“Jesus saith unto him, go thy way; thy son liveth.” John 4:50
Jesus, in His ministry, had many ways of working. When healing he would deliver by casting out, or simply by telling the afflicted one to rise, or by anointing the eyes, etc. Here we see a work of healing being done in a still different manner, Jesus simply informs the noble man that the work is done.
This man who had left home and a dying son to get Jesus to come down unto him, had very likely decided that he would go to all lengths to bring Jesus back with him, but we see that Jesus worked in mysterious ways and the man goes home without Jesus, but with the blessing just the same. We see Mark 7:24, Jesus causing a devil to leave without going to the one who was possessed.
For this nobleman to take Jesus at His word required some faith, more than if there had been some outward demonstration of His power at work, such as casting out, etc. the thing appeared to be done so easily, that naturally speaking it would have been hard to believe, but this man believed and returning home, found it to be so, his servants meeting him with the very same words, “thy son liveth.”
It seems that as the son began to amend the servants set out to meet the master and they met on the road, and in answer to his question, as to when the amending began, they told him the time and it was the same time that Jesus had said “they son liveth.” That was all the nobleman had, the bare word of Jesus, “thy son liveth” no outward demonstrations to depend upon, no evidence at all of any kind, and he far from home with a heart anxious over his son, but somehow in the mighty knowledge and power of God the work was done and it was put into the servants hearts to go and meet him with same message that he, we may be sure was turning over in his heart along what must have been, to him a long journey.
We see that Jesus not only healed the son, but remembered the state of mind of the father and put it into the hearts of the servants who were, we may be sure glad to set out to meet the Master with the good news. How wonderful to see good news hastening to one in a place of anxiety.
Today, as then there is much to drive us to Jesus, to send us to Him with the idea of getting Him to come down and deliver us, from sickness, or difficulties of other kinds, but too much prone to desire demonstrations, to see signs and wonders, before we will believe, and sometimes we may see them, but God often worked in such ways that, the thing appears so simple that there is doubt in many minds that it is done.
Those who could not understand intricate things, find it hard to accept simple ones and take God at His word. We all have problems, not dying sons, but things that need the attention of Jesus urgently, and we may be impelled to go to Him and bring Him down to the place where our trouble is and to have His undivided attention. To have Him to come personally and attend to us and we sometimes feel like staying with Him until He does. And sometimes He may, but there are many times when, He will simply say to us as to the one in the text, “thy son liveth” and send us back to the place with this assurance in our hearts that the work is done, and if we will accept His word in the right way and go with it in our hearts we will find that God has worked.
His workings are often so gentle and with so little stirring that they sometimes are not counted to be workings at all. We see accounts of spectacular things in the papers, but the things done in a more quiet manner are but little spoken of, and of course are not published very much. But it is this working of God that brings results without outward show, that is really the background of our lives. Has Jesus spoken to us about some matter that we have taken to Him, that all is well? Then let us believe it and not ask for fire from heaven or something else to testify for God. But let our conduct be such that will show us to be persons who have set their seals that God is true. Let us not be afraid of still small voices, or of workings that carry with them but little of the demonstrations that are looked for today, God is quite often in the gentle breeze, the still, small voice, the quiet command. If He has told us that all will be well, then let us act upon it. Amen.
Thomas and Hannah Lowe in Colombia
Thomas Ernest Lowe delivered this message to assemblies in Maryland in the early 1930’s before leaving long-term for the mission field in Colombia in 1936.
Mr. Lowe, an able and zealous minister, seeing the great abundance of Gospel opportunity for North Americans and realizing the scarcity of that same opportunity for millions in South America, set out in the 1930’s for Colombia, to survey the spiritual landscape, and was joined there by his wife, Hannah. They worked together until Mr. Lowe, still a relatively young and most vigorous man, died in the capital city of Bogotá in 1941. Mrs. Lowe, vibrant in service to her Lord until her final days, died at Jerusalem in June 1983, having spent a year in the beloved City.