Chapter Two
Will You Never Believe Unless You See Miraculous Signs?
The Setting
The second sign recorded by St. John (read John 4:43-54, 2:23-25) also takes place in the village of Cana. After the wedding celebration, he traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Passover where he performed many more miraculous signs. Jesus was cautious about the reception he would receive once back in Galilee knowing ‘that a prophet is not honored in his own hometown.’ St. John concluded the second chapter of his gospel by revealing that Jesus did not put his confidence in the people because he understood human nature. The people had begun to trust in him because they saw the miraculous signs. Several months had passed since the Passover, and wherever he went, people brought the sick and infirmed to him and he healed them all. His popularity was on the rise, and many began to wonder if Jesus could be the long-awaited Messiah. This visit to Cana, however, was more of a vacation; a chance to get some rest and relaxation. Try to picture Jesus strolling amidst the terraced gardens or reclining under a pomegranate tree. No crowds: just his disciples trying to ensure that his peace and privacy were not disturbed. That was when a frantically distraught man, tired after a long day’s journey from Capernaum, arrived late in the day with anything but relaxation in mind.
The Background
In first-century Israel, the role of Messiah came with a great deal of expectation. Some ideas were clearly scriptural, but much of what was popular was political hype! The most popular notion was that the Messiah would come to restore Israel to prominence or even dominion over its enemies. Most took it that it was time for the Messiah to come to vanquish the Romans and replace the Jewish government. When St. John tells us that Jesus knew He could not commit himself to the people because He recognized their human nature, we have to consider what the prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” Some Bible translations read that Jesus did not ‘trust’ the people, but in the light of His divine nature, we can see that He ‘trusted them to be human’. Although the people of Israel were yearning for liberation, they did not understand that they needed something more than deliverance from their oppressors.
The recurring story of Israel’s history shows an endless cycle of turning away from God followed by oppression by their enemies. That was why John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the Lord with a message of repentance. But the leaders did not accept his message and did not repent. The people flocked to the Baptist’s message but then missed the meaning of the signs Jesus gave. When St. John tells us, ‘For they had been in Jerusalem at the Passover celebration and had seen everything He (Jesus) did there,’ to what was St. John referring? Yes, miracles of course, but Jesus had also turned over the tables of those who were selling in the Temple while crying out, “My Father’s house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.”
The message of the Forerunner that the Kingdom of God was at hand had prepared the people for Jesus’ appearance. He continued the same message of repentance, but spoke even more of the coming Kingdom of God, demonstrating His authority by confirming miraculous signs. The people had an understanding that Jesus’ miracles were a sign of His power, but, demanding to see them as proof of his authority only reveals how deceived, and unbelieving, they actually were.
The Event
St. John tells the story of a father who travels from Capernaum to Cana to beseech Jesus to come with him to heal his son. That man was a ranking government official in the court of Herod Antipas in his new capital city Tiberias. The father comes upon Jesus suddenly and insists that Jesus come with him at once. Then Jesus makes a statement that seems rather unfeeling, saying, “Will you never believe in me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” The man showed his faith in Jesus’ ability to heal the sick but insisted that Jesus should hurry and go with him back to Capernaum where his son lay sick and nearly dead. Evidently, Jesus didn’t want to go anywhere, and the man had no comprehension of His real abilities. Jesus told the man to “go back home. Your son will live.”
However we think this may have sounded, it must have been something other than a stern dismissal, for the man acted on Jesus’ command, and left believing what Jesus had promised. Jesus’ words and demeanor inspired calm and confidence in the father and being a day’s journey from home, he probably went to find hospitality in the village for the night.
The next day, while en route homeward, the man was met by several of his servants, who must have risen very early to find their master. They told him that his son had already gotten better. He was grateful, but not surprised, so he inquired when the healing took place. They told him, and it was at the very moment that Jesus had said, “Your son will live!” John tells us that the man and his whole household believed because of this miraculous sign.
The Sign
After telling us that Jesus had performed many signs, John is wanting us to see that Jesus is more than a healer, more than a miracle worker, more than someone with a gift or anointing to channel divine power for the remedy of people’s ills. Many Biblical and historical references indicate that others at that time ministered in healing gifts, just as there are today. But Jesus didn’t just pray for the sick. He didn’t even need to be in direct contact or present with an infirmed person to heal the sick. He demonstrated in this sign that the power to heal was a part of his nature, and with this sign, showed a power over the miraculous that only God himself could have. When Jesus had cleared the Temple, he incited rebuke from the Jewish elders and admiration from the Jewish people. But his desire was to restore spiritual worship to the Father and to affirm that the Father had sent His Son as the Savior of the people. To always require a ‘sign’ may be a displeasure to God, but He is always ‘full of compassion and great in mercy.’ St. John was beginning to comprehend the special relationship of the Father and the Son and saw this miracle as a demonstration that Jesus did not only heal because He had the power to, but first and foremost, because He was doing the will of the Father who sent Him, and going about to finish His work.
The Conclusion
Jesus demonstrated a life of absolute faith and reliance upon His Father God. But our human natures are corrupted by sin and we find ourselves living in an unremitting state of unbelief. When trouble comes our way, in the small things, or even matters that appear to be unto death, do we trust in God’s mercy and compassion? Do we cast our cares upon the Lord because He cares for us? Do we believe that all things will work together for the good of those who love God? Or do we, as our human nature predicts, turn away from God and remain in our worry and strife? If we do turn to God for help, do we demand signs, wonders, and miracles or do we trust in his compassion? Reconsider Jesus’ words to that father, “Will you never believe in Me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?” In the daily interactions of our lives, we have the opportunity to respond in either of two ways; with God by believing in faith, or without Him by doubt in unbelief. But keep in mind this father in anguish over his son; Jesus didn’t condemn him for his unbelief, nor was he angry with the man’s lack of understanding. Jesus is greater than our unbelief, but He doesn’t want us to stay in it.
Jesus’ relations with others teach us and lead us into a life of faith and reliance upon God in prayer. While it is true that our unbelief can hinder his miraculous power, it cannot separate us from His great love for us. When we acknowledge His authority and respect His ability, when we respond to Him in faith, believing; ridding ourselves of our doubt and unbelief by putting all of our trust in Him, we will see the miraculous happen in our own lives. It’s His nature to care for His own, that’s just who He is.