Scripture
Jesus healed all kinds of diseases and forced out lots of demons
Observation
Jesus doesn't mess about- He sees a need and meets it. Simon's mother-in-law is sick so he heals her. After sunset, loads of people come to the door looking for healing and deliverance and He meets those needs.
Such is the response that the whole town comes looking for Him. Early in the morning He gets up to pray and still people come looking for healing.
Jesus' response to all of this is to go on the road to preach the good news. He doesn't start a healing ministry as such, but primarily his goal is to preach the good news of salvation. Healings flow along the way.
Application
I continue to struggle with the question of why was Jesus so effective at healing and His followers are not?
Is it because we lack faith for healing? Is it because we don't focus on preaching the same good news that Jesus did? Are we just not sufficiently focussed on God?
I know of two Pentecostal pastors who are very ill right now. These people have prayed for healing. They believe in healing and have seen people undergo miraculous healing from God. Yet they remain ill.
Do we give up on prayer for healing because the results seem so random? Of course not! God delights in pouring out His grace on His children. I'm sure the problem lies more with our ability to receive than in His willingness to give.
Prayer
Father this whole area of healing is something of a mystery. Teach us Father to walk in the ways of Jesus in both preaching the good news and in healing all who are sick. Amen.
Maybe it was lack of faith on the part of those being healed. They trusted Jesus to be powerful enough, but maybe didn't trust his followers quite the same. Great post and great food for thought!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite complex... probably because we are very complex! Sometimes people don't want to be healed. Sometimes we feel like we aren't good enough. Maybe it is, as you say, lack of faith.Yet Jesus managed to overcome all of these things.
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