John 4:49, 50 the court official wouldn’t be put off. “Come down! It’s life or death for my son.” Jesus simply replied, “Go home. Your son lives.” (The Message Bible)
We often feel like physical proximity is important. We go to cemeteries to feel close to a loved one that has passed yet we don’t really think they are confined to that place. We sit in waiting rooms at hospitals though we are separated by walls. In the pandemic we have learned to connect digitally across distance but it often doesn’t feel the same inside. This official seemed to believe Jesus had to be physically close to his son for healing to happen. We sometimes believe we must feel close to God for God’s Spirit to be working in us. But that is not necessarily so. God’s experience of time and space is, I think, much different than ours. God transcends years and millennia and inches and miles. We may wish to be closer to God but God is right here, whether we feel a certain way or not. God’s power was as close to the official as it was to the son miles away. The official could “go home” and still be within Jesus’ influence. Are you trying to anticipate how God will or must act? In some way are you limiting Jesus to your perceptions?
Logan Memorial Presbyterian Church 