Category Archives: The Healings of Jesus

Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

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“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.”            Mark 5:19 ESV1

Read Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, & Luke 8:26-39

Not only did Jesus cross the Sea of Galilee to get a break from the crowds. Not only did He cross the Sea of Galilee to show His disciples He had authority over the weather. He crossed the Sea of Galilee for an even greater reason— “to proclaim liberty to the captives and … to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18). The same disciples who were amazed by His authority over the wind and the waves were to be, in this next adventure, astonished at His power over bondage.

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Weathering the Storms

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“Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Matthew 8:19 ESV1

Read Matthew 8:18-27, Mark 4:35-40, & Luke 8:22-39

“When Jesus saw a crowd around Him” (Matthew 8:18), He said to [His disciples], ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake’” (Luke 8:22b). “And leaving the crowd, they took Him with them in the boat, just as He was. And other boats were with Him” (Mark 4:35-36). On their way to the boats, “a scribe came up and said to Him, ‘Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head’ (Matthew 8:19-20).

When this sincere scribe made his declaration, he was serious. He probably expected Jesus to be pleased. So, he was no doubt disheartened by Jesus’ reply. But I don’t think Jesus wasn’t discouraging him from making such a commitment, He was just warning this scribe that things are often not as simple as they may at first appear. This scribe, and the others who followed Jesus wherever He went, could not have conceived of the difficult situation they were about to encounter.

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Malevolence

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The Pharisees went out and immediately held counsel with the Herodians against Him, how to destroy Him. Mark 3:6 ESV1

Read Matthew 12:9-14, 15:22; Mark 3:1-6, 12:13-17; Luke 6:6-11, 20:20-26

Malevolent is an adjective. It means “wishing evil or harm to another or others; showing ill will; ill-disposed; malicious: evil; harmful; injurious:”2 Jesus experienced malevolence from the religious leaders of His time. These religious leaders, particularly those from the sect of Pharisees, were hateful toward Jesus out of jealousy. The more and more popular Jesus got, the more and more irritated these religious leaders got. People were flocking to Jesus instead of them. People were praising Jesus and not them. Their envy got the best of them; it turned into malice. They began to look for a way to trap Jesus and bring Him down. That task was easier planned than carried out.

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When All Seems Lost

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As He drew near to the gate of the town, behold, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow, and a considerable crowd from the town was with her.       Luke 7:12 ESV1

Read Luke 7:11-17

When we are suffering, or are witnessing another suffering, our first instinct is usually to turn to God, begging Him to intervene. But when the situation doesn’t change, or if it gets worse, we begin to believe God doesn’t care, that He is cruel, or that He is unable to help. We blame Him for the problem. We pull away from Him. We lose hope. Today we meet a woman who was beside herself with grief. Her worst nightmare had come true. And God seemed nowhere to be found.

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An Honorable Character

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“Go; let it be done be done for you as you have believed.” Matthew 8:13 ESV1

Read Matthew 8:5-13 & Luke 7:2-10

Before Jesus left Capernaum, He performed one more healing. The account of this healing stands out from some previous healings in the fact that the focus is not on the one being healed but the one asking for the healing. The one asking for the healing here was a Roman centurion, and he was asking for the healing of his young servant who was “sick of the palsy, grievously tormented” (Matthew 8:6 KJV2). From this account, what can we discover about this Roman centurion and surprisingly virtuous person?

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Obey When it Makes No Sense

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Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone,” … But he went out and began to talk freely about it.    Mark 1:43-45 ESV1

Read Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:40-45 & Luke 5:12-16

 Are you a questioner? Do you have to be fully convinced before you take action? Do you have to know the reason why a command is given before you obey? Do you have to know all the facts before you proceed? Or, are you unconditionally obedient? When one in charge gives you a command, do you obey completely even when you don’t understand the why behind the request? Do you trust the integrity of authority figures; therefore, you obey without question? Do you act in faith without justification? Or, are you somewhere in the middle, evaluating each situation separately, obeying fully sometimes, choosing to disobey at other times? The recipient of Jesus’ next healing had to decide as to whether he would fully obey the command given to him.

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Evil in Disguise

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“What is this word? For with authority and power, He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Luke 4:36 ESV1

Read Mark 1:21-28 & Luke 4:31-37

Something really good can come out of a not so good place. Jesus was brought up in the town of Nazareth. Though Nazareth was the home of the One Who Embodied all the Goodness of God, Nazareth lacked faith (see Matthew 13:58 & Mark 6:5-6) and was filled with wrath and hatred (see Luke 4:28-29). They rejected the Good that was in their midst. Capernaum, on the other, hand was full of faith. They openly accepted Jesus and received many blessings from Him. Yet, there was something evil lurking in the what should have been the most-godly place in Capernaum, their synagogue.

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I Can’t. He Can

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He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve Him.   Matthew 8:15 ESV1

Read Matthew 8:14-17, Mark 1:29-34 & Luke 4:38-41

Have ever heard the call of Jesus but realized you just didn’t have what it took to do what He asked? Have you ever felt overwhelmed by a need but didn’t see how you could possibly help? Have you ever wanted to obey Jesus but felt like you had to say, “I just can’t!”? If so, you may be able to identify with the account recorded in these Scriptures.

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Believing and Blessing

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The man believed the word that Jesus spoke and went on his way. John 4:50 ESV1

Read John 4:45-54

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1) Today, we meet a father who believed in the possibility of something he had never before seen. He took a chance and asked of Jesus that which was contrary to reason. His faith was rewarded. On the contrary, to those who wanted proof before they would believe, Jesus gave chastisement.

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On the Subject of Miracles and Healings

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And when Jesus finished…the crowds were astonished … for He … had authority. Matthew 7:28-29 ESV1

Read Matthew 7:28-29

I do not believe, as some do nowadays, that miracles have somehow ceased upon the completion of the canon of Scripture. I believe healings happen even today. How could I not?! I, myself, have been healed from a potentially debilitating disease. It wasn’t a spontaneous alleviation of the problem, but over some time, the malady was gone and it no longer affects my life. I have a close family member who has experienced a similar healing. I also believe instantaneous healings happen in this day and age because that is exactly what happened to one of my friends. She had an infirmity which was interfering with her ability to perform her job. As she was considering what else she might do for employment, she was approached by a man who stated that God had sent him to lay hands on her and pray for her healing. She was cured right then and there.

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