When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival, 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 him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. "Unless you people see signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe." The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies." "Go," Jesus replied, "your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed. (John 4:45-50)
Did Jesus come to heal everyone's body?
Here Jesus explains his reason for healing. He is responding to a "royal official” who begged Jesus to heal his dying son. Jesus responds with the above statement.This illustrates that Jesus was not that interested in healing everyone’s body. Obviously, he was empowered with this ability: He could have healed everyone he saw if God wanted him to.
After Jesus’ first sentence above (4:48), the official said:
After Jesus’ first sentence above (4:48), the official said:
"Sir, come down before my child dies." (John 4:49)In other words, the official did not care about what Jesus was teaching. He was only interested in his son’s survival. Jesus didn’t have to go to his son to touch him or anything. Jesus simply said, “You may go. Your son will live.” This could mean that Jesus didn't need to heal the boy - that he knew he would recover. Or it could mean that Jesus could heal the man’s son without having to see or touch him.
Either way, knowing that the boy would be healed from a distance was miraculous.
Did Jesus have some magical powers? Where did his miraculous powers come from? Actually, Jesus himself explained where these powers came from:
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." (Matthew 21:21-22)This means that Jesus was accepting that this miraculous power comes from the Supreme Being. And it comes through connecting with God through prayer.
Could Jesus have been referring to himself? Praying to himself? This is not logical, because Jesus was standing there in front of them. There would be no need to pray to someone who was standing right in front of them.
This indicates Jesus is referring to praying to God.
Furthermore, there would be no need to do a miraculous sign in order to have the man or anyone else who saw Jesus believe that Jesus existed. They were seeing Jesus with their own eyes. They didn't need to believe in Jesus' existence.
The word "believe" in this statement and in John 4:48 is translated from the word πιστεύω (pisteuō), which means to trust - "place confidence in" or "to be entrusted."
Typically, at least in the physical world with respect to hardships related to these temporary physical bodies, things happen in order to teach us.
But does this mean God wants us to suffer? Absolutely not. What is not understood is that these physical bodies are not us. They are temporary vehicles we drive for a short period of time and then they die. When they die we - the soul within - leave them behind.
To rely upon the Supreme Being means to trust Him. It means accepting that He has our best interests at heart. It means accepting God as our Loving Master and Best Friend.
And why did Jesus not ask God to simply heal everyone, but rather, he chose a select few to heal? Didn’t he care about the others? Jesus was giving everyone the solution to the pain, suffering and death of the physical body. He was trying to teach everyone that the physical body is a temporary vehicle, and the way out isn’t to heal the body: The way out is to return to God.
Should we come to trust and rely upon the Supreme Being - once we return to the loving service of God - we transcend the temporary anxieties related to this temporary physical body. And once the body is finished, we can return to our spiritual home to be with God and the rest of our spiritual family.
The word "believe" in this statement and in John 4:48 is translated from the word πιστεύω (pisteuō), which means to trust - "place confidence in" or "to be entrusted."
Does this mean trusting in God?
In other words, Jesus wanted the man and those around him to put their trust in the Supreme Being. To trust in God means to accept that whatever situation we are in, it is for our best and there is a reason behind it and the Supreme Being is in control. While it doesn't mean we should not take care of our bodies, it means accepting that there is a purpose behind everything that takes place.Typically, at least in the physical world with respect to hardships related to these temporary physical bodies, things happen in order to teach us.
But does this mean God wants us to suffer? Absolutely not. What is not understood is that these physical bodies are not us. They are temporary vehicles we drive for a short period of time and then they die. When they die we - the soul within - leave them behind.
What is physical pain?
The pains of the body are specific to the physical body, not the spirit-person. The spirit-person only connects with the pains of the body because we are in the illusion that we are these physical bodies. This is why Jesus also said:“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." (Matt. 6:25)Why is Jesus teaching this? Because he wanted them to put away their anxieties about their physical body and come to rely upon the Supreme Being.
To rely upon the Supreme Being means to trust Him. It means accepting that He has our best interests at heart. It means accepting God as our Loving Master and Best Friend.
And why did Jesus not ask God to simply heal everyone, but rather, he chose a select few to heal? Didn’t he care about the others? Jesus was giving everyone the solution to the pain, suffering and death of the physical body. He was trying to teach everyone that the physical body is a temporary vehicle, and the way out isn’t to heal the body: The way out is to return to God.
Should we come to trust and rely upon the Supreme Being - once we return to the loving service of God - we transcend the temporary anxieties related to this temporary physical body. And once the body is finished, we can return to our spiritual home to be with God and the rest of our spiritual family.
