Trinity 21
Text: John 4:46-54
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The year was 2008; the motto was Hope and Change.
Politicians and political campaigns have long used mottos and slogans to stir up the hearts of voters to believe in them, to believe that if elected, they can make your life better.
In many ways, political mottos and slogans lead people to believe in something they cannot see.
It’s for this reason the American election process takes a degree of faith, doesn’t it?
Or, as some might say, the American election process can be an exercise of blind faith.
Hope and change enlivened a movement of people to flock for rallies. By all accounts, it gave those attending and casting their votes a newfound hope for a better tomorrow.
While you may have some idea of what a candidate can do, especially as both the national candidates this year have either served as president or vice president – they have records – but there is no way to tell what catastrophes may lay ahead in the world; there is no way to know how the balance of Congress will shake out; there is no way to tell if their mottos will become a reality.
Yet, on November 5th, Americans will cast their votes and express their faith in voting for one candidate, or they will express their lack of faith by voting against a candidate.
The Gospel today is also about faith.
However, in the region of Galilee, words did not matter; for this reason, Jesus said, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The “You” here was plural as Jesus spoke to the crowds gathering around. His words were in response to the fact that the Galileans were only following Him because of the signs and miracles He performed and not the genuine faith that trusted in the Word He preached, the Word that gave this faith.
So when Jesus says to the Galileans, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” He knew their hearts and was saying, you won’t believe in me unless I do some sign for you first.
Don’t we all have a little bit of this mentality in us, too?
Jesus, we believe in you, but we’d believe more if you showed us a sign. I mean, answer our prayers in real-time. When I pray for my son to be healed, grant it. When I petition for my brother to be free of addiction, unchain him. If I ask you to heal my mother, just do it.
Give me a sign.
But this isn’t how signs actually work in Holy Scripture.
In the context of Scripture, Jesus’ signs articulate and reveal the Gospel to the hearer. Signs confront man with God’s visible presence in a way that demands faith.
Again, the signs of Jesus demand a response of faith.
Yet, the Gospel does not say the Roman Official had seen signs and wonders. It said, “When [the Official] heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.”
The beginning of faith in the Roman official’s heart was in the hearing of the reports of Jesus’ signs and wonders; it was the Word of God.
This leads us to a proper understanding of how the signs and wonders of Jesus are to aid us today; as St. John writes near the end of his Gospel,
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)
The signs and wonders of Jesus were written in Holy Scripture so that by hearing, you would believe – that you would have faith in Jesus and His Word.
Yet, when it comes to our faith in God, we are more like the Galileans. Show us a sign. Prove yourself to us, God.
Instead, we should be more like the Roman Official, having faith and believing in the Word of Jesus that He can heal his son.
If only we approached the Word of God with such vigor and trust, especially in the times we have grown fearful, angry, or uncertain ourselves.
You could probably relate these emotions and feelings to the current state of our political environment as much as you can when a child has fallen deathly ill, a spouse is suffering, or a parent lies on their deathbed.
In these instances, if you feel powerless, like the Roman Official, join him in approaching Jesus, petitioning and praying for His aid and help for your faith and the faith of one another.
Sure, you want signs and wonders to accompany your faith because our times are no different from those in the Gospel today.
We want to be there when Jesus speaks the word of healing to the Roman Official; we desire to walk home with him as his servants greet him to tell him the good news of his son’s healing, and we want to witness his son’s embrace.
We desire signs and wonders.
But we have something more extraordinary: we have the Word of Jesus.
A word that implants the seed of faith into your hearts as we hear it and leads you to the greatest sign of Christ’s love for you, the cross, where He died for you.
Just as the Official’s son’s ailment had him at the door of death, Jesus went through death so that you would receive the redeeming and saving Word of His life.
A word that creates and sustains faith within you.
We must remember today that even as we have citizenship here on earth, we also have greater citizenship in heaven with Christ our Lord.
Election cycles will come and go, and we will continue to exercise our faith in one candidate or another by casting our votes.
But do not neglect the hope and confidence you have in your Savior, Jesus Christ. For His death has changed everything, and you already have eternal life in Him today.
So pray to Him for all the needs of this life, for the needs of this country, for the needs of the body, but most importantly, for the needs and care of your soul. Trust in Him above all; He will grant you the true faith needed for this day and all the days of this life. +INJ+
Rev. Noah J. Rogness
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Tomah, WI
