But the boy replies: "I do not need much now, just a quiet place to sit and rest."

When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.  So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” John 4:47-50

At first read, one (me) could think, “Hey Jesus, why are you being so snitty to this poor guy with the dying kid?”

But Jesus isn’t talking to the dad, he’s talking to His people, the Jews, the Chosen, God’s Special Ones.  They aren’t living up to their name.  This “you” is plural, which is not so clear in English, but it is clear in Greek, just like it would be clear in Latin or Spanish. 

He just returned to His homeland, after traveling among the hated and looked-down-upon heathen Samaritans, who had eagerly run out to see Him, and gathered around and clung to his every word, and believe in Him because of what He has said, that He is indeed the Savior of the world.  A very, very cool time with the pagans.  

But when He gets back home, and the first thing that greets Him is this guy running out and saying, “Give me, give me.”  Which reminds Him about the judgmental guys hanging around the temple last time He was here, demanding, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” It was just a little reality check, the religious guys are all about me, and what are You going to do for me?

And then big important religious official pulls Him back from this real sorrow and said, “I am just a dad with a dying kid, remember me?”  Sort of like Julia Roberts when she said, “I’m just a girl.”  

All of the politics and fancy theology and parsing of doctrine and prophecy of who we were expecting the Messiah to be and look like and the where we worship, either here or there or in Jerusalem don’t matter now.  The official pushes past the crossed disapproving arms and frowning counting of who was baptizing more people and why, and simply says, “I need You.”  And Jesus took compassion upon him, and healed his son that very hour.  

As I consider this story, and who I am and how I approach my LORD.  I am reminded of the children’s book, The Giving Tree.  It starts out with this kid who loves this tree, and they enjoy each other and laugh and sing and be.  And the tree is happy.  And then as the kid grows up, slowly the relationship isn’t so much about being, but what can you do for me?  Give me your apples, give me your branches, even chop yourself down, give me everything.  And it’s ok.  Because the tree loves the boy.  But it’s not the same thing.  

And I think that is what Jesus wants here.  He is willing to heal and give us bread and walk on the water because He loves us.  But that’s not what it’s all about.  What He really wants is me to sit down by the village well and hang out and listen and hear what He has to say.  It’s about Him, Him who longs to walk in the garden with me in the cool of the day. But I, like Adam and Eve, am too busy hiding behind “We thoughts” and “were embarrassed” and my rushing around with my schedules and my want-to-dos and my things-I-should-dos and by the way, can You fix this for me right now?  

That’s why He came.  Really.  To restore the hanging out time to the way things were created to be.  That’s what it’s all about.  

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.