When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son… John 4:47
This royal official would have known very little about Jesus. But word had got around in Galilee from locals who had gone to the feast in Jerusalem that a person by the name of Jesus had performed miracles.
Apparently these stories had reached the palace, and when the royal official heard that Jesus was in Cana, he left his home in Capernaum and traveled the 20 miles to ask if Jesus would come to his home and heal his son.
It says a lot for this man that with his son near the point of death, he would leave his home, his wife, and the sick boy, and travel 20 miles to find Jesus. But when he arrives and makes his request, the first word he hears from Jesus is not encouraging: “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe” (4:48).
This seems to be a word of rebuke: “If you could find any other cure for your son’s condition you would not have come to me.” And, of course, that was probably true. The royal official did not come to Cana because he had a special interest in Jesus. He came because he was desperate.
God uses all kinds of circumstances to begin a work of grace in a person’s life. Maybe you know this from your own experience. You did not come to Jesus with the highest of motives. You came because you were desperate, and that was the beginning of you seeking after and then following Jesus Christ.
What circumstances/motives first led you to seek Jesus?
