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Jesus & Healing
By Loren Chamberlain
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about Him spread all over Syria and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon possessed, the epileptics and the paralytics, and He healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and the region across the Jordan followed Him.”
Matthew 4:23-25
The Bible has a great deal to say about the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. Great crowds followed Him either to be healed or to see the miraculous healing of the sick and infirm. However, Jesus was not only healing but He was teaching and preaching. Jesus’ teaching and preaching demonstrated His concern for understanding and commitment. His acts of healing authenticated His teaching and preaching, proving He truly was the prophesied Savior and Messiah the prophets prophesied about. “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). He is both “Mighty God” (all-powerful) and “Counselor” (all-loving). This message of hope was fulfilled in the birth of Christ. He came to deliver all people from their slavery to sin.
Physical and Spiritual Healing
Jesus preached the Good News of the Kingdom of God; God is with us, and He cares for us. Christ can heal us, not just of physical sickness, but of spiritual sickness also. No sin or problem is too great or small that Jesus can’t handle. These words of good news offered hope, freedom, peace of heart, and eternal life with God.
When some men brought a paralyzed man on a mat to Him to be healed, notice where Jesus placed the emphasis on the man’s healing. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2). Notice, among the first words Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “I have forgiven your sins.” Then He healed the man. It is so very easy to concentrate on God’s power to heal physical sickness and fail to see the most important part, His power to forgive spiritual sickness in the form of sin. Jesus quickly made it clear that this man needed spiritual health more than physical health. Spiritual health only comes from Jesus’ healing touch. Jesus knew immediately that this man was paralyzed both physically and spiritually. He could not walk, and in addition, he did not know Jesus. By His actions Jesus demonstrated that the man’s spiritual state was the most important concern.
This is a revealing message for us. If God does not heal us or a loved one physically, it may be because God is more concerned with our spiritual healing. No doubt, we will experience complete physical and spiritual healing at the resurrection, but first we have to come to know Jesus.
“When the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to Him and begged Him to let the sick just touch the edge of His cloak, and all who touched Him were healed” (Matthew 14:35-35).
The people recognized Jesus as a miraculous healer, and they were focusing on the physical aspect rather than the spiritual, demonstrating their lack of understanding of who He really was. They never came to Jesus for spiritual healing but for physical healing. They were more interested in prolonging their lives on earth or seeing a miracle performed rather than securing a place in eternity in the Kingdom of God. Many of the people of Jesus’ day missed His whole message because they were focused on physical healing rather than being focused on His eternal plan for all mankind. Only when the whole message of Jesus is understood can we appreciate how He can truly change our physical life to an eternal spiritual life in the Kingdom of God.
The Mystery of Healing
Healing takes place through the wounds of Jesus. The prophet Isaiah foresaw this when he wrote, “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). The apostle Peter also understood this as he wrote, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Therefore, we are also reconciled to God through Jesus’ suffering. Because of this, we have the possibility of seeing that which was once divided and scattered brought back together, healed.
There must be major surgery performed by God if people’s lives are to be healed. During this healing process He exposes the rampant sinfulness that He died to cure. It is not always easy to experience healing and recovery, nor can we expect it to be instantaneous. Wounds that are deep will take time to heal. The healing operation means going under the knife of the Master Surgeon to allow Him to deal with the sickness. Only then can people be healed and begin the process of recovery.
Complete healing and recovery will not take place until our resurrection and receiving of a new spiritual body. Christ died to pay the death penalty we all have incurred by sinning, and those who accept that sacrifice are considered righteous before God. However, we will still have to struggle with the sin nature, and the need to come to God daily for healing and recovery from sin, even though in a very real sense, we are already healed.
An additional paradox exists in our need for healing. James encourages believers to pray over sick folk, anointing them with oil (James 5:14). Obviously we should petition God when people are ill. However, this is not a perfect prescription for certain recovery; it is submission to God regarding His will for that person. God may decide not to heal at that time. Why? Because God may decide to use that sickness that so weakens and disturbs us to glorify Himself and at the same time help us as He helped Paul. Paul wrote, “To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
Notice that God did not leave Paul in a helpless state. God promised His grace to help Paul endure through his struggles. This same promise is extended to us also. Therefore, if we are going to boast, let us boast about being weak enough for God to use. When we ask God for healing and He does, rejoice! However, if He chooses to use our weaknesses as a method of displaying His grace and power in our lives through suffering, so bringing help and hope to others who are suffering, rejoice! Through our wounds and what we suffer others may be pointed to our Savior and be invited to make an appointment with the Great Physician.
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