Seeking Jesus, Not His Power

“And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and began asking Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Then 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 is alive.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went home. And as he was now going down, his slaves met him, saying that his son was alive. 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 is alive”; and he himself believed, and his entire household.” (John 4:46b-53, NASB)

Many people in the modern church want to see miracles the way the early church saw them. They want to see awesome healings, amazing displays of supernatural power, and unexplainable wonders that make you think, “This has to be God.” 

That’s how many people make their entire ministry– by claiming to perform or portraying some mysterious, mystical miracle. Men like Todd White have made themselves famous off of people’s fascination with displays of God’s power, but it doesn’t ever hold up if it’s meant to call attention to the man and not to God. In recent weeks, more and more people that used to work with Todd White have come forward exposing the smoke and mirrors of his operation.

But this desire to see signs and wonders is as old as the Church itself. Even in Jesus’ time, people would come from far and wide to see Jesus wield His Godly power. And Jesus Himself often discourages people from seeking the physical and temporal marvels for the sake of the thrill or the wish fulfillment. The miracles Jesus performed were never to call attention to His abilities, but so that people would see the wonder and glory of God the Father. He used them as a means to bring people to salvation. 

At the end of John 4, after Jesus left Samaria, He went to Galilee. There, He met a Jewish nobleman– someone who was known in the community as an important and wealthy figure– who traveled a distance to see Jesus. He came on behalf of his son, who was on his deathbed in Capernaum. He pleaded with Jesus to come back to his house to save his son. 

This nobleman did not use his clout, his station, or his position to persuade Jesus to intervene. Instead, he appeals to Jesus simply by conveying the desperate straits his son was in and his need for a merciful savior to make him well again. 

Jesus does make what sounds like an exasperated comment about how these crowds will never believe before they see a sign or wonder. Indeed, even the disciples needed to witness a miracle to truly believe. At the wedding in Cana where Jesus turned water into wine, it says that the disciples saw and believed (John 2:11) So when this nobleman insists that Jesus come home with him to heal his son, Jesus simply says, “Go, your son is alive.”

This in itself was a test of this man’s faith. He had to believe that Jesus could heal his son with just a word. Where some might have held onto the desire to have Jesus come and lay hands on their loved one to save them, this man had to now make the long trek home, believing that his son was alive the way Jesus said. Along the way, there was probably plenty opportunities for doubt to seep in, but when the man returned home and saw his son was better, he asked his servants when exactly the boy started to improve. The servant confirmed it was the same time that the nobleman spoke to Jesus the day prior. 

This proved the man’s faith was well-placed. Jesus spoke and the boy was made well in the same moment. Jesus’ power was and is not confined to space or time. He could heal someone in China while you stand in Times Square. He could save your friend’s soul in another zip code while you intercede alone in your room. But it wasn’t the miracle itself that was the point of the story. When this nobleman saw that his son was alive and healthy, he believed and his whole household was saved. 

The point is not the healing; it is the salvation of souls– let alone the entire household of a high-ranking official in nobility, a society of people that probably ridiculed those who believed in Jesus. The point is not the miracle, but that God was glorified in a place where no one else believed.

But also think of this: the Jewish people often needed these miracles to believe. This nobleman came asking for Jesus to perform a wonder in His life. As I mentioned before, even His own disciples needed to witness the turning of water into wine before scripture says they believed. God’s own people were obsessed with signs and wonders and relied on them before they bought in and walked by faith.

But the Samaritans? A people that Israel despised for their lack of understanding and theological correctness? They didn’t need a supernatural phenomenon. They didn’t need a fantastical display of Jesus’ power. All they needed to believe was to see Jesus and sit under His teaching. They believed just by His word.

What does that say to us? How does that encourage us to follow Christ? Sure, a miracle is cool, but we can’t live and die by them. Remember, even Satan can mimic a sign or a wonder. He used the magicians in Exodus to try to disprove the power of God through Moses. We can be led astray by a miracle just as easily as we can be led to believe.

We need discernment to know when God is working and when we’re being manipulated. We need to know His Word– prioritizing our personal study of the Bible, not just reading it or listening to someone interpret it. We need to seek Him, not His power. We need to allow Him to change our focus and draw us deeper into knowing Him. Like the Samaritans, believe Him by seeing Him through His Word. Don’t rely on the fantastical works of today’s church. 

Knowing Him and glorifying Him is far more fantastic than searching out signs. If you look, you can find a “sign” anywhere that can validate any idea you have. Being saved by grace for the glory of God is far more miraculous than any healing. Its reward is more far-reaching than anything else we can be offered on earth.