Incredible Moment with a Royal Official

A couple of things popped out at me from this reading... the first in particular because I've just come back from a retreat where "thinking outside the box" was the order of the day. The royal official definitely qualifies (as thinking outside the box) on more than one level. First, it he truly was Herod's man as Gire suggests, then he risked a lot to go openly to Jesus. Second, he was not too proud to beg, and third, once Jesus told him to go home, he did it. No additional pleading because the form of the cure did not meet his expectations. When I think of how many times I expect God to do it my way, and can't recognize His imprint on a situation, I'm in awe of this man.

The second thing that struck me was that his servants made the trip to meet him with the good news. Even if they had been dispatched by his wife, the fact that they hurried to find him and reassure him tells me that he must have been a decent master. Jesus must have seen through his own weariness and disillusionment to agree to heal this man's child from such a distance. It's mentioned more than once in the Bible that the healings took a physical toll on Jesus. Yet he reached out over time and space to grant this man's fervent request. Awesome.