The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity - October 24, 2010

The Church Season of Trinity
The Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, One Year Series
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (October 24, 2010)

“Signs and Wonders”

Readings: 
    Psalm 8
    Genesis 1:1 – 2:3
    Ephesians 6:10-17
    John 4:46-54

Sermon Form    Deductive

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 4th chapter of St. John, especially the following verse:

John 4:46-54
46 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. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. [Jesus said]48 “Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” 49 The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus replied, “You may go. Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at his word and departed. 51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. 52 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.” 53 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. 54 This was the second miraculous sign that Jesus performed, having come from Judea to Galilee.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Jesus addresses the royal official, and us as well.  He tells of what believing is and what is the proof required to believe.  And, the believing Jesus was speaking about is saving faith, because there are different ways of believing.

In our Gospel this morning, a royal official comes down to Cana from Capernaum.  Jesus seems to be critical of the man's need to see a sign in order to have faith.  This royal official's son was sick.  We don't know what illness he may have had, but it appears that is could have been potentially fatal.  So, the official appeared to be completely out of options and he went to see the local miracle worker.  And so when he came into Jesus’ presence Jesus looked inside the man and saw that there was no real, saving faith yet, just primarily desperation.  Jesus said, "Unless you see signs and wonders, You will not believe."  But the man was desperate, and begged, "Sir, come down before my child dies." 

And the response was immediate, Jesus said, "Go your way, your son lives."  No waving of the arms.  No mysterious chants.  No potions.  No signs and wonders.  No go say so many prayers of Jabez, just, "Go your way, your son lives."  And the very next thing we hear is that this royal official took Jesus at His word and headed home.  What faith!

On his way home, a walking of 20 or 30 miles, his servants met him with the happy news that his son was now better.  So of course he asked at what time the boy began to mend, and they said it was about the seventh hour and that it was just about at that time that Jesus had said that his son was going to live.  And the next sentence seems kind of odd, ". . . and he himself believed, and his whole household."

Now, all of a sudden, having heard that his son is recovering, the man believes.  Apparently, there’s believing, and then there's believing. And we know that’s true, we see it all the time.  There is half-believing, half-disbelieving, that is the skeptical but desperate kind of believing that brought the man to travel for two days to get to Jesus.  Kind of like saying I’m very sick and prayers might help and they sure couldn’t hurt.  Then there’s faith that kinda-sorta believes.  It’s the wait-and-see kind of thing.  You know, it goes like this, Heh God, I’ve got myself in a big fix, you get me out and I’ll believe, I really will. 

Then there’s the what am I going to do, I’m faced with something I don’t know how to fix and somehow the answer comes to us, by phone, by mail, by word, and then like the royal official we “really believe.” Just like when the official discovered that the fever broke at the moment Jesus said that his son would recover.  Now there was no doubt.  He trusted beyond a shadow of a doubt. 

Our experience of faith in Jesus Christ is often similar.  The Holy Spirit creates faith in us by the Word of God.  That is instantaneous and completely by God's power, but our experience of it, our consciousness of it often feels more like this man's path.  We start with a need and a wish and not much else - and then when all else fails, we try God.  We believe the Word of God, sort-of, when it tells us of the love of God, and we put God to the test.  We don't really expect God to keep His promises, but we try Him out in situations where we don't have too many other options anyhow.  When God proves Himself to us, then we believe.

So what does it mean to trust in God?  It means more than simply saying that the Word of God is accurate or factually true.  It means living in confidence about God and in God.  It means answering your fears with God's promises and with the knowledge that God loves you.  It means doing what you know to be right even if it doesn't seem safe or practical or popular. 

So then, do you believe?  Then you put first things - God's things - first.  Do you trust God enough to risk looking unusually religious? Do you trust God enough to find contentment in His will and His love for you, no matter how painful or troubling you may find your life to be?

We could ask if that royal official really expected that Jesus could heal his son, or that if He could, He Jesus would.  So maybe when he prayed to Jesus, he was doing a "just in case" prayer.  You know, just in case God is listening, and just in case He is interested, and just in case He wants to help, then I will pray. Do you pray like that, or do you pray with confidence that God will answer? 

Looking for signs and wonders is a theology of glory, not faith in God. Nowhere has God promised what such a faith expects and looks for, but there are a lot of teachers and preachers selling that sort of doctrine. Rather faith built on trust responds to life knowing that God is in charge, and will do everything He promised, not just the 'go to heaven' stuff that you cannot see or use in your day to day living.  Look at Communion it is prepared for you morning. What is it?  Does your hunger for it reflect a casual human sense that this is a fine thing we do in church on the second, fourth, and fifth Sunday, or does it reflect the faith that here for you is forgiveness, and that Christ is coming to you personally to transform you and give you eternal life?  Is this Sacrament the medicine of immortality for you, or just something religious that we do?  Do you count it as precious and hunger to receive it as often as you may, finding strength and refreshment for your soul here.  Are you hearing Christ’s words, “Do this often” or are you doing this Communion thing only as often as you please?

Do you hear what I saying?  In some way, we are all hurt, sick, frustrated by people, the world and even your own actions or inactions.  The miracle is before you, take eat, take drink, you have been made well  Lean on God and trust in Him and not trust our own wisdom, or strength or understanding.  If we do, we will live that faith out by doing everything in the light of that faith, ruling our actions and our words and our attitudes by our trust in God and our hope in forgiveness and the confident expectation that we will rise from the grave to live forever.

The man in the Gospel saw Jesus in action, and understood that Jesus is God — and that He cared for him and his family.  He trusted from that moment on that Jesus could and would take care of him, his family, and his needs. You, too, can let every pain, every crisis, every need rest in the hands of Jesus. You can trust Him to love you, keep you, and save you, and raise you from the dead to everlasting life at the last.  This faith is more than just believing that that it is true, it is believing that it is for you, and that God counts you precious to Himself and He watches over you, and will bring you through all things safely. And when you trust God, you won't need signs and wonders, the Word and promises of God will make you well to eternal life.  Amen.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
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