March 7, 2023

Wrong Motives

“Therefore, He came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a royal official whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. So, Jesus said to him, Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” John 4:46-48 (NASB)

Have you ever begged God for a miracle for a loved one? Have you continued begging God to heal someone or change a circumstance? We all have. Do we ask for it by our motive or for God’s? We can say we can leave things in God’s hand, but can we really do it in desperate times? It’s tough. Today, we see a man begging Jesus to manipulate his circumstance, not out of wrong love, but wrong motive. Either way, his desperation drove him to anything he could do to change his circumstance. He didn’t need Messiah; he needed a miracle worker.

Here we see the second miracle in Cana. The first occurred at a marriage feast. Jesus turned the water into wine. Now Jesus returned to the city who were again begging for a miracle worker, Jesus. As Jesus stated in yesterday’s devotion, He said that “a prophet has no honor in his own country” (verse 44). In Samaria as a stranger, He was hailed Messiah. In Cana with His own people, He was a miracle worker. The royal official was in the service of Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee. Herod Antipas was a son of Herod the Great. Herod ruled Palestine during Christ’s birth. As the royal official knew Jesus was arriving, he sought Jesus. This official has been aware of the miracle at the wedding or had been witnessed to signs Jesus performed at Jerusalem during Passover. “He went to Him and was imploring Him to come down and heal his son.” He sought Jesus to heal his son, so he “implored Him.” This was a desperate man in a desperate situation. He had little concern for Jesus’ identity. His motivation was to come to a miracle worker and ask Him to work a miracle, but Jesus knew the heart of man.

The official implored Him repeatedly. The word “implored” is eromai meaning begging, asking, please, urging.[1] The tense of the verb “imploring” is a repeated begging Jesus to heal his son. It sounds like nagging Jesus to heal his son. Imagine the long walk or ride back while a desperate man is trying to do whatever he can to save his son. He had heard of Jesus reputation and now grasping at straws to save his son’s life. In all his power, the official was unable to cure this situation. Jesus knew the son “was at the point of death.”

Sometimes folks are looking for miracles in very stressful times. Maybe you too have begged God to heal someone out of your own desire. I know we care for those we love. This is what the official had for his own son, but we must ask ourselves a question, “Are we doing for God’s will or ours?” As we see in the passages above there was a repeated begging for his son’s life to be saved. I don’t know of a father who wouldn’t beg, but was he coming to God, or for a miracle worker? Did he know he came to the life giver Himself? Wrong motive is why Jesus responded, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.” Do you need a miracle worker today or a Savior? It’s a hard lesson for a lot of us today. Make sure your motive is not just yours, but God’s too. Sometimes our loved ones are ready to meet Jesus…

[1] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).