Jesus healed such a large number of people during His three years of evangelization in Palestine that He plainly established His divinity and effectively offered salvation to the whole world. Before the appearance of Christ, no one had quite seen such feats to the extent that Christ healed people. There were some healings in the Old Testament. In 1 King 17:17-24 a poor lady, with only a bit of flour and oil left for food, was commanded to make bread for Elijah. She obeyed, yet her son fell sick and died. She asked if his death was a result of her sins. Elijah rose, took the child to the upper room and raised him from the dead. In 2 Kings 5:10-14, Naaman was cured of his leprosy by Elisha. Although there were a number of miraculous events in the Old Testament, only a few healings. Yet with Christ, He continuously healed people during his three years of ministry. And Christ also healed through His apostles and disciples. Why did Christ and His apostles heal so many people during their ministries? “As the preachers exercised gifts of healing within the community, they could find the pattern of their healing by prayer and their anointing for forgiveness of sins in the healing deeds of Jesus that led to the forgiveness of sins” (Luke Timothy Johnson, p. 124).
Let us first look at the individual healings of Jesus Christ and His disciples to get a scope of their deeds. Christ healed the leper in Galilee, Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-15; the Roman Centurion’s paralyzed servant at Capernaum, Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:2-10; the demoniac in synagogue at Capernaum, Mark 1:23-28, Luke 4:31-37; Peter's mother-in-law sick with a fever at Capernaum, Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, Luke 4:38-39; the paralytic at Capernaum, Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:3-12, Luke 5:17-26; the man with a withered hand at a synagogue at Capernaum, Matthew 12:10-13, Mark 3:1-7, Luke 6:6-11; the dead son of the widow of Nain, Luke 7:11-16; one or two demoniacs at a tomb near Gadara, Matthew 8:28-34,Mark 5:1-15, Luke 8:26-39; Jairus' daughter at Capernaum, Matthew 9:18-19; 23-26, Mark 5:22-24; 35-43,Luke 8:40-42; 49-56; the woman with the issue of blood at Capernaum, Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:24-34, Luke 8:43-48; the deaf man with a speech impediment in the region of Decapolis, Mark 7:31-37; the blind man at Bethsaida, Mark 8:22-26; two blind men at Capernaum, Matthew 9:27-31; other women and Mary Magdalene healed of evil spirits and infirmities in Galilee, Luke 8:2, Mark 16:9; the mute demoniac in Galilee, Matthew 9:32-34, Luke 11:14-16; the blind, deaf demoniac in Galilee, Matthew 12:22-24; only a few sick persons healed in Nazareth, Mark 6:5, Matthew 13:58; a gentile woman's demoniac daughter in the region of Tyre and Sidon, Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30; an epileptic son near the town of Caesarea Philippi, Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:17-29, Luke 9:37-42; one blind man approaching Jericho of Judea, Luke 18:35-43; the blind Bartimeaus leaving Jericho, Mark 10:46-52; two blind men departing from Jericho, Matthew 20:29-34; a woman with a spirit of infirmity in Galilee, Luke 13:11-13; a man with dropsy as Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem(Luke 13:22) Luke 14:1-4; ten lepers between Samaria and Galilee, Luke 17:11-19; a Samaritan Leper between Samaria and Galilee, Luke 17:15-19; the servant's ear, Luke 22:50-51, (Malchus) John 18:10; the nobleman for his sick son who was at Capernaum, John 4:46-54; an infirm man at the Pool of Bethesda at Jerusalem, John 5:2-15; a man born blind at Jerusalem, John 9:1-12, John 9:35-37; and Lazarus at Bethany near Jerusalem, John 11:19-28, John 11:39-44. There were probably thousands of others whose names have not been recorded.
Christ gave the power of healing to all of His disciples too. Here are the miracles of the Apostle Peter: Peter and John healed a man crippled from birth (Acts 3:2 -11); Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, was healed (Acts 9:34); Tabitha (Dorcas) was brought back from the dead (Acts 9:36-42). The seventy disciples sent out by Jesus performed many miracles (Luke 10:17). And we must not forget the healings by Paul. On the island of Cyprus, a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus was struck blind (Acts 13:6-11). In Lystra a man born crippled was healed (Acts 14:8-10). In Philippi, a demon was cast out of a female slave who made money for her master (Acts 16:18). Amazing miracles, like cloths touched by Paul, healed the sick (Acts 19:11-12). A young man, who fell out a window while listening to Paul, was raised to life (Acts 20:9-12). Publius, the Roman governor over the island of Malta, had his father healed by Paul (Acts 28:8).
But what was the purpose of all of these healings and exorcisms? The main motivation why Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, or performed all kinds of miracles was to reveal something about who He was. In the Gospel of John the miracles are signs which point to the divinity of Jesus. “We recognize that he is indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). In John 5:43 the Lord said, “I have come in my Father’s name” and in 6:48, “It is I who am the bread of life.” In Matthew 9 Jesus heals a paralytic to show that He possessed divine power to forgive sins. “And now they brought before him a man who was palsied and bed-ridden; whereupon Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the palsied man, Son, take courage, thy sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2). Jesus had to establish among his disciples first, then to the Jews and gentiles, that he was in fact the Messiah. Demonstrating to the people that He had the authority from God to heal, Jesus confirmed that He could also forgive sins. “And now, to convince you that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins while he is on earth (here he spoke to the palsied man), Rise up, take thy bed with thee, and go home.” (Matthew 9:6). Jesus showed the people that He was divine, possessed authority from God and could physically heal deformities and therefore forgive sins. “And the story of these doings spread abroad through all the country round.” (Matthew 9:26).
Another reason Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons was because of His compassion. Jesus loved humanity and not just the Jews. Jesus cured the Jew and gentile alike. And the healings of Jesus caused a restoration of body and soul. The person regained their physical attributes. But Jesus also forgave their sins and thus cured their souls. Matthew 14:14 says, “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.” Compassion is certainly one reason why Jesus healed. Jesus healed because He was the embodiment of love. “Jesus was moved with pity; he held out his hand and touched him, and said, It is my will; be thou made clean. And at the word, the leprosy all at once left him, and he was cleansed.” (Mark 1-41-42). It was compassion on the part of Jesus and the faith of the believer that led to the miracle. Jesus Christ heals people today for the same reason. “Dost thou not know that God’s kindness is inviting thee to repent?” (Romans 2:4).
Jesus also healed to confirm His own word, the fulfillment of God’s promise. Christ knew exactly why He was sent to earth. He came to perform the works of His Father. These healings confirmed the spoken word of Jesus. We can see the power in Jesus’ words. In Matthew 8:16-17 “he cast out the evil spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick, in fulfilment of the word spoken by Isaias the prophet, He took our infirmities upon himself, and bore our sicknesses.” Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons to reveal the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4. Matthew clearly saw the healings and exorcisms as messianic miracles, miracles which materialize as Jesus, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament but also the suffering servant. Chapter 53 of Isaiah is one of the great prophetic descriptions of the sufferings and death of Christ upon the cross. Matthew uses Isaiah 53:4 not only to reveal the power of the Messiah over disease and demons, but also to reveal the suffering Servant as a sacrificial substitute for our sins. Look at the way Isaiah 53 is used by Peter in 1 Peter 2:21-25. “Indeed, you are engaged to this by the call of Christ; he suffered for our sakes, and left you his own example; you were to follow in his footsteps. He did no wrong, no treachery was found on his lips; he was ill spoken of, and spoke no evil in return, suffered, and did not threaten vengeance, gave himself up into the hands of injustice. So, on the cross, his own body took the weight of our sins; we were to become dead to our sins, and live for holiness; it was his wounds that healed you. Till then, you had been like sheep going astray; now, you have been brought back to him, your shepherd, who keeps watch over your souls.” He healed to fulfill His personal word to us and also the prophesy of God in the Old Testament.
Jesus healed 2000 years ago to manifest his love for humanity and to expose the purpose for which he appeared on this earth, victory over sin and death. Christ’s love can work miracles in our lives today. But we have to ask of Him. We must make a request first. As Christ said, ask in faith and you will receive. People flocked to Christ and asked because they heard or saw what he was doing and believed in His power to heal. Many asked and were healed. Asking, for them, was easy because Christ was standing right in front of them. And because of His compassion, Christ freely gave. Two thousand years later, most have lost touch with Christ. Although still present in Spirit, people firstly, fail to believe and secondly, because of their lack of faith, fail to ask. There are still many miraculous healings occurring in the world today, but many do not associate it with Christ. If they do associate it with Christ, the media will write them off as lunatics, fakes or attention seekers. But we know that asking in prayer effectuates healing today, because Christ, the divine healer and servant, personally healed 2000 years ago.
Let us first look at the individual healings of Jesus Christ and His disciples to get a scope of their deeds. Christ healed the leper in Galilee, Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45, Luke 5:12-15; the Roman Centurion’s paralyzed servant at Capernaum, Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:2-10; the demoniac in synagogue at Capernaum, Mark 1:23-28, Luke 4:31-37; Peter's mother-in-law sick with a fever at Capernaum, Matthew 8:14-15, Mark 1:29-31, Luke 4:38-39; the paralytic at Capernaum, Matthew 9:2-8, Mark 2:3-12, Luke 5:17-26; the man with a withered hand at a synagogue at Capernaum, Matthew 12:10-13, Mark 3:1-7, Luke 6:6-11; the dead son of the widow of Nain, Luke 7:11-16; one or two demoniacs at a tomb near Gadara, Matthew 8:28-34,Mark 5:1-15, Luke 8:26-39; Jairus' daughter at Capernaum, Matthew 9:18-19; 23-26, Mark 5:22-24; 35-43,Luke 8:40-42; 49-56; the woman with the issue of blood at Capernaum, Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:24-34, Luke 8:43-48; the deaf man with a speech impediment in the region of Decapolis, Mark 7:31-37; the blind man at Bethsaida, Mark 8:22-26; two blind men at Capernaum, Matthew 9:27-31; other women and Mary Magdalene healed of evil spirits and infirmities in Galilee, Luke 8:2, Mark 16:9; the mute demoniac in Galilee, Matthew 9:32-34, Luke 11:14-16; the blind, deaf demoniac in Galilee, Matthew 12:22-24; only a few sick persons healed in Nazareth, Mark 6:5, Matthew 13:58; a gentile woman's demoniac daughter in the region of Tyre and Sidon, Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30; an epileptic son near the town of Caesarea Philippi, Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:17-29, Luke 9:37-42; one blind man approaching Jericho of Judea, Luke 18:35-43; the blind Bartimeaus leaving Jericho, Mark 10:46-52; two blind men departing from Jericho, Matthew 20:29-34; a woman with a spirit of infirmity in Galilee, Luke 13:11-13; a man with dropsy as Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem(Luke 13:22) Luke 14:1-4; ten lepers between Samaria and Galilee, Luke 17:11-19; a Samaritan Leper between Samaria and Galilee, Luke 17:15-19; the servant's ear, Luke 22:50-51, (Malchus) John 18:10; the nobleman for his sick son who was at Capernaum, John 4:46-54; an infirm man at the Pool of Bethesda at Jerusalem, John 5:2-15; a man born blind at Jerusalem, John 9:1-12, John 9:35-37; and Lazarus at Bethany near Jerusalem, John 11:19-28, John 11:39-44. There were probably thousands of others whose names have not been recorded.
Christ gave the power of healing to all of His disciples too. Here are the miracles of the Apostle Peter: Peter and John healed a man crippled from birth (Acts 3:2 -11); Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, was healed (Acts 9:34); Tabitha (Dorcas) was brought back from the dead (Acts 9:36-42). The seventy disciples sent out by Jesus performed many miracles (Luke 10:17). And we must not forget the healings by Paul. On the island of Cyprus, a sorcerer named Bar-Jesus was struck blind (Acts 13:6-11). In Lystra a man born crippled was healed (Acts 14:8-10). In Philippi, a demon was cast out of a female slave who made money for her master (Acts 16:18). Amazing miracles, like cloths touched by Paul, healed the sick (Acts 19:11-12). A young man, who fell out a window while listening to Paul, was raised to life (Acts 20:9-12). Publius, the Roman governor over the island of Malta, had his father healed by Paul (Acts 28:8).
But what was the purpose of all of these healings and exorcisms? The main motivation why Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, or performed all kinds of miracles was to reveal something about who He was. In the Gospel of John the miracles are signs which point to the divinity of Jesus. “We recognize that he is indeed the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). In John 5:43 the Lord said, “I have come in my Father’s name” and in 6:48, “It is I who am the bread of life.” In Matthew 9 Jesus heals a paralytic to show that He possessed divine power to forgive sins. “And now they brought before him a man who was palsied and bed-ridden; whereupon Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the palsied man, Son, take courage, thy sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:2). Jesus had to establish among his disciples first, then to the Jews and gentiles, that he was in fact the Messiah. Demonstrating to the people that He had the authority from God to heal, Jesus confirmed that He could also forgive sins. “And now, to convince you that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins while he is on earth (here he spoke to the palsied man), Rise up, take thy bed with thee, and go home.” (Matthew 9:6). Jesus showed the people that He was divine, possessed authority from God and could physically heal deformities and therefore forgive sins. “And the story of these doings spread abroad through all the country round.” (Matthew 9:26).
Another reason Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons was because of His compassion. Jesus loved humanity and not just the Jews. Jesus cured the Jew and gentile alike. And the healings of Jesus caused a restoration of body and soul. The person regained their physical attributes. But Jesus also forgave their sins and thus cured their souls. Matthew 14:14 says, “And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.” Compassion is certainly one reason why Jesus healed. Jesus healed because He was the embodiment of love. “Jesus was moved with pity; he held out his hand and touched him, and said, It is my will; be thou made clean. And at the word, the leprosy all at once left him, and he was cleansed.” (Mark 1-41-42). It was compassion on the part of Jesus and the faith of the believer that led to the miracle. Jesus Christ heals people today for the same reason. “Dost thou not know that God’s kindness is inviting thee to repent?” (Romans 2:4).
Jesus also healed to confirm His own word, the fulfillment of God’s promise. Christ knew exactly why He was sent to earth. He came to perform the works of His Father. These healings confirmed the spoken word of Jesus. We can see the power in Jesus’ words. In Matthew 8:16-17 “he cast out the evil spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick, in fulfilment of the word spoken by Isaias the prophet, He took our infirmities upon himself, and bore our sicknesses.” Jesus healed the sick and cast out demons to reveal the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4. Matthew clearly saw the healings and exorcisms as messianic miracles, miracles which materialize as Jesus, the promised Messiah of the Old Testament but also the suffering servant. Chapter 53 of Isaiah is one of the great prophetic descriptions of the sufferings and death of Christ upon the cross. Matthew uses Isaiah 53:4 not only to reveal the power of the Messiah over disease and demons, but also to reveal the suffering Servant as a sacrificial substitute for our sins. Look at the way Isaiah 53 is used by Peter in 1 Peter 2:21-25. “Indeed, you are engaged to this by the call of Christ; he suffered for our sakes, and left you his own example; you were to follow in his footsteps. He did no wrong, no treachery was found on his lips; he was ill spoken of, and spoke no evil in return, suffered, and did not threaten vengeance, gave himself up into the hands of injustice. So, on the cross, his own body took the weight of our sins; we were to become dead to our sins, and live for holiness; it was his wounds that healed you. Till then, you had been like sheep going astray; now, you have been brought back to him, your shepherd, who keeps watch over your souls.” He healed to fulfill His personal word to us and also the prophesy of God in the Old Testament.
Jesus healed 2000 years ago to manifest his love for humanity and to expose the purpose for which he appeared on this earth, victory over sin and death. Christ’s love can work miracles in our lives today. But we have to ask of Him. We must make a request first. As Christ said, ask in faith and you will receive. People flocked to Christ and asked because they heard or saw what he was doing and believed in His power to heal. Many asked and were healed. Asking, for them, was easy because Christ was standing right in front of them. And because of His compassion, Christ freely gave. Two thousand years later, most have lost touch with Christ. Although still present in Spirit, people firstly, fail to believe and secondly, because of their lack of faith, fail to ask. There are still many miraculous healings occurring in the world today, but many do not associate it with Christ. If they do associate it with Christ, the media will write them off as lunatics, fakes or attention seekers. But we know that asking in prayer effectuates healing today, because Christ, the divine healer and servant, personally healed 2000 years ago.
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