THE MASTER PHYSICIAN IS AVAILABLE[1]
JOHN
4:46-53
Therefore
He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there
was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus
had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to
come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to
him, Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not
believe." The royal official said to Him, "Sir, come down before my
child dies."
Jesus
said to him, "Go; your son lives." The man believed the word that
Jesus spoke to him and started off. As he was now going down, his slaves met
him, saying that his son was living. So he inquired of them the hour when he
began to get better. Then they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour
the fever left him." So the father knew that it was at that hour in which
Jesus said to him, "Your son lives"; and he himself believed and his
whole household (NASB).
INTRODUCTION
Have you
found yourself in a helpless situation before? Have you been desperate before?
I watched 20/20 on ABC several years ago where Barbara Walters interviewed a
wealthy entrepreneur. This man had grown up children and grand children. He
also had everything that money could buy. He had given colossal amount of money
for cancer research. This man had a rare form of cancer that physicians said
was incurable or terminal. At one point in the interview Barbara Walters asked
him would you give up all your wealth to have a cure. The man choked back tears
and said, “I would give up everything to be well so that I can spend time with
my grand children.” I realized that the man did not know Jesus Christ. I could
see that he was afraid of death.
How
do you respond when death is staring you in the face? What do you do when a
debilitating illness is about to snuff out your life prematurely? Where do you
go when you are for the first time helpless and powerless? To whom do you turn
when all the odds are against you and time is running out? Let’s go into the
Word of God to explore a wealthy and noble man who found himself in a similar
predicament I have described for you and what he did as we deal with the
message: “The Master Physician Is Available.”
The
word translated royal official literally means king’s man. He is
one of Herod’s most trusted officials.
He lives in the town of Capernaum, probably in a well-manicured villa on
a chalky cliff overlooking the scalloped blue sparkle of the Galilean Sea. He
is a soft-cushioned life with servants padding around the estate to attend to
his every need.
He
has wealth, rank, and privilege. But none of these can help him now. Not even
Herod, with his entire imperial jurisdiction, can help. A high temperature has
reduced his little boy of boundless energy to a limp rag doll, melting
feverishly away into the bed sheets.
The
man’s service to Herod has rewarded him well. He has beautiful home, a
depiction of ornate furnishings, Epicurean delights to satiate the most
discriminating palates. He has all kinds of suitable clothes for the king’s
most elaborate festivities. He is a wealthy man. Understandable when his son
fell sick, his wealth was the first thing he turned to.
He
hired the best physicians money could buy. But a clutter of vials by the boy’s
bedside gives mute testimony to their agnostic diagnoses. The father has
exhausted everything from exotic medicines professionals have prescribed to
folk remedies suggested by his servants. He is desperate therefore he will try
anything now. Have you been in a situation where you felt that you were not in
control? Have you felt vulnerable in a circumstance that was beyond your
control? The delight of the man’s life is slipping away before his very eyes.
The life of his boy is ebbing away inch by inch. Have you been in a situation
where you felt like doing everything you can to change things, but there was
nothing you could do to reverse the situation? Do I have a witness in the
house?
The
royal officer and his wife stay up all night hovering over the boy, sponging
down his inflamed body. Servants shuffle in and out to change the bed sheets,
to bring dry towels and fresh basins of water and a few words of consolation.
But now there is nothing more that can be done, except to wait and hope.
Sadly,
the Galilean dawn fails to send even a pale ray of hope their way. The official
sits on the terrace, staring blankly at the impassive sea. His eyes are puffy
from the nightlong vigil; his body is numb, his heart is dull and heavy. And
pulsing from the heart is a relentless rhythm of questions: What would all the
trappings of success matter if he loses his boy? What would his job matter, or
his rambling estate? What difference would his status and wealth make if he lost
his son to the grim reaper--death?
In
an incriminating moment of truth he realizes that all his wealth, all his rank,
and all his privilege means nothing. He would gladly trade them for the life of
his son. But that is one thing his money can’t buy. Money can serve many
purposes in life, but it cannot buy life. This is the hard reality that many
wealthy and powerful people have not learned. Money is not the panacea to everything.
I don't want to "rub it in" but the death of the President of Ghana is
a testament to this truth. The painful throb of questions continues to disturb this
royal official's mind.
What
would it be like without his son playing in the yard, building his little pretended
fortresses among the rose flowers? What would it be like without him scampering
through the house, his boyish noises trailing playfully in his wake? What would
it be like not setting a place for him at the dinner table? The father buries
his face in his hand and weeps for his son, the little boy he may never again
tuck into bed, the play-worn little legs he may never again rub, the eager
little ears he may never again tell bedtime stories to. Never again. The
thought falls on him with the sharp finality of an executioner’s blade.
His
royal official palms are wet with regret for working too hard and for being
gone so much. His eyes are wet for missing out on so many of the priceless
moments in his little boy’s childhood. Moments he could have never buy back,
regardless of his wealth, rank, or privilege. He sits slumped in a despondent
heap.
When
the day servants begin their shift, one of them ventures hesitantly to his side
to tell him about Jesus about the incredible things people were saying about Him,
about this miraculous power He had to heal the sick and maybe, if He could just
talk Jesus into coming to see the boy. No sooner is the suggestion accepted
than the official readies himself for the twenty-five mile trek to Cana, where
Jesus is staying. He arrives at the village in a frantic search for this
miracle worker, for Jesus is his last hope. Is Jesus your last anchor of hope in
life?
Finding
Him, he breathes a sigh of relief. But he does something that is
uncharacteristic of a man of his position. He begs Jesus. Powerful men don’t
beg. Rich men don’t beg. Influential people don’t beg, but this royal official
begs Jesus. He begs for the life of his little boy, the little boy he will
never hug again, never see grow up, if Jesus doesn’t come to his bedside. This rich
man is desperate.
Oddly
and strangely, Jesus does not respond with the compassion that is so
characteristic of Him. Instead, He rebukes the man. Unless you people see
miraculous signs and wonders, you will not believe. Do I have a witness in
this house? Is Jesus speaking to somebody here today? There are some of you who
have spent all of your money and energy looking for a miracle. Do you hear what
Jesus is saying to you? Some of you are jumping from church to church and prophet
to prophet for a quick fix but you would not come to Jesus Himself. Whatever
happened to faith in Jesus?
Jesus
had been front-page news in Israel. But the news making the rounds was
sensationalistic. And the atmosphere surrounding Christ was fast becoming that
of a circus. “Step right up and see signs and wonders performed before your
eyes! Come one, come all! See the Miracle Worker in action!” You read them in
the local and state papers. They advertise themselves. Christian television is
full of them every day. They abound in numbers in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa
and the United States. They advertize themselves as the great and anointed prophets
and miracle workers.
That
is not what Jesus wanted. He didn’t want to become a sideshow attraction. He
didn’t want the kingdom of God to become some cotton candy experience that
would melt sweetly in their mouths and then be gone.
With
his hands clutching Jesus’ robe, the royal official falls to his knees,
pleading, begging, imploring. Sir, come down before my child dies. The
translators of the New Testament to English did a great work in this
translation when they used the word “Sir.” The word is the Greek kurios,
which means Lord or Sir. Sir is a word of respect. The officer
cannot call Jesus Lord because he has not as yet placed his faith in Him. There
are some of you who cannot call Jesus Lord because you don’t know Him as
personal Savior.
The
officer’s voice cracks as tears wend their way down his cheeks. The spilling
emotion flashes a memory in Jesus’ mind. He remembers His Father’s eyes, the
paternal concern in them, the love, the emotion. He knows He will see those
same eyes again when He goes to heaven, but suddenly, the chronic ache of not
seeing His Father becomes acute. He remembers the painful rending of their last
embrace. He turns His eyes to the man on his knees. Jesus then says to him, "You may go, your son will live." These are words of perfect
assurance from the Great Physician Himself.
For
a moment the father hesitates. The answer is not quite what he expected. This
reminds me of the Syrian officer, Naaman who was afflicted with leprosy and was
directed to come to Elisha. Now you get what I am saying. This officer expects
Jesus to return with him to his house. But as the father rises from his knees,
he takes the step of faith. He takes Jesus at His word and turns his
tear-streaked face toward home. The man’s faith puts many Christians to shame.
When Jesus speaks in His word to many Christians today, they refuse to take the
step of faith. They begin to doubt His word, not this man. Jesus has sown a
seed in the tear-soaked soil of the father’s heart. And with the decision to
take Jesus at His word, the first stirring of faith begins to germinate. What
is faith? Faith is the assurance of things hope for, the conviction of
things not seen (Heb. 11:1).
The
man would be up early the next morning. He would return home to the embrace of
his servants, his wife and his little boy. Faith would spring to life and take
root in that garden villa overlooking the sea. And there it would flourish, its
scented blossoms cascading over the terraced walls, bursting with brilliant
colors.
Colors
this father had never seen before. Colors so vibrant that all his wealth, all
his rank, and all his privilege paled in comparison. Colors that highlighted to
this prominent man what were really important in life, the son he now held in
his arms and the Savior he now held in his heart. When the man inquires of the
time his boy got well, he becomes amazed that it was the same time that Jesus
had told him his son was alive. At their response, the wealthy official and his
household put their faith in Jesus Christ. Hallelujah, glory be to God. The
word “believe” does not capture the essence of the Greek word pistio.
The word means “he faithed” in Jesus; in other words, he committed his trust in
Jesus; he put his faith in Jesus. How is your situation today? What are you
carrying today? What burden are you carrying? What problems are giving you
sleepless nights? What is bothering you in life? The Master Physician is
available to you. He is inviting you to come. He says, "Come unto Me
all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." Jesus
is willing to give you rest from anything that is weighing you down. The final
question is, "have you put your faith in Jesus Christ?" Is He the
center of your life? You have the opportunity to do it today. Do not leave wherever
you are until you have made Jesus your Lord and Savior.
Now
back to my story about the Barbara Walters' interview; on that day I wish I could
shout to the TV set to the ear of the rich man, "Come to Jesus, the Master
Physician and he will save and heal you." I extend the same invitation to you
today.
If the
messages from this blog have been a blessing to you and you want to give to
support this ministry, you can write your check to:
KENADARKWA LLC
Kennedy A. Adarkwa, PhD
6402 Redding Court
Arlington, TX 76001
KENADARKWA LLC
Kennedy A. Adarkwa, PhD
6402 Redding Court
Arlington, TX 76001
