Brentwood Hills

"Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilæans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judæa into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe." (John 4:45-48)

At first glance, it may seem incredibly cruel that Jesus seems to rebuke this man when he has come to Jesus for help with his dying son. But we must be careful to examine the exact words used by John throughout this passage to get a proper understanding of this rebuke.

In verse 45, John mentions that the Galileans were so ready to receive Jesus because they had SEEN what He did in Judea. This is the key to understanding Jesus' rebuke.

Jesus was not rebuking the man for a lack of faith in His ability to heal his son. He was rebuking him and all others who thought Jesus had to PHYSICALLY be present with someone to heal them.

This account is given to us to show that there is no limit to the power of Jesus Christ! He is not limited by what medicine can do nor is he limited by geography!

By performing this miracle from a great distance, Jesus shows His power of creation. This ability only makes sense because He is the God of all creation!

We should never attempt to pigeonhole how God will act or do things. Nor should we try to limit the scope and depth of His power!

Just when we think we have seen how powerful He is, God will take it one step further. The more man discovers about God's amazing universe, the more powerful He appears in our eyes!