MONDAY 15 March 2021 “Distance Help”

Click To Download and Print Document or PDF

Good Monday morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

What does “Help from a Distance” look like for you? Could it be a phone call or text message from a friend who lives far away and you haven’t seen in a long while, but their encouraging words came just when you needed them? Perhaps it was an unexpected check in the mail just when your finances were running low? Have you ever been the one who helped someone else from a distance?

We’re walking with Jesus toward HIS Easter, in these days, and today we’re in John 4:45 “When He arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Jesus. They had seen all that He had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.

Once more He visited Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to Jesus and begged Him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.” (John 4:45-47)

We don’t know anything more about this royal official or his family… I guess we don’t need to know any more do we? If you are a parent or grandparent, you understand. When our kids or grandkids are very sick, there’s no extreme too far for us to go seeking help for them, right? Capernaum was a shoreline town on the Sea of Galilee about 25 miles from Cana, a full days walk! We don’t know what this official had heard about Jesus or even if they’d ever met before. We don’t know if he offered Jesus money, or maybe even a fast ride in a chariot to get down to Capernaum. I guess that’s not important is it?

A frightened Dad was hoping Jesus would help! May I ask my friends, have you ever been in that place? Awake late at night, crying out to God for help? Driving alone in your car, tears streaming down your face, crying out to God for help? Holding a medical report in your hand, or a foreclosure statement, crying out to God for help?

If you or I could spend a day in God’s throne room in heaven, listening to all the urgent cries which come to God from all over the world, what would we hear? More importantly, as we watched God receive all these urgent cries, what would we witness as God processes and responds to very real, desperate situations of every kind, in every city in the world… one at a time, individually, personally, privately? When was the last time your urgent request was received in the throne room of the Almighty? What do you suppose happened in that Powerful place, when your request arrived there?

The last time Jesus had been in this little town of Cana, He’d been at a wedding feast and they ran out of wine, remember? (John 2) From across the room without a touch or a word or any fanfare, Jesus simply turned water into wine. I’ve often wondered if this royal official had been at that wedding party that day? John records: “The royal official said, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies. Jesus replied, ‘You may go. Your son will live.” (John 4:49,50)

Now I ask you my friends, what would you have done right then? Would those few words have been enough for you? Even now, in 2021, no matter where you are in your spiritual journey, when you have a desperate need and you are crying to God for help, what do you need from God to assure you that the issue is being taken care of?

John tells us: “The man took Jesus at His word and departed. When he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that the boy was healed. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better they said to him, ‘the fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour.’ Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him ‘Your son will live.’ So he and all his household believed.” (John 4:50-53)

Now in our excitement about this healing miracle let’s not miss the time factor. This Dad left Jesus and started his journey with some hope, believing that by the time he could arrive home tomorrow, he’d see some improvement in his son. But with no cell phones all he could do was wait and walk. . .hour after hour.

Have you experienced the challenge of waiting for God’s answers? How was your patience, what did you learn in your waiting? How have you been able to help others learn important lessons in their waiting?

We don’t know if this royal official and his healed son ever had the occasion to meet Jesus again and thank Him. What we do know is Jesus healed this boy from a distance of more than 25 miles, instantly, with only a word of promise! Nothing like that had ever been done before! In fact, my friends, as we walk with Jesus toward Easter we’ll see that He was very deliberate and careful. Every miracle, every teaching moment was carefully chosen to make an impact, to bring the power of God into our dark, confused, dysfunctional world with help and hope that would give people a taste of how life could be if the stranglehold of evil was broken by Jesus!

John’s last line of commentary about this royal official is very interesting: “So he and all his household believed.” Believed what? Jesus had not yet made any of his famous speeches like the Sermon on the Mount. He hadn’t yet done any of his big, flamboyant miracles like feeding 5000 people with a little boys’ lunch. Jesus hadn’t walked on the water, or healed cripples or opened blind eyes and certainly He had not yet raised anyone to life from the dead.

Jesus was just beginning… but for this royal official and his family, a son spared from a killing fever was enough. Jesus was a life saver and that was more than enough for them!

What about you my friends? Who is Jesus to you on this Monday? What difference has Jesus made in your life? In fact, where would you be today if it wasn’t for Jesus? May I suggest you take a moment and tell God how grateful you are for WHO Jesus is and WHAT Jesus has done in your life… and as you live this Monday, let’s keep our eyes and ears open, watching for Jesus at work all around us! God’s response to a big request might happen in your part of the world today! Hopefully you won’t miss it!

Here’s a song to help you give thanks to Jesus today. . .

Today’s Scripture is John 4:43-54.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).

Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.