Isaiah 65:17–25
John 4:43–54
Psalm 30:1–6,11–13

“Go, your son will live.”

I really want to believe that the father’s encounter with Jesus was that simple. Maybe it was. Maybe our knowledge and experience get in our way when it comes to Bible stories. I can imagine the societal power dynamic between the royal official and the son of a carpenter from a small town. We don’t know much about the father. We do know that he loved his son and was willing to do anything to save his life. It’s a dynamic that parents can relate to.

When Jesus told him to go, he left. The desperate father of a deathly ill son departed from what may have been his last hope for the boy’s survival. Why?

When I first laid eyes on Helen, God spoke to me: “That’s the woman you’re going to marry”. I knew that the words were true with utter certainty (a knowledge that caused some problems early in our courtship, but that’s a story for another time). Despite all the college-trained knowledge in my head, despite my life experience that pointed out the absurdity of that knowledge, I knew Truth. I imagine that was the father’s experience with Jesus, too. Perhaps that’s the learning. We have access to a form of wisdom that is deeper than knowledge. We know the voice of God.

Lord, help us to hear your voice and give us the courage to walk the path that you have laid out for us. Amen.
-Rob McPeak