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Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. (John 4:46-50)
I’d never seen them before. Bald and 60, I suppose, fit and strong, his right hand firmly on shoulder of the young man a quarter step ahead of him, they walked as one bound together by the dirty-white service dog between them. Father and son, I thought, but thoughts were the least of it as they approached the priest at the head of the aisle.
The young man received
the host and turned to the side, exposing a fleshy face, scraggly whiskers and
a moustache. He made the sign of the cross, making it clear that there was no
distance between him and all the rest of us in that room, whatever his
disability might be.
We were all there needy
as hell itself and all receiving the mercy heaven alone can give.
Days go by, and still I
see his face, his father, the service dog, three joined as one ... and with my
heart, too. The father, I’m sure, wanting the same thing for his son that we
all want for our children and grandchildren, the same thing the father in this
story wanted Jesus to give his son, healing, wholeness, joy, blessing.
The father’s ancient
plea in this story oozed from the man in the church aisle as he guided his beloved
to receive the bread of life, the Love who heals broken hearts and fans hope’s holy
flame.
We could ask why the
resurrected Lord Jesus has not healed the young man at Sunday Eucharist (or
millions of others). Or we could look at the three-in-one love who walked up
the aisle and realize great healing had already occurred and will continue, until
final healing comes in the fullness of that same Love.
Jesus is right, of
course. It’s easier to believe when signs and wonders walk up the aisle ... right
beside you. All in all, I’ll take as many of them as I can get. Just give me
eyes to see.
David L. Miller
