Miracles: Desperate Times, Desperate Faith

Desperate Times, Desperate Faith     Sept. 22, 2019

John 4: 46-54

We’re in the midst of a sermon series on miracles, where we’re exploring some of the select miracles stories of the Bible to help us embrace a faith that believes God can do anything. But in today’s reading, we find a surprising twist. The most pressing work of Jesus might not be the work we most desire. If you have your Bibles…

When I finally moved out on my own after seminary, one of the most important tasks on my to-do list was to find a good doctor. I began to ask around to friends and neighbors and one name continually popped up, so I went ahead and made an appointment. For the first 4-5 years or so, those appointments went better than expected. I’d walk in, get a quick check-up, get a clean bill of health. And the doctor would shower me with all sorts of encouraging words about my health. But a few years, I started to notice some changes. My stress levels were high and my heart felt like it was constantly racing. I had a feeling my blood pressure was out of whack- hypertension runs in my family, and so I made another appointment. But this time, the visit was different. How long has your blood pressure been like this?  I’m not sure, I replied. Have you been working out? No. Have you been running? No. What’s your diet like? Um, do we really have to go down that road? And as he asked those questions, I felt about as small as I’ve ever felt. All I wanted was for the doctor to give me a pill, to get my back on the road to health. And he did…but he also gave me more than I bargained for; he gave me the truth and a glimpse into my soul that I hadn’t expected to hear. 

Some have called Jesus the “Great Physician,” and for good reason. All throughout the Gospels, Jesus can be found healing; healing young and old, healing in the country and in the city, healing big problems and little ones. The old songs of the church reminds us of this: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see. People would travel far and wide to catch a glimpse of this man who met no sickness or problem he could not heal. And it must have been so exciting. I can’t imagine the joy that echoed through the crowds when loved ones were delivered from their ailments. I can’t imagine the tears that flowed when Jesus restored sight and mobility and relationships. And He did it all in love. If there’s one thing we know about Jesus, it’s that he cares for us with compassion and tenderness. But truth be told, Jesus always seemed a little concerned about all the attention he received, as if he knew everyone was focused on the wrong thing. 

One man who found himself among the long list of those waiting for appointments with the “Great Physician” was the royal official in John 4. Now, he’s not the type of person you’d expect to see pop up in this story. He didn’t really fit the description of a man in need. He wasn’t poor or forgotten or abused or neglected. He didn’t wear tattered rags nor was he troubled by unusual behavior. He’s not a person you’d see on the street holding out a can for change or holding up a homemade sign asking for help. Just the opposite. He was representative of the class of people who have the most trouble coming to Jesus- the ones who think they have it all together.

I’ve found that some of the hardest people for Jesus to reach are those who seem to have it all together. You remember the story of the rich young man? He had everything and because he had everything, he was oblivious to the actual state of his heart. It’s such a discouraging story, because he walked away from the very one who was offering him eternal life. But here’s the rub: if you think you already have it all, it’s hard to find your way to Jesus. I know this because I’m one of them. I grew up in a middle-class family, to parents who had good marriage, strong work ethics and plenty of resources to do more than squeak by. Growing up I got good grades, found success to be fairly easy, never really had to study that hard. And all along, as I look back, I toyed with God. I gave him a little here, a little there, but it was never a firm or devoted commitment (it’s what the Bible calls “lukewarm”). I wasn’t hot; I wasn’t cold. I was just kind of living, picking up faith when I wanted, dropping faith when it wasn’t convenient. But in college I bottomed out. I can’t explain it to you. I wasn’t flunking classes or losing friends or blacking out every night. Rather, I just felt so empty, like I was lost in a big world with no idea how to find my way out. For me that season of life was a season of desperation. For lack of a better term, that season for me was a crisis. And what we do in crisis moments matters. 

This was a crisis moment for the royal official, probably unlike anything he had ever faced before. More than likely, this royal official never had to ask for much of anything in his life. But this time he had met his match. And this time, his resources, which were probably some of the finest his world could offer, meant nothing. No amount of wealth or information or power or status or effort or medical care could heal his sick boy. This man was used to ordering people around and making things happen and getting things done. But all of that was washed away when he realized he could do nothing about this. He had been stripped of his self-sufficiency; he had been stripped of his ability things right. He was broken. And let me tell you, that’s a scary place to be. It’s scary when we feel like our backs are against the wall. It’s scary when we’re pinned down with no hope. It’s scary when we know the questions but have no answers. But sometimes, when it comes to faith, that place of desperation, that place of brokenness, can become the very place God ushers in a new beginning. 

Crisis moments cannot be avoided in our lives. Sooner or later they hit us, most of the time unexpectedly so, and when they hit, they stop us in our tracks. Sort of like that moment the star quarterback suddenly blows out his elbow and leaves the team wondering “what’s next?” Troubled times, aren’t they? What will a football team do without their franchise quarterback? But on a more serious note, what we do when our spouse threatens to leave? Or the company downsizes and we’re the ones laid off? Or the dream we’ve worked so hard for suddenly comes to an end. What we choose to do in those moments matters. I’ve spent a lot of time with people navigating their own stories of crisis and conflict, and I can tell you that I’ve seen three distinct ways people try to cope. Some try to ignore the problem and think it will just get better on its own. Most of the time that has disastrous consequences. Others try to buckle down and do more of what they already know: work longer hours, get a fatter paycheck, run another mile and so on. And when it becomes clear that these first two options won’t solve the problem, some try for a third: They turn to Jesus. And that’s what this man does. This man really had nowhere else to turn, so when he heard that Jesus was coming to town, he felt he had one more shot. When it mattered most, this man, this once powerful, now broken and helpless man, turned toward Jesus and asked him to save his son. And what happens next is an amazing moment of faith.

All throughout this story, we get the sneaky suspicion that Jesus is trying to help us see what we aren’t normally inclined (or wanting) to see. Just like my doctor, who was lovingly telling me that my laziness was the root of my blood pressure and a pill would help, but not solve, my crisis, Jesus uses the occasion of this man’s story to reveal an age-old wrestling match in our hearts. Do we want Jesus because of the things Jesus can do? Or do we want Jesus because of who He is? I believe this is one of the most important questions Jesus asks of us because He wants to be our heart’s true desire. The Bible says that God is a jealous God, not wanting to take second place to anything or anyone, including His blessings. The most important work Jesus wants to do in us and for us is to give us Himself. Sometimes He will give us the miracle, but what Jesus really wants to give us is Jesus. So let me ask you this question: Is Jesus enough for you? Is Jesus the one true desire of your heart? Because the only way we can truly come to Jesus is when we are brought to nothing and He becomes our everything.  

You know, I’m so grateful that Jesus miraculously answered this man’s plea to heal His son. And what’s even more intriguing is that John tells us the man simply took Jesus at His word and believed. He walked away from this miracle-worker firmly convinced that Jesus could and would do this holy work, yet he also walked away without any guarantees. 

I have a good friend who has a very similar story…except for the ending. And because of that, I’m so proud of him. We met a few years ago and church was not his thing. He would tell you that if he were here. My friend found his identity and purpose in other platforms, like his job and his family and his hobbies. But not long after we were introduced, life began to fall apart for my friend. So late one night, we met and had a long discussion, and toward the end of our conversation he told me he was going to take my class on Jesus. And I cannot tell you how happy I was. I was genuinely excited to spend time with him and build up our relationship and watch him grow. This was a chance to make a new disciple! But there was also this check in my spirit- this uncomfortable feeling that maybe his decision was driven by the wrong motives. So I gently pressed the issue and he was quite candid with me: I’m not taking this class for me. I’m taking it to see if my life gets better. BUT, he said, (And this is a big but), if it ends up being for me, I’ll be ok with that. 

He took the class with me and grew tremendously. It was a beautiful experience to watch unfold- this man who had little time for church becoming a disciple of Christ. And I wish I could tell you that Jesus answered this man’s desperate hope just like he did the royal official’s plea… but He didn’t. In fact, things grew steadily worse and crashed in an extremely painful way. And I can’t tell you why. I can’t tell you why some prayers go answered and others don’t. I can’t tell you why the royal official received his son back with a clean bill of health and my friend’s life was not put back together the way he envisioned.. But I can tell you this…just like the man in our Gospel story, he came to a place of belief. One believed because Jesus gave him a miracle and the other because Jesus was all he had left. 

Sometimes, friends, we get the miracle. And sometimes we don’t. But what we will always get when we draw near to Jesus, if we’re willing, is Jesus. And that’s the miracle I desire for you today. As we close, I want to share part of a song with you that came out in 2015, a song called “Trust in You” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to these words: 

When You don't move the mountains
I'm needing You to move
When You don't part the waters
I wish I could walk through
When You don't give the answers
As I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings
There's not a day ahead You have not seen
So let all things be my life and breath
I want what You want Lord and nothing less.

May we want what Jesus wants today. May we want Jesus and nothing less. Amen.