There is a surprise in this story you
may not already be familiar with it. As
you may recall, this encounter between Jesus and the royal official probably
takes place in Cana, where Jesus is visiting, although there are those who
argue it takes place in Capernaum, where the man lived. It will become clearer that the only logical
scenario is the first, but today’s text does not clear up the picture yet.
All we know is that Jesus tells the man
to go home, because his child will live.
Upon hearing the words of Jesus, the man returns home, as the text
describes, having taken Jesus at his word.
We are not told in the text how far he had to go before arriving
home. We do know now that on his way
home some of his servants meet up with him to share the good news that his son
is alive. We still do not know what
ailed the boy. We do know that the father
describes the child’s condition as dire.
The man’s request is granted. The boy is alive. Whatever malaise befalls him is now past. His brush with death is over. Now I am left with a new set of
questions. How much time elapses between
the moment Jesus declares the boy well and the time the man and his servants
meet? Does he run home? Do his servants run to find him the very
instant the boy comes out of his near-death condition? Do they run across town, assuming the miracle
takes place in Capernaum? Do they run
the twenty miles from Capernaum to Cana?
How do they find each other? Is
he anguished during the time it takes him to arrive at home? If the father is
confident in Jesus’ words, what is his reaction to his servants’ good
news? Does he feign surprise and say,
“Really?” These questions and more will
be answered in the next exciting episode….
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