Volume 2

208
Life of Jesus Christ
a miracle and glory over the Pharisees, though you have
the same need of being humbled as they. My mission is
not to work miracles in order to further your designs. I
stand in no need of your approbation. I shall reserve My
miracles until it is My Father's will that I should perform
them, and I shall perform them when My mission calls
for it!" And thus Jesus went on for a long time, humbling
the man before all the people. He said that that man had
been waiting long for Him to cure his son, that he might
boast of it before the Pharisees. But miracles, Jesus continued,
should not be desired in order to triumph over
others, and He exhorted His hearers to believe and be
converted.
The man listened to Jesus' reproaches without being at
all disturbed. Not at all diverted from his design, he
again tried to approach nearer, crying out: "Of what use
is all that, Master? My son is in the agony of death!
Come with me at once, he may perhaps be already
dead!" Then Jesus said to him: "Go, thy son liveth!" The
man asked: "Is that really true?" Jesus answered:
"Believe Me, he has in this very hour been cured."
Thereupon the man believed and, no longer importuning
Jesus to accompany him, mounted his mule and hastened
back to Capharnaum. Jesus remarked that He had
yielded this time; at another time He would not be so
condescending.
I saw this man not as invested with the royal commission,
but as himself the father of the sick boy. He was the
chief officer of the Centurion of Capharnaum. The latter
had no children, but had long desired to have one. He
had, consequently, adopted as his own a son of this his
confidential servant and his wife. The boy was now fourteen
years old. The man came in quality of olessenger,
though he was himself the true father and almost indeed
the master. I saw the whole affair, all the circumstances
were clear to me. It was perhaps on account of them that