What is God's Will Concerning Healing?
What is God's Will Concerning Healing?
* Just as the manna that fell from heaven had to be gathered before the heat of the day and anything held over until the next day was filled with worms and moldy.
Does Scripture ever document that Jesus only healed some of the sick?
There is only one story where we see Jesus allegedly single out a specific man among the sick and deliver him. It is found in John chapter 5, within the context of that chapter Jesus describes only doing what He sees His Father doing and saying only what He hears His Father saying. However, there are numerous accounts where it says he or they healed all the sick. We will come back to John 5 at the end.
Then His fame went throughout all Syria, and they brought
to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various
diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and
paralytics; and He healed them.
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who
were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word,
and healed all who were sick,
And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved
with compassion for them, and healed their sick.
Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the
crippled, the mute, and many others, and laid them at his feet;
and he healed them.
Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
Mark 1:32-33
At evening, when the sun had set, they
brought to Him all who were sick and those who were
demon-possessed. And the whole city was gathered
together at the door. Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He
did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him.
But
Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without
honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own
house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except
that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.
So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they
cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick,
and healed them.
They ran
throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they
heard he was. And wherever he went—into villages, towns, or
countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them
touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were
healed.
When the sun was setting, all those who
had any that were sick with various diseases
brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one
of them and healed them.
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that
crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He
welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God,
and healed those who needed healing.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Matthew 10:8– the disciples
Heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received;
freely give.
Acts 5:15-16 – the disciples
As a
result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats
so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns
around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits,
and all of them were healed.
How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who
were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
James
5:14-15 – For us today
Is
anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over
them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will
make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned,
they will be forgiven.
Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”
In this passage, we cannot determine if Jesus healed any others at this pool it does not say. We should not, therefore, assume if it was not documented within the storyline that it did not happen. An interesting word in the passage says..."Here a great number of disabled people used to lie" the term used to lie can indicate 'in the past as well as 'as a rule'.
For instance, we could say Saul 'used to' persecute the church that does not mean he still does persecute the church. That is a weaker argument than the one that not everything Jesus did was written down John says this in his gospel.
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
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Various writings from the past
The Road Not Taken
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