Jesus’ agenda was to teach the lessons of the Kingdom. The official’s agenda was to save his son. Jesus uses the official’s request as an opportunity to question the need for signs. The official ignores Jesus’ questioning and issues a command: “Sir, come down before my child dies.” The official, understandably, cares not a whit about signs. He just wants a living child. There is, again, understandably, impatience in the official’s command to Jesus. Jesus, however, is not put off by the impertinence of the official and neither does he respond defensively (Oh, I’m sorry, I did not mean to imply that you were one of those who are looking for signs). He also does not weakly give in to the man and simply do what was asked. Jesus responds to the official in a way that respected him and his request, but he does not relinquish control of the situation. He issues a command of his own: “Go, your son will live.” In other words, in this encounter, Jesus respected the official and his request while not allowing him to control him and his power. In psychological jargon we would say he handled the ego issues. As a final manifestation of Jesus’ power, foresight and benevolence, the official who was not interested in a “sign,” but only in the life of his child, interpreted the recovery of his child as a sign, and he and all his household became believers. Jesus knew the official was not interested in a sign. That was precisely why he made sure the official understood clearly that the recovery of his son would, indeed, be one.