The Seventh Hour

A view of Cana (close to Nazareth), taken about 100 years ago.

The royal official said to Him, "Sir, come down before my child dies." Jesus said to him, "Go; your son lives." The man believed the word that Jesus said to him and started off.  John 4:49-50

It was nearly 24 miles (38 km) from Capernaum to Cana. That's about an eight-hour walk one way--almost the distance of a marathon--which is a long way to go for a dad whose young son is so ill that he's dying. It's an interminable journey for a dad whose thoughts are going in frantic circles, hoping against hope that his feverish boy's life can be saved.

And Jesus' response to this man?  "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe."

What is THAT all about?

This isn't about believing; it's about desperation and hope and no other options. The dad won't be swayed. He's walked (or ridden, if he had some kind of animal to carry him) until he is beyond tired, and for all he knows, his son may have died in the meantime. As with so many of the people who received healing from Jesus, this dad is single-minded, focused, persistent, and can't be distracted from his heartfelt need. "Come down before my child dies!" he pleads, ignoring all that stuff about a sign and belief.  "Come down before my child dies!"  Please!

And Jesus answers simply: "Go; your son lives."

When the father checks with his servants later, he hears that his son's fever broke at the seventh hour, just at the time when Jesus heard his plea and responded. The dad didn't actually see the result of Jesus' words until the next day. But afar off, down winding roads and into the bowl of hills that surrounds the sea of Galilee, back in his son's sickroom, the healing had taken place.

So often we wait ... and wait ... and wait, thinking that the healing is yet ahead of us for some great need that we have. We've asked Jesus for help, and we believe He can and will help. But we think the answer we so desperately want is still ahead of us. Maybe tomorrow. Or next week. Or later. But it hasn't begun yet.

That's the unexpected thing about the kingdom of God, which became visible to us in the appearance and life of this Man, Jesus. His answer comes "at the seventh hour," in the moment when He hears our plea for healing. We may not see it until much later. We may have a "marathon" to walk until we perceive the evidence of God's loving response to our prayers to Him. But what an amazing thing it is to eventually be able to look back and to see that the answer began in the moment when we asked and believed!

I'm thinking about that. It seems to take quite a bit of living and a willingness to keep an open heart before we can turn around and see the evidence of "the seventh hour." God's clock works on a completely different paradigm and in a completely different dimension from ours.  So with that, I'm going to start praying daily for some seemingly impossible things as I go into the new year ahead. Let the Seventh Hour commence!