We Walk by Faith, and Not by Sight - Monday, April 4th

Readings of the Day

Gospel: John 4: 43-54
At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee. For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his native place. When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves had gone to the feast. Then he returned to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine.

Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, who was near death. Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” The royal official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.” The man believed what Jesus said to him and left. While the man was on his way back, his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live. He asked them when he began to recover. They told him, “The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.” The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he and his whole household came to believe. Now this was the second sign Jesus did when he came to Galilee from Judea.

• welcome (welcomed): to greet with courtesty; to accept with please to occurence or presence of; a kindly greeting or reception.
• Did the Galileans welcome Jesus because of genuine faith?  Or because they had seen his miracles?  How about me?
• heal: to make sound or whole; to restore to health; to cause an undesirable condition to be overcome; to restore to original purity or integrity; to effect a cure.
• Why did Jesus heal the officials' son, even though He seemed frustrated that another "sign" was being asked for?  Was is that He saw the official's underlying sincere faith in the request?  When my prayers are answered do I react in the same way - increasing my own faith and giving witness that brings others to faith as well?
• unless: except on the condition that; except under the circumstances that.
• What are the conditions of my faith?  Unless I see what?  Do I not understand that believing without seeing is true faith - as the traditional hymn, "We walk by faith and not by sight..."?

Definitions from http://www.merriman-webster.com/ and http://www.dictionary.com/.