hold off death—he had to get to Jesus.

I solve many problems in life. But I have bigger issues that I cannot fix. I often don’t know where to start. But I do know where to go with these problems. Jesus holds the power over all the world, my problems included, the same Jesus I read about here.

Take a lesson from this desperate father, and let your desperation lead you to Jesus.

John 4 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Jackson Simmer