Use Your Word, Jesus, to Set Us in Motion

(John 4:46-54 MSG)

My Bible study leader closes . . .

“Use Your Word to set us in motion.”

Her words will end up shaping my week . . . and me.

In the week before His arrest, Jesus preaches daily in the Temple.

The religious elite listen for something, anything, to throw back at Him. 

But the crowd hangs on every word.

And as long as they hang on, the religious elite are powerless.

With the people hanging on every word he spoke, they couldn’t come up with anything. 

(Luke 19:48 MSG)

By week’s end, though, the crowd is hanging on to the next shiny new thing.

“Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!”

(Luke 23:18 TLB)

Meanwhile, I encounter someone else hanging on Jesus’ words.

Hot, dusty, and exhausted from an about-twenty-mile-uphill walk from Capernaum, a desperate father arrives in Cana.

On an urgent mission.

To plead with Jesus to heal his son.

Jesus’ response is puzzling.

“Unless you people are dazzled by a miracle, you refuse to believe.”

(v.48)

You, both times here, is written in the plural form, which implies this is not a private conversation.

These words feel directed to those who’ve gathered to be dazzled.

But don’t seem to even register with the distressed father.

Who is not there to be dazzled . . . or deterred.

“Come down!” 

“It’s life or death for my son!”

(v.49)

Do you feel his urgency? 

Sometimes we just want to hurry Jesus up.

Snap Him into action.

Jesus simply replied, 

“Go home.” 

“Your son lives.”

(v.50)

A promise. 

And a directive.

Perhaps what’s recorded is their entire conversation, or maybe it’s more of a highlight reel.

But something in their exchange settles the father’s heart.

The man believed the word Jesus spoke and headed home.

(v.50)

He believes the word.

Hangs onto it.

And is set in motion.

Walking toward his miracle . . .

On his way back, his servants intercepted him and announced, “Your son lives!”

(v.51)

I suspect he may have ended up being dazzled after all.

But I’m stuck back on Jesus’ directive.

Go.

This morning I wake feeling blue.

A pity party of sorts.

Sometimes living alone offers way too much time to listen to myself.

And believe what I hear.

I flip to the story in Cana.

Where Go practically jumps off the page.

And hangs on me.

A directive.

To get going into my day.

And discover what Jesus is doing there.

Even though I don’t feel like it.

But I hang on to the word and dress and go.

Set in motion.

Under the shadow of my blue cloud . . .

Zero expectations of being dazzled.

Out the door and five miles down the road I enter my gym.

Where an unexpected, out-of-the-blue, encounter awaits.

On the elliptical. 

The person beside me begins pouring out a personal story of heartbreak.

And, indirectly, starts speaking directly to the lie my pity party has been peddling.

By the time our thirty sweaty minutes are up, my perspective has shifted and my blues have flown.

And I haven’t even left the gym yet.

Maybe not exactly like the father’s experience in Cana.

He was already dressed and out the door.

But dazzling just the same.

Use your Word, Jesus, to set us in motion . . .

See you in a couple weeks.

Love,