Isaiah 65:17-21 / John 4:43-54
Whenever we talk about problems, just what kind of problems are we talking about?
There are some problems that have a straight-forward solution. For example, if the problem is paying off a debt, then the obvious solution is having the money to pay off the debt.
The debt would cease to be a problem when there is money available. The bigger problem would be where to get the money and how to get the money.
At the wedding at Cana in Galilee, when the wine ran out, the solution was to get more wine from wherever. If no wine was available, then it would be a great embarrassment to the wedding couple.
And Jesus was at hand to work the miracle of changing water into wine, with some mediation from His mother.
When the court official approached Jesus to come and heal his son who was at the point of death, the solution to the problem wasn't a straight forward one.
Will Jesus do it? Can Jesus do it? Is Jesus seen as just a solution? Or is there more to Him than just being a problem solver?
Jesus made a remark in today's gospel passage that calls for our reflection - So you will not believe unless you see signs and portents!
Maybe the problem with us is that we want quick and fast solutions to whatever problems we face.
When we can't get the solutions, we turn to Jesus to solve our problems. But Jesus is not just a problem-solver; Jesus is our Saviour.
He saves us by creating a new heavens and a new earth within us so that will be "Joy" and "Gladness" in our hearts, as we heard in the 1st reading.
So if we don't feel the joy and gladness in our hearts, maybe it is time to have a long chat with our Saviour.