In the previous article’s text from John 4:46-48, Jesus paused to make a point after a concerned father asked Him to come to his house to heal his terminally ill son.
For a concerned father, though, I think that he pretty much has just one thing on his mind: the well-being of his son. (I would probably feel the same way.) So, the father asks for help again, and Jesus responds compassionately.
The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
John 4:49-50 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.4.49-50.NIV
While we can – and probably should – celebrate the healing of this man’s son, I’d like us to consider another implication of this account: Sometimes, I think that those who are suffering are going to have a hard time hearing about the gospel until their physical, mental, or emotional problems are addressed, first.
There are times when someone is hurting so much that they aren’t ready to hear about sin and salvation at that point. Instead, they need help with their other needs first.
For instance, while sometimes Jesus fed people after they had been listening to Him, it appears from the Scriptures that He also healed people without first requiring them to listen to a sermon. Healing wasn’t always the result of following Him: sometimes Jesus healed people before they followed Him. Some, like a man we meet in the next chapter, John 5:1-15, couldn’t follow anyone anywhere until they were healed, because of their physical condition.
In fact, I’m not sure if every single one of the people who were healed by Jesus necessarily followed Him afterwards. Consider the other 9 lepers who didn’t return to thank Jesus for healing them, for instance (see Luke 17:11-19). Some of them may have returned to Jesus later (i.e., after showing themselves to be clean, as He has commanded them to), but maybe others didn’t.
However, while serving other people in Jesus’ name doesn’t have to be predicated on them making an immediate decision to follow Him, helping someone’s physical, mental, or emotional needs in Jesus’ name is part of showing God’s love to them, and doesn’t need to be done to the exclusion of offering spiritual help as soon as they are ready. Also – and perhaps more importantly – followers of Jesus have the Holy Spirit to guide them, not only to share just the right works at just the right time, but also to share just the right words at just the right time.
So, don’t be afraid to serve someone who is far from God today, and don’t override the Holy Spirit’s guidance when you are tempted to ram the gospel down their throat (i.e., without compassion for their current situation, or without the same grace and kindness that God showed to you). Because God created and loves people for all that they are, let us also show love and respect for the whole person: body, mind, heart, and soul.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for February 11, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, February 11, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – John, by Beauford H. Bryant and Mark S. Krause. © 1998 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 