My daily walk provides me with not only exercise but a way to clear my head, think through decisions and even compose poetry. Traveling the same route every day also allows my hypervigilance a bit of a rest. During my recent walks I have been more mindful of my own walking with Jesus as I learn a walk of deeper trust. This week’s musing on walks led me to the account of a miracle walk in John chapter four.
While we often find comfort walking with Jesus, our faith is strengthened when we learn to walk by faith in what He has spoken to us during our walks together.
After the encounter with the woman at the well in Samaria, Jesus returns to Galilee, specifically Cana of Galilee, where he meets a nobleman seeking Jesus to heal his son who lay sick back in Capernaum.
“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.”
I find this encounter rather harsh, Jesus even refused to go with the nobleman to see his son. According to biblical maps, the walking distance between Capernaum and Cana of Galilee was roughly 36 kilometers or approximately 25 miles.
This nobleman traveled that distance to find Jesus to help his son, and after a brief dismissive encounter was sent to travel back the same distance.
“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.”
Truly a miracle walk, the nobleman believed the words of Jesus for the miracle he sought and walked the 25 miles back home before he saw the fulfillment of his request.
Think about this encounter for a moment.
The man was desperate, his son lay dying and barring a miracle would surely die.
Demonstrating tremendous faith, he makes a long trek to find Jesus and bring Him back to heal his son. Only to be ceremoniously dismissed by Jesus, sent away with the mere words, “Your son will live.”
The bible leaves us to wonder if the man had ever seen Jesus perform a miracle with his own eyes or was simply going by faith on what he heard from people around him. How much more faith was required for him to return home with only a promise of a miracle?
Did he wonder if his journey was in vain?
During the long walk back did he question his faith in Jesus’ words?
All we know is Jesus required him to walk by total faith back home believing his trek was not in vain, God was with him and God would be true to His word.
How often do we want to see before believing Jesus, yet this man walked 25 miles believing a miracle without seeing it.
The simple yet steadfast faith of this man challenges me. He knew Jesus only moments but believed His words without seeing immediate fulfillment. Even after walking with Jesus almost 45 years, I struggle taking Him at His word.
May we take heart from the miracle walk of an anonymous nobleman, remembering blessed are they which believe without seeing. (John 20:29) In the midst of our pain, brokenness, confusion, wilderness and grief may we remember the promises of Jesus.
And not only remember them but believe them. Trust the word of Jesus when we cannot see Him or the outcome we desire. This is not a dead end, a vain journey, this is a miracle walk to the other side of our pain.
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Thank you for this blog post. And Bible study. I also enjoy walking in the way you describe at the beginning of your blog. I find your Bible study really insightful and encouraging.
Aritha
Thank you, Aritha for reading! Walking is such a therapy isn’t it? I have truly enjoyed reflecting more deeply on walking, in the stories from the bible!