If you would prefer to listen to this story as an audio recording, CLICK HERE.
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Jesus came to bring
good news to the afflicted,
healing to the brokenhearted,
freedom to the captive,
comfort to those who mourn,
joy to those who sorrow,
gladness instead of tears, and
praise instead of despair.(1)
If there was ever a day we needed to be reminded of the message of hope to be found in Jesus, it is today. Beginning this week and continuing for the following two weeks, i will be posting three stories about men and women who experienced that message of hope at the moment of their greatest desperation.
You will find these individuals in the Gospel accounts, however i have added fictional elements to each of their stories so that we might see them … and better understand the circumstances in their lives leading up to their encounter with the only One who could bring them hope.
You will read the portion of their stories you may already know … and the rest that could have been. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story may be fictional, you will find the truth conveyed about the One they each encountered to be very REAL! My prayer is that you will allow these stories to be a reminder that the One who brought each of them hope is capable of bringing it to each one of us today … if we will only receive it.
Stories of Hope (part 1) - The Despairing Father (This week – June 29)
Stories of Hope (part 2) - The Woman Who Had Lost All Hope (July 6)
Stories of Hope (part 3) - The Blind Son (July 13)
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My name is Chuza. I am the son of Shachna, and I serve as the royal chamberlain (a senior official) to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea. My father grew up in Capernaum, and as an adult, he became the business manager for the senior Roman centurion stationed in that city. He was greatly admired for his capabilities and recognized in ways he didn’t even realize. That is, until one day, he was told to appear before the king, Herod the Great.
My father had no idea why he was being summoned. He was relieved and honored when Herod explained he was being appointed to manage the construction of a new city along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The city was to be called Caesarea Maritima, in honor of the Roman emperor, Augustus. It was to be the showplace of the province, boasting a deep-water harbor, an ornate palace, and sporting arenas rivaling those of Rome itself.
Herod had a grand vision to bring economic prosperity to the region and Caesarea Maritima was central to those plans. He gave my father great latitude in selecting the most gifted architects and designers, the most skillful craftsmen, and the finest materials. I was nine years old when construction began, and the work concluded just prior to my twenty-first birthday.
As a young boy, I shadowed my father and watched him with great pride. He led this massive undertaking with wisdom and grace. His workers honored and respected him. During the latter years, I served alongside him as his apprentice and assistant. I never once heard King Herod voice anything but satisfaction with my father’s work and the progress of the project.
When everything was completed, Herod honored my father by naming him the royal chamberlain – which meant he directed the royal household and was answerable only to the king. Herod was known for his impatience and fits of rage, but he never showed my father anything but the utmost respect.
I learned much from my father and continued to serve alongside him in the palace until the day Herod died. Afterward, the Roman emperor divided the kingdom with Judea, Samaria, and Idumea being ruled by his son Herod Archelaus and his son Herod Antipas ruling over Galilee and Perea. Respecting my father’s abilities, Archelaus retained him as his royal chamberlain.
But Archelaus’s rule was cut short when he was removed by Caesar Augustus, and the Roman prefect Coponius was installed in his place. My father decided it was time to step down as chamberlain and advised the incoming prefect to choose me to assume his role. Coponius was facing enormous challenges resulting from Archelaus’s poor leadership, so he was only too happy to have someone step into the role with little disruption.
I quickly learned that being the chamberlain was very different from being the assistant to the chamberlain! The responsibility now fell squarely on my shoulders. I was grateful that my father was still available to provide wise counsel whenever I needed it. Over time, I grew more comfortable and confident in the role – and the prefect frequently praised me for the way I handled his household.
I had been in the role for three years when Coponius was reassigned to another post; his replacement had already been selected by the emperor. Before he left, Coponius told me that Herod Antipas wanted to offer me a position in his court. Coponius gave me permission to consider the opportunity. Apparently, the incoming prefect was bringing his own chamberlain, which meant I was no longer needed in Caesarea.
That turn of events actually worked in my favor. My new master and king, Antipas, told me of his plans to construct a new capital city for the provinces under his rule along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The city would be called Tiberias in honor of the current Roman emperor. Antipas explained that the city would rival his father’s city of Caesarea Maritima in its majesty. He knew my father had supervised the construction of that city, and he knew I had assisted my father.
I am just a few years older than Antipas, so we grew up in the palace in Caesarea at the same time – though obviously in very different stations. Still, we were well-acquainted with one another. He told me he knew I had the ability to oversee the construction of his new city – and even more importantly, he knew he could trust me.
As I mentioned earlier, my father grew up in Capernaum in Galilee and he was now planning to move back there. So, the opportunity for me to also relocate to Galilee to oversee the development of Tiberias was an added bonus. I accepted Antipas’s commission. I would report only to him and would have his complete authority backing my every decision.
While visiting Capernaum, I met a young woman named Joanna, and it wasn’t long before her parents and mine thought we should be married. And truth be told, Joanna and I both thought so as well! Arrangements were made, and six months later we married. I couldn’t imagine life being any better. Jehovah God had blessed me with a loving wife and had granted me the opportunity to serve our ruler – and our people – by building a new thriving city that would bring added benefits to our region.
It took ten years for the city of Tiberias to be completed. The city is surrounded by seventeen natural mineral hot springs to its north, west, and south, and the inviting waters of the Sea of Galilee to its east. All of this makes it a pleasant place to live.
My only disappointment was that our most religiously orthodox Jews decried the building of cities such as Tiberias. They believed that our region was becoming Hellenized in appearance, in culture, in language, and in religion. They refused to settle in Tiberias and influenced many others to do the same. As a result, we were forced to resettle segments of the non-Jewish population from other parts of Antipas’s domain in order to populate the city.
When construction of the city was completed, Antipas honored me by making me his chamberlain. He gave me responsibility over not only the management of his household but also the administration of his efforts to appease the anxiety of the orthodox Jews. That responsibility would eventually afford me the opportunity to financially support the ministry of Jesus. But I am getting ahead of myself!
Joanna, our four-year old son Samuel, and I moved into our new accommodations inside the palace, which were exceeded only by those of the royal family – and life for us was good. That is until Samuel fell ill at age ten. He developed a high fever that the court physicians were unable to treat. Each day our son became weaker, and each day we had less and less hope.
Someone in the palace told us about a miracle worker named Jesus of Nazareth. He was creating quite a stir throughout Galilee. Witnesses said He could make the blind see, the deaf hear, and the lame walk. Joanna and I did not know whether He could heal our son, but we knew the physicians could not.
Joanna learned that Jesus’s mother had recently moved to Capernaum, so we made arrangements to take Samuel there. Antipas graciously permitted us to take whatever time we needed to see if this Man could heal our son. We set sail from Tiberias and within a few hours made the journey to the north shore of the sea. When we arrived in Capernaum, we learned that Jesus was not there but was expected to arrive soon. He had been delayed in His travels through Samaria, of all places, but was expected home within a few days. He would be traveling back through Cana.
Joanna and I knew our son wouldn’t survive another trip. But we also knew he did not have many days to live. So, Joanna and Samuel stayed with her parents in their home in Capernaum, and I set out on a day’s journey walking to Cana – in the hopes that I would come upon Jesus along the way.
It was early afternoon when I arrived in Cana. I asked if anyone knew the whereabouts of Jesus of Nazareth. He was obviously well-known and well-liked in the village because I was immediately directed to Him.
When I approached Jesus, I explained my son’s condition and begged Him to go to Capernaum to heal my son. I was desperate. Jesus could see it in my eyes and hear it in my voice. But surprisingly, He did not reply with compassion as I expected. Instead, He turned His face in the direction of the crowd gathering around Him and asked, “Will you never believe in Me unless you see miraculous signs and wonders?”(2)
Thinking that Jesus did not understand the urgency of my situation, I said to Him, “Lord, please come now before my little boy dies.”(3)
I did not know it at the time, but my statement to Jesus revealed my ignorance about who He was and what He was capable of doing. But I was certainly not alone in my misunderstanding. I would venture that most everyone within the sound of His voice still had no idea who He was.
First, I mistakenly believed that Jesus had to be in the physical presence of my son in order to heal him. Second, I believed that Jesus’s miracle-working power was limited to healing and not to restoring life. I was looking at Jesus through the lens of my own understanding, not through the realization of who He is.
But graciously, Jesus showed me compassion and said, “Go back to your son. He will live!”(4)
I now had three options. I could continue to beg Jesus to return with me. I could attempt to use my position as Antipas’s royal chamberlain to command Him to come with me. Or, I could take Him at His word and trust that He had the power to heal my son just by speaking those words.
I am one with royal authority. I enjoy the trust of Herod and direct many as the manager of Herod’s household. I am accustomed to giving a command and having it obeyed. But today, I am in no position to command. I am a beggar before this King, and He has given a command. I will trust Him in His mercy. I will trust Him by faith. If I can’t trust Him in what He has said, then I can’t trust Him at all!
So I turned, without any further hesitation, and began my journey back to Capernaum. As I walked away, I heard Jesus commend me for my faith to those standing around Him. At that moment, I knew my son had been healed.
I wanted to get back to Capernaum to see with my own eyes, so I traveled for several hours until nightfall. I stopped to rest overnight and then continued on my journey.
As I neared Capernaum, I saw some of my servants running toward me. As they drew closer, I could see how happy they were. They were overjoyed to tell me my son was well. He had been healed!
What I had believed came true! But did it become true when I believed it, or did it become true to me when I heard about it from my servants? I now know that it is the former, not the latter. Truth becomes reality when I believe it – not when I see it!
I rejoiced in the news and praised God for His faithfulness. Then I asked the servants when my son had begun to get better. “Yesterday afternoon at one o’clock, his fever suddenly disappeared,”(5) they replied. I knew the answer before they even responded. My son had been healed the very moment Jesus said, “Your son will live.”(6)
On that day, I believed in Jesus – not only for what He had done – but for who He is. When I arrived in Capernaum, I told Joanna, and she, too, believed in Jesus. We told her parents and my father – and they believed. When we returned to Tiberias, we told our entire household, and they also believed.
Even Herod Antipas asked me what had occurred. He listened with interest as I explained what happened. But I could see that He did not believe. He rejoiced in our good news, but he never accepted it for himself.
God continues to allow me to provide financial resources from the royal treasury to help support Jesus in His travels and ministry. Joanna is now traveling with the other women and men who are following Him. While she assists Jesus in His work close by, I do so from afar. But we both follow Him.
I enjoy the favor of my king in his palace, but more importantly, I enjoy the favor of the One who stood before me. I will serve Him, the true King, with my life … for now and forevermore.
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This story is taken from The One Who Stood Before Us, a collection of forty short stories. The complete collection is available through Amazon in standard print, large print, for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy.
You can listen to an audio recording of this story by tuning into this week’s episode of my podcast by CLICKING HERE
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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
The Scripture references are as follows:
(1) Isaiah 61:1-3 (paraphrase)
(2) John 4:48
(3) John 4:49
(4) John 4:50
(5) John 4:52
(6) John 4:53
Copyright © 2022 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
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