Healer
… and he began to teach them.
Summary: Jesus demonstrates his authority over Creation in several ways. He has authority over nature, over the spiritual realm, over our physical health, and over death itself.
A magician is someone very good at fooling people. We see what the magician wants us to see and come to the wrong conclusion about what really happened.
Some “faith healers” are like magicians. They want us to believe that they can heal people. Some want people’s faith in their “power” to heal so badly that they use the same techniques a magician uses to fool people.
Jesus is the real deal. He does not need to fool anyone. He does not need to resort to “magic” any more than the mechanic who fixes a car uses magic. While the work the mechanic does may seem like magic sometimes, he or she simply applies knowledge, skills, and the proper application of tools and materials to the problem. The result is a car that works.
In a similar way, Jesus applies his knowledge of how Creation works and his power as Creator to the problems in the world. Mark tells us four stories about Jesus that illustrate this.
In Mark 4: 35-41, we read about Jesus’ power over the physical world. Caught in a storm at sea, his disciples, most of whom are experienced with boats, are terrified by the power of the storm. Jesus sleeps through it all until they wake him up. After calming the storm with three words, (“Quiet! Be still!”) he asks, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4: 40)
In Mark 5:1-20, Mark relates the story of a man possessed by thousands of demons. When Jesus arrives on shore, the demons feel compelled to kneel before him. “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” (Mark 5: 7)
Notice that even the demons defer to God!
Jesus commands the evil spirits to leave, and they do. He restores the man to his right mind. In his gratitude, the man wants to cling to Jesus, but Jesus sends him out as a missionary to all the people in the region where he lives.
Immediately following this story (Mark 5: 21-43) Mark tells two more stories of Jesus healing people. One is a woman who had a very personal medical condition. She simply reached out and touched Jesus and was healed. The other was a little girl, twelve years old, who had fallen ill and died. Jesus calls her back to life, explaining that she was simply “asleep.” (Mark 5: 39)
If there was any doubt that Jesus is the Author of Life, Mark erases that doubt with these stories. Jesus has the power to set things right for those who have faith in him. It doesn’t matter what the “things” are. Jesus can heal the land, he can chase out evil, his mere touch can heal the body, and he can raise people from the dead. Jesus is the Healer.
Application: Have faith in Jesus in all situations.
Food for Thought: How can we apply this knowledge about Jesus in our own lives today?
Since Jesus has the power to heal every ailment, we should trust Him and His will to help us in whatever our need, whether the healing touch needed is for the physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. The hard part is trusting His will when He doesn’t heal physically but has another plan. Trusting Him with our death and His eternal plan is challenging. Trusting Him with our lives can also prove challenging. In all cases, we are called to trust. Thankfully, Jesus has demonstrated that He is trustworthy.
Amen!
I am often struck by the contrast between Elisha’s power as a prophet and the way he died (2 Kings 13:14). Actually, the same goes for all of the prophets and disciples. We all die. We all have ailments. Knowing God does not preclude getting sick or dying.
Instead, knowing God gives us hope and healing of many kinds. Sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, always spiritual.
10-11-2022, How can we apply this knowledge about Jesus in our own lives today?
By living in the faith given to each of us by God.
We have responded, accepted God’s call to come out of the world and now remain on this earth to serve His purposes. Imperfect beings seeking to serve our perfect God and we are continually being drawn back to the world we have rejected.
Our salvation is in the power of God as revealed to us through His word, prayer, fellowship with other believers and our application of His truths to our lives. The Bible is God’s owners manual and when with the help of the Holy Spirit, we study and apply God’s word to our lives, we will begin living in truth as we recognize and reject the lies of this world.
We begin to experience the joy of fellowship with Jesus as we allow Him to do God’s work through us. The power, peace, and Life of the Holy Spirit as we become spiritually alive, and begin rejecting this world through obedience to God’s Word.
Trust in God and in time we find the true happiness in this life comes from helping others overcome obstacles. Peace comes from the security of knowing there is no death, only transformation as we live our eternal life now. And wealth comes through poverty as we reject the corruptible of this world and seek the incorruptible things of God.
Ron,
Nicely said! I especially appreciated your concluding comments including this one: “Peace comes from the security of knowing there is no death, only transformation as we live our eternal life now.”
I like to frame healing with being made whole. Sometimes being made whole doesn’t involve “getting back” what you feel you lost (even our health), but being given peace about it, or to have something else in it’s place. Sometimes our need for healing is a result of our own past or present actions. We need those reminders so we can understand what God has done, and is doing in our lives. In the end, we are made “whole” knowing that God gives us grace, and that everything about this life is temporary. we are made whole by accepting God’s will for our lives.
In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul wrote “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 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 of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Jesus heals so that the glory of God can be realized; Jesus doesn’t heal so that the glory of God can be realized. In both cases, it is a means for God to work in our lives.
Chris,
Very, very, deep! I like your concept of being made “whole.” Not in an earthly sense according to worldly values, but in a heavenly sense. The latter requires wisdom to understand and appreciate.