Saturday, February 28, 2026

Opening Scripture

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Opening Prayer

Gracious Father, thank you for your mercy and grace again today. You are a good, loving, and attentive God. You know our joys and sorrows, blessings and afflictions. You know our hurts and pains. You have promised to be near the broken-hearted, ready to comfort those who are crushed in spirit. I ask you to bring healing this day in every way that gives glory to the Lord Jesus. In His name I pray. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

John 4:43-54

After the two days he left for Galilee. (Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 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. While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “Yesterday, at one in the afternoon, the fever left him.”

Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he and his whole household believed. This was the second sign Jesus performed after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Reflection  

After a memorable visit to Sychar, Jesus and His disciples continued their journey north to Cana. Having been asked to stay in Samaria and now being well received in Galilee, it’s interesting that John chooses to place Jesus’ quoting of this well-known proverb at this point in his gospel.

Matthew (13:54-58) and Mark (6:1-6) record Jesus stating, “a prophet is without honor in his own country,” after being rejected in His hometown of Nazareth. The people Jesus grew up with took exception to His teaching and miracles. Instead of embracing Him as one of their own, they were offended by Him, offering a sad confirmation of Mark Twain’s famous line: “An expert is an ordinary fellow from another town.”

Everyone in Israel who could do so traveled to Jerusalem for the big festivals. As such, many Galileans had been there two chapters ago during Passover when Jesus cleared the temple (John 2:23).

We’re reminded that the gospels are largely accounts of Jesus’ continuous interaction with people from all walks of life. The Son of God both sought out and was sought out by individuals from every layer of society.

When He returned to Cana, a royal official – government worker or nobleman – came to see Him. The man’s son was near death. Presumably, he had already exhausted all the resources available to him in Capernaum. In desperation, he traveled the 20 or so miles to Cana to plead for help from the Healer.

Naturally, the man assumed that Jesus would need to be nearby to heal his son, so he begged Jesus to come to his home. So far, Jesus had been physically present when He performed miracles. That assumption was about to be nullified.

Jesus addresses the nobleman – but also speaks to the crowd – when He rebukes their dependence on miraculous signs. Again, Jesus didn’t want people to be impressed with what He did. He wanted them to believe who He was.

The Apostle Paul references this issue in 1 Corinthians 1:22-23 … “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.”

In the wake of Jesus’ rebuke, the nobleman could do nothing except, in desperation, ask for mercy. Rather than accompanying the man back to Capernaum, Jesus declared that his son had been healed right then and there. In that moment, this father faced a crisis of belief. Should he persist in pleading or take Jesus at His word?

In faith, he chose the latter and headed back to Capernaum. On the way, the man’s servants met him and shared the joyful news that his son had been healed just as Jesus said. When the nobleman arrived home, he explained to everyone what had happened, giving all credit to Jesus.

Their collective sadness over the boy’s severe illness turned to collective joy at his miraculous healing. The whole family, while impressed with what Jesus did, believed who Jesus was: the Messiah! God used the circumstance of sickness in this home to bring salvation.

Interestingly, this “second sign” that John calls attention to was almost as private as the first one Jesus performed at the wedding party. Only a handful of people other than Jesus’ disciples knew what had happened. Yet both miracles revealed important truths about the person and work of the Lord Jesus.

Flourishing Habit

Character and Virtue

Though we wish it weren’t so, God often uses pain and suffering to get our attention and teach us important lessons. Hardship and difficulty have a way of stopping us in our tracks and shifting our focus to God and the things that matter most in life.

While we sometimes suffer because of our actions, we often suffer as a result of other people’s decisions and the brokenness of living in a fallen world. While pain occasionally comes as punishment, it more often comes as an inevitable consequence of the human condition.

Regardless of the cause, God wants no pain to be wasted! He is uniquely and mysteriously able to bring about good from a bad situation. That’s the promise in Romans 8:28 … “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Apart from a divine perspective on suffering, Paul’s statement in Romans 5:3-5 makes no sense: “We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Are you dealing with a painful situation right now? Is someone close to you suffering in some way?

Ask God to help you trust Him in this challenge. Certainly, pray for healing and a resolution to the problem, but also pray for perseverance, character, and hope.

Cry out to your loving Heavenly Father for divine strength, patience, and comfort.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!