John 4: 43-54

When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honour in the prophet’s own country). When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival.

Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’ The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my little boy dies.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, ‘Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.’ The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, ‘Your son will live.’ So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee.

Jesus is back in Cana. It was the site of his first miracle of changing the wedding feast water into the finest wine. Now he is confronted with another very serious challenge. He is faced with two issues.

First, there is a request for healing. But second, there is a matter of faith. In the end, both will be endorsed but not without comment from Jesus.

The father, a government official, made the request for Jesus to heal his son. But Jesus comments that there are many who will not believe unless they see ‘signs and wonders’ that qualify as miraculous events. In spite of his comment, Jesus instructs the father to go home and discover that his son will live. As a result, the whole family (the household) became believers in Christ.

We could talk about many different features of this account. Let’s focus on just one thought. Here it is: when one person (especially someone with leadership and influence) comes to faith, others people in the household will often join them in a faith journey. The issue is clear; mothers and fathers, you make a difference for your children. You influence many features of their lives but their openness to faith will be shaped by your willingness to connect to Christ.

Influence is a gift that God provides. It carries a heavy responsibility within families, in the work place, in schools, and throughout the community. Use it well. Use it with integrity, but use it