Taking Jesus At His Word

     "My word is my bond." I have been trying to find the origin of that well-known statement for use in this blog spot. The origin is pretty much unknown other than that someone in cyber world traced it back to a book of proverbs from the 1600's in which is found  'An honest man's word is as good as his bond' from J Ray's English Proverbs published in 1670. This information is from Everyman Dictionary of Quotations and Proverbs, Chancellor Press, first published 1951." [And in the interest of full disclosure, that was found on the internet at http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?7,151872.]

     As an attorney I find the sentence fascinating if only because everything I do is in triplicate, with  original signatures, certified, notarized and pulverized with proof of veracity, and identity in three forms. I do not know of many people who seal a deal or enter into a contract with a handshake or at someone's word anymore. "I give you my word" used to have some meaning, but nowadays, not so much. After all, the very definitions of words seem to be changing daily by common use, legislative intervention and judicial fiat.  When someone says my word is my bond, what do they mean by word? By bond? By is? It was not that many years ago that the meaning of the simple word "is" was questioned by a Yale law school graduate in a position of incredible power.

     Thus, it was interesting to me that a royal official, in desperate straits took Jesus at His word, and witnessed a miracle.

     John 4:46-54 relates the narrative of a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. The son was close to death. The official either marched or took his chariot 16 miles from Capernaum to Cana, where he heard Jesus was, to beg Jesus to go with him to Capernaum and heal his son. A royal official begged an itinerant preacher of a subjected, conquered people to go with him. That's curious. Why beg? The official could have easily forced Jesus to accompany him. He was a man in authority and could have sent a someone to bring Jesus to Capernaum. Instead, he himself went and begged.

     Jesus was seemingly not too interested in healing the son. His response seems almost unkind: "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, you will never believe." Jesus was after the royal official's heart and soul. And, He was prepared to work a miracle for that to happen. Unmoved by Jesus' response, and not too concerned about the his own spirit when his son's flesh was dying, the official persisted: "Sir, come down before my child dies." This time, Jesus answered the request directly with a simple instruction: "You may go. Your son will live."

     "The man took Jesus at His word and departed." The official was an unbeliever but he took Jesus at his word. Thereafter, on his way back to Capernaum, the official was met by his servants with wonderful news: his son was alive. "Then the father realized that this was the exact time Jesus had said "Your son will live."  So he and all his household believed."

      The royal official had an audacious request, especially considering he did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God, able to do mighty and miraculous things. Jesus gave him a simple instruction: go, coupled with a promise: your son will live." The royal official had a choice: he had just walked or charioteered 16 miles one way to get Jesus to come. Jesus said go. If the royal official left and returned to Capernaum, as Jesus told him to, his son would either be dead and the man would have lost the opportunity to force Jesus to do whatever Jesus did to heal people. Or, he could obey and take Jesus at his word, and find his son healed. If the royal official chose to stay, he could bribe, force, whine, beg some more, until Jesus went with him, but even then, his son could still be dead when he got there. He chose to take Jesus at his word. In taking Jesus at his word, the royal official not only found his son alive, he found the Messiah, he found life and salvation for him, his son, and his whole household.

     I make ridiculous, audacious requests of Jesus often (but probably not often enough). When He gives me an answer, I have the exact same choice the Roman official had. I can take Him at his word or I can argue, whine and resist (which admittedly seems so much more productive in the moment). Or, I can believe that there is still One whose word is His bond, sealed with His blood, take Jesus at his word and watch for the miracle.