March 16

John 5:1-18

In this Gospel, Jesus seems to snap at an official who has asked Jesus to save his dying son. "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe," Jesus says. This could be seen as a callous response, or it could be a simple statement of fact.

The man persists and invites Jesus to come to his child. Jesus then heals the child, long distance. This passage highlights how often we bargain with God about what we want to have happen and say to ourselves, this will give me proof that God exists. We, like the official, are more interested in the miracles than in Jesus's message. In a way, seeing is believing.

So why does Jesus heal the child? Maybe he does so because most of us at some point have needed miracles to open our eyes. While I can see how this passage could be interpreted as Jesus criticizing our need for "miraculous signs and wonders," it might also be about Jesus acknowledging, "Whatever gets you through the night, it's alright, it's alright."

Once we open our eyes and our hearts, believing is seeing – seeing God's presence everywhere, in everything. This is how we are saved from death.

Kathy Jankowski