Sickness is not something any of us enjoy, but it happens. Once sin entered the world, it would affect everything God had created. Before sin, everything was perfect, yes even these bodies that seem to always have an ache or a physical or mental disability. While we know that death is inevitable for each of us, there are many accounts in the Bible where Jesus healed the physically sick.
An account of Jesus healing two blind men is one I love. In Matthew 20:29-34. Jesus was walking out from the city of Jericho when he passed two blind men sitting by the side of the road. They couldn’t see Jesus, but by the sounds of the crowd that was following, they knew it was Him. No doubt these men had heard about this miracle man Jesus. We have no idea how long they had been waiting, but when your confidence is in the right place time doesn’t matter. They cry out to Lord, Son of David. This was a title only given to the Messiah. It was Jesus, the one they had heard about. The multitudes began to rebuke them, telling them in essence to be quiet, not to bother the Miracle worker. Maybe it was because they wanted Jesus’ attention, or maybe they were embarrassed by the blind men. We have no way of knowing what was in their heart, but Jesus knew. He stops and asks what they wanted from Him. Their response was simple, they wanted their eyes opened to see! Our Savior, as He always does when we call out to Him, had compassion on the blind men. He healed them and their reaction was to follow Him.
Matthew 20:29-34 “And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the wayside, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And the multitude rebuked them because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David. And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you? They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened. So, Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.”
Over and over in the Bible, we find Jesus healing those who are physically sick. In Matthew 9:20-22, we see a woman who had some sort of blood disease and had been bleeding for 12 years. She touches the hem of Jesus’ garment and Jesus heals her. In Mark chapter 2, Jesus heals a man who was lame. He could not walk, but when his friends brought him to Jesus everything changed, and God received the glory. In Luke chapter 17, Jesus heals 10 lepers. These were men with leprosy, there was no cure for their disease, and they could not get close to anyone. They were isolated from their families and if anyone happens to come near, they were to yell unclean so others would be aware they were in danger of this disease. Jesus has compassion on them and heals each of them. While each of these situations was different, they still showed the power of Jesus to heal those who were physically sick. There are too many accounts to list them all here, but they are words that boost our confidence in Jesus. They support the truth that He has the power to do anything He desires. They support the truth that Jesus not only has compassion for our souls, but He also has compassion for our physical bodies.
From time to time in life we all get sick. When you are sick you want to get well, each day that you are a little better gives you hope. I remember when my father had cancer, we all prayed God would heal him. No doubt God heard our prayers, and he was given more time than the doctors expected, but God did not take cancer away. When my dad came to the realization that cancer would be his pathway to death his hope changed. Now, instead of praying for physical healing in this life, he began to look forward to his eternal life. He wanted to be a witness for Christ until he died, and he was. Yet, his focus now was on the complete healing he would receive when he passed from death to eternal life. Did the God who has the power to heal not hear our prayers? The answer would be yes, he heard our prayers and He answered them. The answer was better than what we had asked for, my dad would receive a body where he would never experience pain again. While we mourn the loss of a father, husband, grandfather, and friend, we rejoice that He is suffering no more. We rejoice in the memories that we cherish. We rejoice that the hope of complete healing is there for us also. We rejoice that one day we will see my dad, but most of all that we will have all eternity to thank Jesus the one who has the power to heal us spiritually!
