Desperate Need or Quest for Truth?

SCRIPTURE: John 4:48-49 Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe." The nobleman said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies!"

OBSERVATION: Many people came to Jesus wanting Him to do a miracle so they could make up their mind about Him. The miracle was sort of a pop quiz. He had to prove Himself. Of course, even when He did it was discounted or doubted.

The man in our story didn't seem to come with that on his mind. He just wanted his son healed. He was desperate. He would try anything. He may not have been confident that Jesus could do it, but he was willing to give it a try.

When he heard Jesus' word, "Your son lives," he believed it. Maybe it was the authority in His voice or maybe it was a calm and quiet assurance in his spirit, but he believed. When he arrived home the report of his son's miraculous recovery even solidified his faith and that of his entire family.

APPLICATION: Then main application I see in this story is how our quest for truth can be so intertwined in our life circumstance that they are impossible to separate. This man was not on a quest for truth per se, he was desperately trying to meet the immediate need for his son. That brought him into a quest for truth. He wasn't seeking a sign from a purely intellectual standpoint but had an ulterior motive, a personal agenda. He didn't come looking for a faith but driven by a need. Through is need he encountered a faith.

He didn't even realize the bigger impact of his question to Jesus. Jesus did.

When it comes to faith in Christ, we all have a very personal motive. I need Him desperately. Need is a trellis upon which faith grows.

What if this man's son had never fallen ill? He may have never met the Savior.

Bring my needs to Jesus.

Accept others at their point of need.

Let faith, need, life and application all mingle together.

PRAYER: Jesus, You are so good to meet me at my point of need and there reveal Yourself to me. You are not just about theological formulas and answers but also very practical and 'wearable' truth. Thank You for being both things to me. Amen.