Monthly Archives: July 2013

Man with Withered Hand

28 Sunday Jul 2013

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I once heard a missionary tell of watching an arm grow back due to a new believer’s faith. It happened in a country where faith was new and pure. When they came to believe in God, they believed every word of the Bible along with it. Faith like this provides a means for miracles that few of us know anything about.

I try to imagine what it would be like to see such a miracle; the one sure thing I know is I believe it happened just as the missionary said. I believe not just based on her reputation, but that Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. We have the promise of nothing changing with Him. He is as able and willing today as in Bible times. How I would love to have the uncomplicated faith of those natives that believe without a single doubt!

F. F. Bosworth in his book, Christ the Healer, quoted John Wesley (page 178) as saying “The prayer of faith and process of healing in the Church was lost through unbelief. Prayers now are more often for the stricken individual to bear the illness with patience and fortitude.”

Every time we doubt, we move a step away from receiving the very thing we ask of Him.

Man with withered hand (Matthew 12:9-14)
“A man was there who had a withered hand. And they (Pharisees) asked Jesus, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they could accuse him” (v10).

This man was in the temple to hear Jesus teach. His hand was deformed and Jesus took notice. The man probably had no use of it at all. When the Pharisees saw that Jesus noticed him, knowing He could heal the man, they immediately questioned Jesus about the law, hoping to find a reason to accuse Him of doing wrong. Jesus responded: “Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out and it was restored, as healthy as the other. But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, as to how they could assassinate him.” (vv11-14). It is difficult to understand how anyone could be angry about a miraculous healing, but the Pharisees knew they were being challenged.

Jesus performed seven healings on the Sabbath: This man with the withered hand, the lame man by the Pool of Bethesda, Peter’s mother-in-law with a fever, a man born blind, the woman bent over, a man with dropsy, and a man who was demon possessed. Each time, the Pharisees angrily accused Him of wrong doing because it didn’t conform with the law as they understood and taught it. Repeatedly, Jesus tried to show them that good was to be done on the Sabbath or any other day when someone was in need. They tested Him on the letter of the law, but He tested them on the heart of the law. And they failed the test.

The Pharisees were letting pride get in their way. They were pompous and unyielding. To go against their teaching was to attack their self-importance. Here was the Living Word of God right in their midst and they were so filled with arrogance and superiority, they couldn’t see Him.

Does it not give us pause to ask what blinders we may have on when we fail to act in the mercy of the Lord?

Scripture references used are from the New English Translation.

Healing of Chronic Afflictions

21 Sunday Jul 2013

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Some of those healed by Jesus had afflictions of long duration: a woman with a 12 year hemorrhage, another bent over for 18 years, and a man who had been an invalid for 38 years.

Healed from 12-year hemorrhage
(Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48)
Mark 5:26 says “She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.”  Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible says her suffering would have been from the various medicines tried on her, causing her nausea and perhaps, pain. Some of the medicinal plants rabbis recorded were gum of Alexandria, alum, saffron, Persian onions, and cumin; they were put into wine and drank.

A continuing loss of blood surely caused the woman to be tired and weak, and with certainty, she would have been ostracized by the Jewish community—seen as one unclean. Because she had spent all she had trying to get well, she now lived in poverty; she had no more money for seeking help.

Then she hears about a man named Jesus who heals. She determines to get close enough to touch Him, believing that alone will heal her.  She believes in His healing power because she first believes that this is the one who Isaiah said would come and heal—it is Christ!

woman healedSomehow she manages to push through the throngs of people surrounding Jesus. She gets close enough to reach just the edge of His clothing, but with that single touch she is healed (see Matthew 9:22, Mark 5:29, or Luke 8:44). To know immediately that she was healed, she must have felt a surge of strength, the release of nausea and pain, something different from what she had felt in all these years. Jesus knows that power has gone out of Him and asks who touched Him; the woman falls at His feet and confesses. And Jesus says to her as He did to the others, it is because of her faith that she is healed (see Mark 5:34).  We need to bury that deep inside of us: God’s healing always requires faith.

Healed from being bent over 18 years (Luke 13:10-17)
Anything Luke writes about the healings of Jesus is of particular interest because he was a physician. He would have asked for details, questioned extensively, and been satisfied in his mind of what was being reported. Luke reports his findings to Theophilus, his friend, and a man of high rank in the Roman world, perhaps a governor over provinces. In his gospel letter, Luke says in verse 3 that he has “carefully investigated everything from the beginning.” A physician doesn’t deal with anything but fact.

Luke is the only one who tells about the woman who was “bent double,” as some translations say. He says she has been disabled for 18 years. When her healing came, she woman was in the synagogue hearing Jesus teach. So here we know of her faith. She had come to hear the Master teach, not to seek healing. But when Jesus notices her, He felt compassion for her, and he set her free from the horrible bent over condition, and immediately, she stands upright. Jesus said Satan had kept her bound like this; why, it is not said.

A healing such as this should be reason for excitement, and those around her were. All but the temple ruler, that is. He was outraged because healing took place on the Sabbath. He should have been bowing before the long-awaited Messiah, thanking God that He had finally come, and delighted to see firsthand His miracles, but he was blinded by his pride. His ego stood in the way of truth.  It reminds me of what a friend used to say about his opinionated mother: “Don’t confuse her with facts, her mind is made up.”

Healed after being an invalid for 38 years (John 5:5-9)
We don’t know what made this man an invalid. Verse 3 of the NIV translation said those gathered at the pool by the Sheep Gate were the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. Other translations mention withered limbs. Whatever the man’s illness, he needed help to get into the pool that was believed to bring healing when the waters were stirred.

Jesus approaches this man of long-standing disability and asks if he wants to be made well. That may seem a strange question to ask of him, but I believe the Lord wants to get the man to focus on Him. His healing will not come from the pool of water, but from the Son of God.  When the man explains that he is never able to get to the waters when they are stirred, Jesus ignores the statement and tells him to get up, take his mat, and walk.

Again, we see immediate healing, and again, we see the ire of the Jewish leaders when they see the man carrying his mat (working), because this healing also took place on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders had decided for themselves how the Sabbath was to be lived, and they observed it in a superstitious way. Jesus took every opportunity to convince them that they were wrong in their interpretation, but they simply could not get past their prideful law-keeping to God’s grace of healing.

Stories of chronic illnesses being healed give hope to those with them.  For 10 years, I suffered with severe fibromyalgia. Pain and fatigue were debilitating. Social life was non-existent. I read every resource I could find on the illness and none gave hope that it could be cured. I saw different physicians and tried different medications, none of which helped. But about five years ago, my healing came and I now have no symptoms at all of fibromyalgia. It was the Lord in His mercy that healed me; there is no question in my mind.

All scripture references are from NIV translation.

Healing of the Blind

14 Sunday Jul 2013

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healing blind

(Matthew 9:27-31; Mark 8:22-25; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43; John 9)

We depend on our senses to help us through life. Only through loss can we understand the extent of their importance. The blind depend greatly on touch as a means of getting around and understanding what something is or looks like.  Because they are void of sight, their sense of hearing becomes heightened as they depend on it more than the sighted do to navigate through life.

The two blind men of Matthew 9 couldn’t see the one who healed, but they realized who He was by listening to what others were saying—their sense of hearing was determinedly engaged. They had heard how Isaiah had said the Messiah would open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf (see Isaiah 35:5). These men, though unable to see, knew who the one standing among them was. They called Him by the messianic title, Son of David, and Jesus said to them, “According to your faith will it be done to you” (v 29).

Bartemaeus , the blind beggar of Mark 10, also called out to the Son of David, asking for His mercy. And Jesus said “your faith has made you well” (v52). What Jesus has for us to see doesn’t require physical sight; it requires seeing Him with our heart—our faith. Just as Bartemaeus received what he needed through his faith, we receive what we need through ours. Whatever our darkness, faith in Jesus can dispel it.

In Mark 8’s account of a blind man being healed, the healing was not instantaneous, but gradual. After the first touch, the man could see something, but he couldn’t see clearly. So Jesus touched his eyes a second time to bring about complete restoration. Ours is not a God of partial blessing, but complete. We may, at first, get only a glimpse of what the Lord has for us; through continued faith, we will eventually receive what we believe He has promised. What Jesus begins, He will always finish.

The healing of blindness in John 9 takes on the question of who had sinned to cause the man’s blindness, the man or his parents. The Jewish people made connections between suffering and sin, so the question was typical of current opinion. But Jesus’ response gets to a higher level; He didn’t deal with what caused the blindness, whether it was by sin or not; rather, He healed the man to illuminate the power of Christ and to bring glory to God. Here is a lesson about salvation: Jesus is interested in making us whole, not focusing on our sin. He is always concerned about the greater good than pointing out someone’s faults to the satisfaction of man.

Each of these blind men received physical and spiritual healing. It is the latter that truly sets us free.

Healing of Paralysis

07 Sunday Jul 2013

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The gospels tell of two accounts where Jesus healed men who were paralyzed. In both stories, it is the faith of others, those aiding the ones needing to be healed, that is seen.

Centurion’s Servant (Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 7:1-10)
A centurion was a Roman officer who commanded one hundred men; he was in a position to recognize authority. He has obviously heard about Jesus and probably the healing of the leper. He comes seeking healing for his paralyzed servant. (King James Version calls the servant palsied, rather than paralyzed.)

In Luke, we are told that the centurion first sent Jewish elders to Jesus to make the case for his servant. They told Jesus how this man had built a synagogue for them and he was therefore worthy to be healed. They were presenting the man worthy of being healed based on his good works. They were caught up in the law and didn’t know about a God who healed out of compassion alone. Jesus had no requirement of good works, just faith that He was who He said He was–God.

Jesus agrees to go to the servant but before he can get there, the centurion comes to meet Him and says this, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it. (Luke 7:8-9).” Jesus’ reaction is sheer amazement and he tells those around them that in all of Israel, He has never seen so much faith. Then He says to the centurion, “’Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.’ And his servant was healed at that very hour.” (v 13)

Let this serve to remind us of the importance of surrounding ourselves with fellow believers who have strong faith.

Paralytic brought to Jesus on a mat (Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26)
When I heard this story growing up, I was caught by how they got the man to Jesus. He was brought on a mat (or bed) by others and when they could not get in the house where Jesus was, they went to the rooftop and lowered the crippled man on the mat down through the roof. This required taking apart a piece of the roof to make an opening (Mark 2:4, Luke 5:19). That took a fair amount of courage, I would think, to take apart someone’s roof. And it certainly took strength to take the man on his bed up to the roof and then lower him down into the house without dropping him. However, it is not about how they got the man in front of Jesus, but that they had so much faith in Jesus’ power to heal that they would not give up. Whatever it took, these men knew if they could just get the Lord to see the paralytic, he would be healed.

Jesus responds by first recognizing the four men’s faith and then immediately follows that by telling the paralytic man his sins are forgiven. And that stirs up the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They don’t speak aloud, scripture says, but began thinking that here was a man speaking blasphemy, for as experts on the law, they knew only God could forgive sins. Jesus knew what they were thinking and turned to them and asked “Which is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say ‘Get up and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ‘“(Luke 5:23-24) He then told the man to get up, take his mat, and go home.

It seems Jesus always adds a little extra when He blesses us. In this case, He didn’t give the man the ability to stand and walk in some stumbling way. He gave him immediate strength and balance, enough to walk and carry his mat. Such is the richness of God’s blessings.

In this healing story, Jesus teaches us determination in seeking His face, and He reveals Himself to the experts of the law as God who has come in the form of man.  And one other thing not to miss: When the people saw what Jesus had done for the paralytic, they praised God!  May we, too, remember always to give God glory for what he does in our lives and the lives of others.

All scripture references are from New International Version (NIV)