Lessons about healing from Acts – Part Two

The healing of the sick on the island of Malta

Last time:

There are many references to healing in the Book of Acts.

General references include:

• the disciples’ prayer that God would stretch out his hand to heal (4:30)
• the statement that on one occasion all the sick were healed as Peter’s shadow passed over them (5:14-16)
• a description of Philip’s evangelistic ministry in Samaria (8:5-8)
• and the mention of extraordinary miracles of healing as a result of people touching handkerchiefs and aprons taken from Paul (19:11-12).

Specific miracles of healing described in Acts include:

• The healing of the cripple at the gate of the Temple (3:7-9)
• The healing of Aeneas and the raising of Dorcas (9:33-42)
• The healing of the cripple at Lystra (14:8-10)
• The raising of Eutychus from the dead (20:9-12)
• Paul’s deliverance from snake-bite, the healing of Publius’ father, and of the sick of the island of Malta (28:1-10).

We noted that:

• It was not just apostles who performed miracles (e.g. 6:8, 8:6-8)
• Most of the healings recorded took place in an evangelistic context (or resulted in many turning to the Lord)
• Some healings were extraordinary (e.g. 5:14-16, 19:11-12)
• Healings were not the only signs which led to the conversion of many (e.g. the miracle of tongues on the Day of Pentecost).

 

 

 

The main lessons that we can learn from the miracle in Acts 3

• No situation is too difficult for God.
• It is not always the person in need who is expected to exercise faith. We can move in faith ourselves as we seek to minister to people, but to do so we need to be submitted to God’s authority and led by his Spirit.
• In this connection it is important that we learn to hear what God is saying.
• We can only command healing in the name of Jesus when we are sure we have heard from God and are acting under his authority.
• It is important to distinguish between praying for the sick and commanding their healing. We can and should always pray for the sick, but we can only command healing when we have heard directly from God on the matter.
• God works miracles through us in order to confirm the message of the gospel.

The healing of the sick on the island of Malta        Acts 28:1-10

1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.  2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

The events described take place after the ship, on which Paul is travelling as a prisoner on his way to Rome, has been wrecked.

Thanks to God’s mercy, all have managed to reach the shore safely.

Because of the cold and rain, the islanders kindly light a fire and, as Paul goes to put wood on the fire, a poisonous snake bites his hand (v. 3).

But Paul shakes it off into the fire and suffers no ill effects (v. 5).

This miracle, which is clearly comparable with the promise of Jesus in Mark 16:18, causes great amazement among the islanders who decide that Paul must be a god.

Although this is not stated here, we must assume that Paul would have quickly corrected this misunderstanding, just as he did in Acts 14 when he and Barnabas were thought to be gods after healing the cripple at Lystra (Acts 14:8-18).

We are then told that Publius, the chief official of the island, welcomed them into his home where they stayed for three days.

His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery (v. 8).

The description of the order of events following this is noteworthy.

(1) Paul went in to see him

(2) he prayed

(3) he placed his hands on him

(4) he healed him.

(5) As a result, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.

This healing is noticeably different from the miracle performed by Peter on the cripple at the gate of the temple.

The phrase after prayer (v. 8) is significant here. In Acts 3 we do not read that Peter prayed for the cripple. Rather, he commands his healing – In the name of Jesus… walk!

Similarly, Paul in Acts 14:8-10 commands the healing of the cripple at Lystra – Stand up on your feet. But here in Acts 28 he prays before laying hands on the man who is ill.

This need not mean that he prayed for him, as we are told that after prayer he placed his hands on him and healed him.

The suggestion may well be, therefore, that in praying Paul was looking for guidance in the matter.

If this interpretation is correct, there is an important lesson to be learned from Paul’s actions here. If we do not already have clear revelation concerning the healing of a sick person (as did Peter in Acts 3 and Paul in Acts 14) it is important to pray for guidance before seeking to minister healing.

As a result of this healing, the rest of the sick of the island came and were cured (v. 9).

The islanders of Malta, therefore, had witnessed some amazing miracles at the hands of Paul – his deliverance from snake-bite, the healing of Publius’s father, and the healing of the rest of the sick.

Yet despite this, surprisingly there is no direct reference to the conversion of the islanders, although it might be argued that their coming for healing was, in itself, an indication of their faith

But there is one further issue to be considered before we leave Acts 28.

It is noteworthy that Luke, who was the author of Acts, was present with Paul at this time.

This is evident from the various uses of we and us in this passage (e.g. vv.1, 2, 7, 10).

Now we know that Luke was a doctor (Colossians 4:14) and it has been suggested that verse 9 implies that Luke used his medical skills in curing the sick on Malta.

This view is based on the words They honoured us… (v.10).

Surely, it is argued, Luke must have done some healing if he was honoured along with Paul.

 

BUT

1. There is no statement in Acts 28 that Luke used his medical ability in Malta.
2. It is by no means impossible that Luke as well as Paul was charismatically gifted in the realm of healing.
3. The bestowing of honours on both Luke and Paul does not imply that both were used in healing the sick. (Cf. Acts 14:8-12 where both Paul and Barnabas are honoured because of a healing performed by Paul).
4. The most natural way to interpret the passage is to understand the sick of the island coming to Paul for the laying on of hands (v.9) as a result of the healing of Publius’s father (v.8). However, the fact that Luke probably did not use his medical skills in Acts 28 does not mean that medical skill is not important. We’ll talk about this next time.

Conclusion

Our examination of healing in Acts has shown us that:

• Jesus’ disciples performed very similar miracles to those that Jesus performed
• There is every reason to believe that we can expect similar miracles (Mark 16:16-18 and John 14:12)
• No situation is too difficult for God. The impossible becomes possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.
• It’s not just apostles who perform miracles. Signs are promised to those who believe.
• It is not always the sick person who is expected to exercise faith. We can move in faith ourselves as we seek to minister to people, but to do so we need to be submitted to God’s authority and led by his Spirit.
• We need to hear what God is saying. We should only command healing in the name of Jesus when we are sure we have heard from God and know that we are acting under his authority.
• If we are unsure about this we should pray before seeking to minister to the sick.
• Most of the healings recorded resulted in many turning to the Lord. God works miracles through us in order to confirm the message of the gospel. It is in the context of evangelism that we can expect healings and other kinds of miracle to happen.

Testimony: Ruby’s healing

Details of this healing and other miracles I have experienced are recorded in my book ‘Signs from Heaven’ available via my website.

 

There are many references to healing in the Book of Acts. Some of these are general, others are specific.

General references include:

• the disciples’ prayer that God would stretch out his hand to heal (4:30)
• the statement that on one occasion all the sick were healed as Peter’s shadow passed over them (5:14-16)
• a description of Philip’s evangelistic ministry in Samaria (8:5-8)
• and the mention of extraordinary miracles of healing as a result of people touching handkerchiefs and aprons taken from Paul (19:11-12).

Specific miracles of healing described in Acts include:

• The healing of the cripple at the gate of the Temple (3:7-9)
• The healing of Aeneas and the raising of Dorcas (9:33-42)
• The healing of the cripple at Lystra (14:8-10)
• The raising of Eutychus from the dead (20:9-12)
• Paul’s deliverance from snake-bite, the healing of Publius’ father, and of the sick of the island of Malta (28:1-10).
• We will consider the first and the last of these in some detail, but first the following general points are important:
• It was not just apostles who performed miracles (e.g. 6:8, 8:6-8)
• Most of the healings recorded took place in an evangelistic context (or resulted in many turning to the Lord)
• Some healings were extraordinary (e.g. 5:14-16, 19:11-12)
• Healings were not the only signs which led to the conversion of many (e.g. the miracle of tongues on the Day of Pentecost).

We will consider two passages in more detail:

• The healing of the cripple at the gate of the temple (today)
• The healing of the sick on the island of Malta (next time)

The cripple at the gate of the temple

This amazing miracle is recorded in Acts 3:1-8 where we read:

1 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon.

2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.

4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!”

5 So the man gave them his attention expecting to get something from them.

6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk”.

7 Taking him by the right hand he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping and praising God.

The condition of the man before he was healed.

Physically he was in a desperate state

He had been a cripple from birth (v. 2)

He was over 40 years old (Acts 4:22).

He had never walked in his life!

 

And his psychological condition was really no better.

There is no indication that he had faith to be healed.

He was expecting to receive nothing but money (v. 3)

He was put at the temple gate every day to beg (v. 2).

 

In complete contrast to this we see the confidence of Peter and John

 

Although they had no money to offer the man, they had something infinitely better!

Peter says, What I have, I give you. This is highly significant.

It implies that in some way Peter knew that he had the gift of the man’s healing and that he had the authority to give it to him.

 

But how could Peter know this?

The answer must surely be that he knew it by revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Why do I say this?

Jesus himself was a man under authority and did only what he saw the Father do.

In John 20:21-22 he had said to his disciples, As the Father sent me, I am sending you, and with that he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit

The disciples were not only to continue the ministry of Jesus after he had gone, but that they were to continue it in the same way, by revelation from heaven.

Once Jesus had gone, they would receive this from the Holy Spirit who came at Pentecost. That is how Peter could say,

What I have I give you

He knew by revelation of the Spirit that the time for this man’s healing had come (cf. 1 Cor 12:10)

Timing is often highly significant with regard to miracles of healing.

Since the man had been placed at the temple gate every day, it is highly likely that Jesus must have passed that way. If so, there was a purpose in the delay for this man’s healing, as we shall see.

Peter’s use of the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (v. 6)

In Bible times, as is often the case today, to do something in someone’s name was to do it with their authority.

And you can only have a person’s authority to do something if they have told you, or at least given you permission, to do it!

The name of Jesus is not a magic formula whereby you can get what you like just by claiming it and adding the words in the name of Jesus

That might be getting fairly close to breaking the commandment, You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God (Exodus 20:7)

To act or speak in the name of Jesus means to do so with his authority, and that is exactly what Peter was doing here in Acts 3.

In fact, Peter is so sure of his authority here that he takes the risk (humanly speaking) of taking the man by the hand and helping him up (v. 7). You need to be very sure that you’ve heard from God if you’re going to take the hand of a person who has never walked in their life, help them up, and tell them to walk! But Peter had heard from God. That’s why he had faith for the miracle.

Faith for the Miracle

In verse 16, Peter explains to the crowd that had gathered how the miracle had taken place – by faith in the name (authority) of Jesus.

As we have already seen, the faith referred to here was not the man’s, but Peter’s. Nevertheless, Peter is quick to draw attention away from himself and to give the glory to Jesus. It was not by Peter’s power or godliness that the man had been made to walk (v.12)

Miracles do not happen for us because we are especially holy. They are charismata, gifts which come from the grace of God, and the Holy Spirit gives them to us just as he determines (1 Corinthians 12:11).

Finally, the dramatic effect of this miracle upon the people who saw it

 

They were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened (v. 10)

Jesus had promised in Mark 16 that miraculous signs would accompany believers in order to confirm the word of the gospel. And that is what we see happening in Acts.

But unlike so many situations today, in Acts the miracle usually occurred before the preaching of the word, not after it (cf. Acts 2 where Peter preaches to the crowd after their attention has been arrested by the miracle of speaking in tongues)

So now in Acts 3 Peter uses the miracle as a wonderful opportunity to preach the gospel (vv.13-16) and as a result the number of believers grew to about 5,000 (Acts 4:4).

The main lessons that we can learn from this miracle

• No situation is too difficult for God. The impossible becomes possible through the power of the Holy Spirit.
• It is not always the person in need who is expected to exercise faith. We can move in faith ourselves as we seek to minister to people, but to do so we need to be submitted to God’s authority and led by his Spirit.
• In this connection it is important that we learn to hear what God is saying. We can only command healing in the name of Jesus when we are sure we have heard from God and are acting under his authority. It is important to distinguish between praying for the sick and commanding their healing. We can and should always pray for the sick, but we can only command healing when we have heard directly from God on the matter.
• God works miracles through us in order to confirm the message of the gospel. It is in this context that we can expect miracles to happen. If we are not preaching the word, then there is nothing for him to confirm!

 

NEXT TIME: Paul’s ministry in healing the sick on the island of Malta.

[Below is the chapter on which this podcast is based]

In the last four chapters we have examined the healing ministry of Jesus as it is portrayed in each of the four Gospels. But Jesus did not only heal the sick, he commissioned his disciples to do so too. So in this chapter we will turn our attention to the healing ministry of the disciples as it is described in the Gospels. In the next chapter we will see how that ministry continued in the Acts of the Apostles.

The Gospels record three occasions when Jesus commissioned his disciples to heal the sick. These include:

The call of the Twelve (Matthew 10:1-8, Mark 6:7-12, Luke 9:1-6)

The sending out of the seventy-two (Luke 10:1-24)

The Great Commission (Mark 16:15ff)

We will consider each of these in turn before turning to the Acts of the Apostles.

The call of the Twelve

Matthew, Mark and Luke all record how Jesus gave the twelve apostles authority to heal the sick (Matthew 10:1-8, Mark 6:7-12, and Luke 9:1-6). The account in Matthew is the most detailed, so we will concentrate on that, making reference to Mark and Luke only where appropriate.

In Matthew 10:1 we are told that Jesus

called his twelve disciples and to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to cure every kind of disease and sickness.

 

Verses 2-4 then give us a list of the names of the twelve. The following verses (5-42) recount the instructions which Jesus gave to them on that occasion. However, it is verses 7-8 that are particularly noteworthy with regard to healing. Here Jesus says:

As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received. Freely give.

 

Mark and Luke add little to this, except that Mark says:

They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them (Mark 6:12-13)

 

and Luke says:

So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere (Luke 9:6).

As we consider all three passages together, the following points are noteworthy:

There appears to be no limit to the authority that Jesus gave them on this occasion. Matthew 10:1 says that Jesus gave them authority to heal every kind of disease and sickness and this extended to cleansing lepers and even raising the dead (v.8). Their authority is such that they are not told to pray for the sick but to heal them.

This authority was given at a specific time to a specific group of people whom Matthew names (10:2-4). We should not, therefore, automatically assume that the same authority is given to us, unless this is plainly stated elsewhere in the New Testament[1]. However, the passage in Luke 10, where Jesus sends out another 72 with a similar commission does suggest that this authority was not intended to be limited to the 12 apostles.

Since Jesus later told his disciples to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit before they were to go out and preach the gospel (Acts 1:4-8), it is possible that the authority given on this occasion was intended for the duration of Jesus’ earthly ministry only. Once Jesus had returned to heaven the disciples in Acts would perform healings as they were prompted by the Holy Spirit.

The twelve were sent only to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 10:6). In fact, Jesus specifically tells them not to go to the Gentiles or Samaritans on this occasion (v. 5). This again suggests that the situation being described here was unique. The commission is given, as we have seen, at a specific time, to a specific group of people, and with a specific purpose – to proclaim God’s kingdom (v. 7) to the lost sheep of Israel. This need not mean, however, that we can learn nothing from this passage. It is interesting that Paul, in his mission to the Gentiles obeys Jesus’ instruction in Matthew 10:14 to shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against any who reject the gospel message (cf. Acts 13:51).

Jesus does not appear to teach any methodology of healing on this occasion. There are no instructions, for example, to lay hands on the sick. However, Mark tells us that they anointed the sick with oil (6:13), and this was presumably at Jesus’ instruction. This was later to become a regular means of healing for the Lord’s people as we will see when we come to consider James 5:14ff.

There is a clear connection in both Matthew and Luke between healing and the kingdom of God[2]. Luke says that Jesus sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick (Luke 9:2, cf. 10:8) and Matthew states that Jesus said, As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’. Heal the sick, raise the dead…(Matthew 10:7-8).

The sending out of the seventy-two

As we have already mentioned, Luke not only records the sending out of the twelve apostles, but he also tells us of a later occasion when Jesus appointed seventy-two[3] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go (Luke 10:1). Then, after giving them instructions very similar to those he had given earlier to the twelve (vv. 2-8) he tells them to heal the sick (v. 9). The significance of the number (whether 70 or 72) has been much discussed and need not detain us here[4]. What is significant, however, is the fact that this clearly extends the commission to heal beyond the twelve apostles. Other points of interest are, again, the connection between healing and the Kingdom of God (v. 9), and the fact that the disciples were sent out two by two (v. 1).

Perhaps more important, however, is the passage in verses 17-20 where Luke tells us:

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord even the demons submit to us in your name”. He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

 

We have already noticed that salvation is more important than being healed. But this passage clearly indicates that salvation is more important than the power to heal! It also shows us that the authority Jesus had given the 72 was no less than that given earlier to the apostles – it was authority over all the power of the enemy. It seems that, rather than the apostolic power being limited to a few, Jesus intended it to be extended to many! But that leads us very naturally to the passage in Mark 16.

The Great Commission

The passages we have considered so far in this chapter describe occasions where Jesus sent out his disciples to heal, during the time of his earthly ministry, before he had died and risen from the dead. Now, in Mark 16:14-20, we turn to a passage in which Jesus gives his disciples a similar commission after his death and resurrection, indeed immediately before his ascension into heaven (v.19). Mark records how Jesus said to them:

Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.

 

Although the authenticity of this passage has been challenged on the grounds that it is not found in the most reliable early manuscripts, it is nevertheless worthy of our consideration for several reasons:

It has long been considered to form part of the canon of Holy Scripture.

The passage is in complete harmony with Jesus’ earlier statements to his disciples found in the examples we have already considered.

The promises Jesus makes here are, with the exception of one, all fulfilled in the Acts of the Apostles, of which Mark 16:20 might well be considered to be a summary.

To this we might add the further evidence that modern experience testifies to the literal reality of these things[5] .

Now, turning to the passage itself, we notice that, although the command to go into all the world and preach the gospel was given initially to the Eleven[6] (v.14), the promise of miraculous signs was not made only to them but to those who believe (v.17). It was not just the apostles who were to spread the good news, but those who came to faith as a result of their ministry were to do so too, and the same signs would accompany their preaching[7].

Of course the signs which Jesus promises will accompany the preaching of the message of the gospel are not the message itself. The message, which must be preached to all the world (v. 15), is that Jesus died for our sins and that we may be saved by believing in him (v. 16). The signs are given to confirm the truth of that message (v. 20).

It is important to notice too that healing is not the only sign mentioned in these verses. God has many ways of confirming his word. Jesus is not saying that all believers will manifest all of these signs. Some will be used one way, others in another way (cf. Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10). Understood correctly Mark 16 does not imply that all Christians will be used in healing the sick, any more than they will all pick up snakes! Jesus is simply saying that these are the kind of signs that will accompany his servants as they go out and preach the good news.

Finally, it is important to notice that the responsibility for having faith for healing in this passage is not placed on the sick, but upon those who lay hands on them. Jesus says, These signs will accompany those who believe…they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well (vv. 17-18). If we are to minister to the sick, especially in the context of evangelism, we should not place all the burden of belief upon them. It is our responsibility to have faith for their healing.

Conclusion

The passages we have examined indicate that:

The disciples were given authority to perform exactly the same kind of miracles that Jesus performed.

This was closely connected with the proclamation of the kingdom of God.

This authority was initially given to the twelve apostles, then to a wider group of 72 disciples, and ultimately, after Jesus’ resurrection to all who believe as they go into all the world to preach the gospel. This does not mean, however, that all Christians will be used in healing.

Healing miracles in themselves are not the message. They are given to confirm the message, which is the good news that Christ has died for our sins and that those who believe this will be saved. Being saved is more important than being healed and even having the power to heal.

The responsibility for believing for healing lies with those who lay hands on the sick, not necessarily with the sick themselves, as they may well still be unbelievers.

These principles are seen very clearly in Acts, to which we now turn our attention.

 

[1] Mark 16:15 ff. may be taken to mean that authority to heal is given to all believers. However, we will discuss this in more detail later.

[2] Matthew uses kingdom of heaven consistently where both Mark and Luke use kingdom of God. The two terms are synonymous.

[3]  Some manuscripts have 70 others, rather than 72.

[5] See, for example, Burton, W.F.P., Signs Following, London, AOG, 1949, where the author relates how all these signs accompanied the ministry of the Congo Evangelistic Mission.

[6] Judas, having betrayed Jesus and having committed suicide, the number of the original apostles at this point was reduced from 12 to 11.

[7] Cf. Matthew’s version of the Great Commission where the apostles were to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe everything the Lord had taught the apostles (Matthew 28:19-20). We have already noted that Matthew records how Jesus had taught the apostles to heal the sick!

Lessons about healing from John

None of the Gospel writers tell us of all the miracles of healing Jesus performed.

John has chosen to record only three (4:46-54, 5:1-15, 9:1-25) although he makes it very clear that Jesus did many more (John 20:30).

His purpose in recording them, along with the other miracles he tells us about, is that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name (John 20:31).

So John’s aim is not so much to tell us how we may be healed as to enable us to be saved by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. John 3:16).

This is why John always refers to Jesus’ miracles as signs. They point to who he is.

We are going to consider two of the healings recorded by John

• The invalid at the Pool of Bethesda(John 5:1-15)
• The man born blind(John 9: 1-25),

Although there is much to be learned about healing from both these accounts, the important thing is that they should lead us to be saved through faith in Jesus

The invalid at the Pool of  Bethesda (John 5:1-15)

The Pool of Bethesda (which means House of Mercy) was in Jerusalem.

A great number of disabled people used to lie there hoping to be healed by an angel who would come every so often and stir up the waters.

John tells us that one who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

When Jesus saw him, he said to him, Do you want to get well?

The man replied that he had no-one to help him into the pool when the water was stirred.

Then Jesus said to him, Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.

The man was immediately healed, picked up his mat, and walked!

This was on the Sabbath day.

Jesus slipped away into the crowd but the Jews rebuked the man who had been healed for carrying his mat on the Sabbath.

The man replied that it was the man who had made him well who had told him to.

So they asked him who the man was, but the man did not know.

Later, Jesus found him and said, See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you (v.14).

Then the man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well.

Lessons from story

1. A great number of sick people gathered at the pool (v.3), but Jesus healed only one of them on this occasion.
2. This is strikingly different from some of the other accounts, particularly in Matthew (4:23-24, 8:16, 9:35) where we are told that Jesus healed all.
3. Of course, this is not a contradiction with the accounts in Matthew, as Matthew does not record this particular miracle.
4. Although there were occasions when Jesus healed all (as Matthew tells us)
5. there were other occasions when he did not (as John makes clear here).

We notice that it was Jesus who took the initiative on this occasion.

1. The man does not call out to Jesus
2. He does not even know who Jesus is (v.13)
3. So he can hardly exercise faith in Jesus!
4. In fact, he does nothing towards his healing. He can do nothing! He is helpless and hopeless.
5. He does not even have anyone to bring him to Jesus.
6. It is Jesus alone who is responsible for the miracle.
7. The only part the man plays, if we may call it that, is to want to get well (v.6).

In many respects, therefore, this miracle is a wonderful picture of the salvation

1. Humanity as a whole suffers from an incurable condition, the disease of sin.
2. We are helpless and hopeless without Jesus.
3. But, thank God, he has taken the initiative.
4. He has died for our sins and our condition can be cured if we want to get well.
5. Of course, unlike the man in the story, we now know who Jesus is.
6. We can call out to him in faith. And it is through believing in him that we receive eternal life!

It is significant that this man’s illness seems to have been caused by his sin.

1. We are not told what that sin was, but the fact that Jesus says in verse 14, Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you, clearly implies that sin was the cause of the sickness.
2. This does not mean that all sickness is the result of personal sin, but here, the most natural way to interpret the passage is to understand that the man’s sickness was caused by his sin (so Carson).
3. Note the similarity to the account of the healing of the man who was let down through the roof in front of Jesus (Luke 5:17-26).

In both cases:

1. the men are healed with almost the same command, Get up! Pick up your mat and walk!
2. the sickness appears to be connected with personal sin
3. there is opposition from the Jews
4. there is a clear indication of the deityof Jesus.

With regard to this last point, in the passage in Luke it is Jesus’ claim to have authority to forgive sins that his opponents rightly see as a claim to deity.

Here in John 5, however, it is his insistence that he is doing his Father’s work in healing on the Sabbath that is seen as making himself equal with God (vv. 17-18).

Healing & Salvation – Dr David Petts

 

In recent talks we saw several occasions where Jesus said Your faith has healed you.

The Greek word used here is sozo which can also mean save.

Does this mean that that healing is in some sense a part of salvation?

The answer to this question is NOT NECESSARILY.

 

Is healing a part of salvation?

The fact that sozo (which in the NT is usually translated ‘save’) is sometimes used to mean ‘heal’[1] has been used by some to argue that healing is included in salvation.  

 

John Nelson Parr (Divine Healing p26), for example, comments:

 

“If Peter included healing in ‘being saved’ (Acts 4:9) (…also note the same word in verse 12 twice), are we not justified in teaching that physical healing is included in the salvation purchased for us by the Prince of Life.?”.

 

This conclusion is invalid, however, because it involves an elementary error in semantics.

The fact that the same word is used twice in a passage does not necessarily imply that it is being used with the same meaning on both occasions.  

Nevertheless it will be helpful briefly to consider the meaning and use of sozo.

 

The meaning of sozo

The Greek verb is related to the adjective saos (safe) and means

‘to make safe’

and hence ‘to deliver from a direct threat’

and  ‘to bring safe and sound out of a difficult situation’.  

 

Foerster lists four major areas of meaning for sozo:

saving, keeping, benefiting, and preserving the inner being

 

Saving includes

• being snatched from peril especially in the context of war or of a sea-voyage
• ‘deliverance’ from judicial condemnation
• being ‘saved’ from an illness.

 

Keeping includes

• a king keeping a subject alive by granting pardon
• men being kept from perishing
• the spark of a fire being kept from going out
• lost money being ‘got back’, and of wine or goods being ‘kept’.

 

But sozo and soteria can have a purely positive content.  

Benefiting

• Prayer is offered to Zeus for the soteria of the nation, for peace, wealth, the growth of crops and cattle
• With regard to healing sozomai can mean not only to be cured but to be in good health
• the oath ten men soterian which means ‘by my health’.

 

preserving the inner being of men or things

 

• Plato thought that it was the task of the ruler to sozein the state by maintaining it as a constitutionally ordered state
• sozo and soteria often refer to the inner ‘health’ of man”.

 

So, long before the New Testament documents came to be written, sozo was being used in a wide variety of ways.   

It is noteworthy, however, that in all the examples mentioned above the root meaning of being made or kept safe is clearly discernible.  

This is also true of the use of sozo in the New Testament

Each meaning carries with it the underlying suggestion of being made or kept safe.

 

The use of sozo in the New Testament

New Testament writers use sozo and its cognates to mean being made or kept safe whenever such terminology is appropriate.   Three main ways:

 

• Acute danger to physical life
• Deliverance from disease
• Salvation

 

Acute danger to physical life

• In the stilling of the storm the disciples plead with Jesus to ‘save’ them (Matthew 8:25)
• Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14:30)
• In the accounts of the mocking of Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:40-42, Mark15:30-31, Luke 23:39) he is challenged to ‘save’ himself.
• Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27:20, 31, 34
• Hebrews 11:7 refers to Noah preparing the ark to save his household

 

Those who see healing as a part of salvation on the grounds that sozo is used to  mean ‘heal’ must, to be consistent, include deliverance from physical danger on the same grounds!

 

Such a position is of course clearly untenable in the light of NT teaching with regards to Christians who suffer persecution (e.g. 1 Peter, passim, Romans 8:35-39, 2 Corinthians 11:23-33).

 

 

Deliverance from disease

sozo is used to mean ‘heal’in:

 

• the healing of the woman with the issue of blood (Matthew 9:21-22, Mark 5:28, 34, Luke 8:48)
• the raising of Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:23, Luke 8:50)
• the healing of blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:52, Luke 18:42)
• Luke’s account of the deliverance of Legion from demon-possession (Luke 8:36)
• the healing of ten lepers (Luke17:19)
• Cripple at Beautiful Gate Acts 4:9
• Cripple at Lystra Acts 14:9
• James 5:15

 

So it’s clear that sozo is used in the New Testament to mean to deliver from both danger and disease.

 

But sozo and soteria in the New Testament mean far more than this.  

Salvation

The danger from which man needs to be saved is more than physical and by far the major emphasis of soteria in the New Testament is that of deliverance from sin.  

 

But does deliverance from sin automatically imply deliverance from sickness and danger?

 

It seems to me that although the use of sozo links deliverance from sickness with deliverance from sin linguistically

this need not in itself imply a theological connection.   

 

The New Testament writers did not develop a systematic theology of soteria subdivided into categories of physical and spiritual deliverance.

They used sozo wherever it might appropriately be used to mean ‘make safe’ or ‘deliver’.  

So to argue from the use of sozo for anything more than a linguistic connection between those uses may possibly indicate a misunderstanding of the nature of language.

 

Nevertheless it seems likely that writers sometimes took advantage of cases of physical deliverance

 

e.g. the healing of blind Bartimaeus to illustrate the principles of spiritual deliverance – how those who are spiritually ‘blind’ might, through faith in Jesus ‘see’

 

But to say this is not to confuse the illustration itself with the truth it illustrates.  

Healing may illustrate salvation without being part of it.  

 

Thus Parr’s claim, based on the use of sozo in Acts 4:9-12, that ‘physical healing is included in the salvation purchased for us’  is shown to be invalid.

 

[Below is the chapter from the book, Just a Taste of Heaven, on which this podcast episode is based]

The Power of the Spirit

 

Isaiah predicted that when the Messiah would come the Spirit of the Lord would be upon him in order that he might preach good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to those who were captive, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour (Isaiah 61:1-2)

 

In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus claimed that this prophecy was now fulfilled. This is important in our understanding of Luke’s Gospel because it illustrates Luke’s emphasis that Jesus performed his miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Luke 3:21-22 tells us that just after Jesus was baptised by John in the River Jordan the Holy Spirit descended on him. As a result of this he returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1), and in 4:14 he returns to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.

 

This may also be reflected in Luke 5:17 where we are told that the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick (cf. 6:17:19).

 

In this chapter we will consider three healings recorded by Luke, two of which are not recorded in any other Gospel:

• The paralytic(5:17-26)
• The womanwith curvature of the spine (13:10-17)
• The ten lepers(17:11-19).

The paralytic (5:17-26)

 

Luke begins by saying that the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick (v.17). This statement raises important questions:

1. Wasn’t God’s power always present with Jesusto heal the sick?
2. If it was, then why does Lukebother to mention it?

 

And these questions raise a further question,

3. Did Jesuswork his miracles by virtue of the fact that he was God, or did he (even though he was God) perform them as a man through the power of the Holy Spirit?

 

The answer to this last question must surely be that Jesus performed his miracles as a man, by the power of the Holy Spirit. How else could he tell his disciples that anyone who had faith in him could do similar, and even greater, works (John 14:12)? This would only be possible because of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus would send.

 

If this answer to question 3 is correct, then the answer to question 1 must be that Jesus only worked his miracles when led by the Holy Spirit to do so (cf John 5:19).

 

The answer to question 2, therefore, is that Luke mentions that the power of the Lord was present to heal, to emphasise that at that moment the Holy Spirit was empowering Jesus to heal and leading him to do so.

If this understanding is right, then it will clearly have implications for us as we minister to the sick today. If Jesus ministered to them as he was led and empowered by the Holy Spirit to do so, then how much more do we need the Spirit’s leading and empowering?

But we must now turn to the account of the healing itself. Here is how Luke describes it:

 

18 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.

19 When they could not because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

21 The Pharisees and teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier; to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’, or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?

24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…” He said to the paralysed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home”.

25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.

 

The following points are worthy of note:

• It seems that in this case it is not the sick man, but his friends who take the initiative(v. 18). Indeed it appears to be their faith (v. 20) to which Jesus  In this respect it is similar to the healing of the centurion’s servant in Matthew 8. This teaches us that it is not always the faith of the sick person that is the basis for the healing.
• Jesussays, Your sins are forgiven, before he performs the healing (v.20). Why? 3 possibilities:

 

1. It may indicate that the man’s sickness had come as a result of personal sin– or even that the sick man believed it had!
2. It’s possible, too, that by demonstrating his authorityto forgive sins, Jesus is seeking to stress his Messianic authority to the critical Pharisees.
3. However, it seems just as likely that he is showing his audience that the forgivenessof sins is more important than the healing of disease.

• The story demonstrates Jesus’ authorityas the Son of Man (v. 24), a Messianic title. It implies his deity. The Pharisees were right to say that only God has the right to forgive sins, they just didn’t realise that Jesus was God. (Not his miracles, but his authority to forgive sins).

The woman with curvature of the spine (13:10-17)

Only found in Luke’s Gospel.

The Bible indicates that some sickness is the result of personal sin, as may have been the case with the man we considered in the last section.

At other times, though by no means always, it may be caused by the activity of Satan, as the next passage clearly shows:

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,

11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.

12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity”.

13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not the Sabbath”.

15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?

16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?

 

This passage, like the last we considered, describes a confrontation between Jesus and the religious authorities of that day.

Again the passage is used to demonstrate Jesus’ authority, this time to heal on the Sabbath. It also shows the rejection of that authority by the Jewish leaders to whom Luke intends the parable of the fig tree in verses 6-9 to be a warning.

This shows that the main purpose of the passage may not have been to teach about healing as such, but to highlight again the failure of the Jewish authorities to recognise who Jesus was, and to show Jesus’ righteous indignation at man-made regulations which only brought God’s people into bondage.

Nevertheless, there are several aspects of the story which enlighten us with regard to healing:

 

• Here is an example, similar to the case of the healing of Peter’smother-in-law, where it is Jesus, not the sick person who takes the initiative (v.12).
• There is no mention of faithon the part of the woman. Jesus heals her as soon as he sees her (v.12). This is another indication of Jesus’ willingness to heal.
• There is no suggestion that the sickness was caused by sin. It was caused by ‘a spirit’ (v. 11) acting as an agent of Satan(v. 16). This is not demon-possession. Jesus does not cast it out. He does not address the spirit, he speaks to the woman, tells her she is free and lays hands on her. Immediately she is healed.
• However, more important than the cause of the sickness is the clear implication that as one of God’s people the womanhad a right to be healed (v. 16).
• The passage clearly shows that compassionis more important than legalism. Compare Luke 14:1-6 where Jesus heals a man suffering from dropsy on the Sabbath and leaves the Pharisees and legal experts speechless!

The ten lepers (17:11-19)

This story, too, is only found in Luke’s Gospel. He tells us that as Jesus was going to Jerusalem, travelling along the border between Samaria and Galilee, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance, as lepers were required to, and called out in a loud voice, Jesus, Master, have pity on us! Then Luke tells us:

 

14 When Jesus saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests”. And as they went, they were cleansed.

15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.

16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him – and he was a Samaritan.17 Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?

18 Was no-one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”19 Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well”.

 

Note:

 

The failure of the Jews to recognise Jesus for who he was. The nine Jewish lepers who were healed and yet failed to come back to give thanks may well be taken to symbolise the ingratitude of Israel as a whole, despite the many blessings which Jesus brought to them.

 

One obvious lesson from this story, therefore, is the importance of gratitude.

 

The importance of faith.

This is seen in the lepers’ initial plea for pity. It implies that they believed Jesus could help them.

Furthermore, Jesus’ instruction, which is given before they are healed, that they must go and show themselves to the priest (cf. Matthew 8:4 where the leper is told to go after Jesus has healed him), surely implies the demand that they should act in faith. It is only as they go that they are cleansed (v. 14).

Jesus’ last words to the grateful Samaritan leper, Rise and go; your faith has made you well.

 

Jesus’ statement here[1] is identical to what he said when speaking to the woman whose bleeding was healed when she touched his cloak (Mark 5:34). There we suggested that Mark might have intended us to understand that the woman received more than healing for her body. At the very least, we argued, Mark was using a miracle of healing as an illustration of salvation, and it seems likely that this is also Luke’s intention in the story of the grateful leper.

 

Conclusion

• Jesus performed his healings by the power of the Spirit and as he was led by the Spirit. This is where his authority sprang from.
• The forgiveness of sins is more important than the healing of the body.
• Some sicknesses may be caused by personal sin. Others may be inflicted by Satan.
• Faith features strongly in healing. It is sometimes the faith of the sick person, but it may be the faith of friends. Sometimes that faith is tested. In some cases faith is not mentioned at all.
• Miracles of healing may be powerful illustrations of God’s saving power. This may indicate that in some sense healing is a part of salvation. (Next time)

 

In his Gospel Mark tells us how great crowds followed Jesus.

 

In 1:28 we read that because of his miracles, news about him spread quickly over the whole region

 

1:32-34 the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door and Jesus healed many who had various diseases.

 

2:2     So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door…

 

2:13   A large crowd came to him and he began to teach them.

 

3:7     A large crowd from Galilee followed

 

3:9     Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready….

 

3:32   A crowd was sitting around him…

 

4:1     The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat…

 

That brings us to 5:21, where again we read that a large crowd had gathered.

But, of course, crowds are made up of individuals, and in this passage Mark tells us of two of individuals who were part of the crowd.

 

Read Mark 5:21-43 – A Dead Girl & a Sick Woman 

 

Jairus and the woman we have just read about are examples. Their needs represent the needs of many in the crowd, and the needs of many even today – perhaps even your need.

 

The differences between them

 

Jairus had everything                         The woman had everything against her

Man                                                   Woman

named                                               unnamed

ruler of synagogue                            excluded from synagogue

health and wealth                              sickness and poverty

 

Despite these differences, there was so much they had in common:
What they had in common

 

Both faced insoluble problems

 

Jairus daughter was dead (v35)

The woman was beyond medical help (v26)

 

What to do when you face an insoluble problem

 

Humble yourself in submission to Jesus

 

Jairus fell at his feet (v22)                  She fell at his feet (v33)

 

Put your trust completely in him

To the woman Jesus says, Daughter, your faith has healed you (v34)

(It’s never too late with Jesus – even after 12 years – both had a 12 year old

problem!))

 

To Jairus he says, Don’t be afraid; just keep on believing (Gk) (v36)

(This shows he must have had faith right from the start – although not mentioned)

 

The reward for faith – problems solved

 

The woman, the moment she reached out in faith and touched him (v29)

Jairus’ faith, however was tested – keep on believing (v36)

 

But Jesus does more than solve problems

 

He gives:

 

(to the woman, v 34)

 

ACCEPTANCE (daughter)

PEACE (shalom)

FREEDOM (be freed)

SALVATION (sozo = save)

 

NEW LIFE (v42)    (to Jairus’ daughter)

[Below is the chapter from the book, Just a Taste of Heaven, on which this podcast is based]

 

In the last chapter, as we considered various causes of sickness, we noted that, since Christ’s death on the cross both atoned for sin and won a victory over Satan, it is possible to understand that healing from sickness is a result of his redemptive work on the cross.  But that is not to say that he died for our sicknesses in the same way that he died for our sins as some teach. I have discussed this doctrine fully elsewhere[1], so in this chapter I will simply give a brief explanation of the doctrine and then summarise my findings with regard to two ‘proof-texts’ that are commonly used to support it.

Explanation of the Doctrine

The doctrine that Jesus died for our sicknesses as well as our sins probably originated in the Holiness Movement in America towards the end of the nineteenth century[2].   It was adopted by the early Pentecostals and forms part of the basis of faith of many major Pentecostal denominations today[3].   It also forms part of the teachings of the Faith movement[4]. In its simplest form the doctrine may be defined as follows:

The view that Christians may claim healing from sickness on the grounds that Christ has already carried that sickness for them just as he has carried their sins[5].

 

At first sight this teaching seems very attractive. All you have to do is claim your healing by faith and you will be healed! But on closer investigation it becomes clear that there are great difficulties with it, and various modifications have been suggested[6].  We will consider this in more detail later, but in this chapter we will simply examine the two major ‘proof – texts’ that are used to support this doctrine, Matthew 8.17 and 1 Peter 2.24.

The argument from Matthew 8:17

Put quite simply, the argument is as follows:

1. Matthew 8:16 records that Jesus healed all the sick.
2. Matthew 8:17 tells us that he did this to fulfil Isaiah 53:4.
3. But the NT shows us elsewhere that Isaiah 53 is a prophecy of the crucifixion.
4. Therefore Jesus carried our sicknesses on the cross as well as our sins.

 

However, although points 1-3 of the above argument are correct, the conclusion (point 4) is not valid. The difficulty with it is that in this passage Matthew does not use the quote from Isaiah to refer to the cross.   He says it was fulfilled in Jesus’ healing ministry long before he died on the cross. Matthew deals with Jesus’ death on the cross in Chapters 26-27 and nowhere in these chapters does he suggest that Jesus died for our sicknesses. Here in Chapter 8 he is describing events that took place during Jesus’ healing ministry in Galilee about three years before his death. But to explain this further we need to look at the context of Matthew 8:17 in a little more detail.

 

Matthew 8:17 – its immediate context

Matthew 8: 16-17 tells us that Jesus cast out evil spirits and healed all the sick in order to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah 53:4, He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.   Earlier in the chapter Matthew has given us some specific examples of Jesus’ healing ministry – the leper (vv. 1-4), the centurion’s servant (vv. 5-13), Peter’s mother-in-law (vv. 14-15).   Verse 16 may well be intended as a summary of these healings and others like them which he performed that evening. Then, in verse 17 he tells us that Jesus did all this to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah 53:4, which he quotes. But why does he do this?

The most natural way to interpret his use of this verse is to understand the quote to be a confirmation that Jesus was fulfilling his role of healing the sick in accordance with prophecy about the ministry of the Messiah. But this raises very important questions like why Matthew wrote his gospel, and why and how he uses Old Testament quotations[7] like the one in verse 17.

 

Why did Matthew write his Gospel?

Certain distinctive characteristics in Matthew indicate that his major purpose in writing his Gospel was connected with the needs of the Jewish people of his day[8].    This is evident from:

• Matthew’s portrayal of Jesusas the fulfilment of OT hopes
• his application of OT texts to the life and ministryof Jesus
• his attitude to OT lawand to the tradition of Jewish scribal teaching
• his accounts of Jesus’ confrontation with the official representatives of the Jewishnation and religion
• his understanding of the Christianchurch with respect to Judaism
• his use of OT quotations (of which Matthew 8:17 is one).

 

Now the fact that Matthew is writing largely for the Jewish people of his day is highly relevant to a correct understanding of Matthew 8:17, as this is one example among many of how Matthew quotes the Old Testament to prove that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah because he is the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. To understand this further, we need to consider now his use of what have been called formula quotations.

 

Matthew’s use of ‘formula’ quotations from the OT

There are ten quotations[9] in which Matthew includes the ‘formula’

that what was spoken by the prophet might be fulfilled

or

then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet.

 

Matthew uses these because he is seeking to present Jesus as the fulfilment of all of Israel’s hopes and ideals and in so doing to show the Jews of his day that Jesus is the Messiah. So, because the Jews expected the Messiah to be one who would heal the sick, Matthew uses Isaiah 53:4 as evidence that the healing ministry of Jesus showed that he was the one they had been waiting for.

And, as we have already seen, since Matthew does not apply this scripture to Jesus’ death on the cross but to his healing the sick in Galilee, there is really no basis for saying that he is teaching us that Jesus died for our sicknesses as well as our sins, unless, of course we understand him to be pointing forward to the cross on the grounds that he is writing after the cross. However, if that were so, why doesn’t he explain this teaching more clearly and mention it while he is narrating the story of the crucifixion in Chapters 26-27? Moreover, as LFW Woodford has pointed out[10], it is noteworthy that whenever Matthew uses a ‘formula’ quotation

he draws upon the scriptures quoted in order to relate their fulfilment to the actual events there and then recorded, as (e.g.) the Virgin Birth… In this passage (8:17) Matthew was not referring to our Lord’s coming passion when he drew upon this quotation, but he was referring to the actual events he was then describing.

 

This fact strongly suggests that Matthew is not pointing us forward to the cross at all, and the obvious way to read Matthew 8:17 is to understand him as saying that Isaiah 53:4 was fulfilled in Jesus’ healing ministry, not on the cross.  But that leads us to another ‘proof-text’ that is often used to support the doctrine that Jesus carried our sicknesses on the cross – 1 Peter 2:24.

The argument from 1 Peter 2:24

The last part of 1 Peter 2:24 states, By his wounds you were healed. In this section we will consider why it’s important to understand this correctly. I am going to argue, as I mentioned in Chapter 2, that the word healed in this verse is used metaphorically and should not be taken literally to apply to the healing of disease. A simple look at the context will show this very clearly.

Peter’s first letter was written at a time when the church was undergoing persecution and its main theme could be summarised as suffering now, future glory. This is seen in several passages such as 1:6-7, 11; 4:12-13, 19; 5:10. At no point in the letter does Peter discuss sickness or divine healing. 1 Peter 2:24 is part of a passage which encourages Christians to be submissive to those who are in authority (2:13 – 3:6).   This passage falls naturally into three sections which deal in turn with:

1. submission to rulers(2:13-17)
2. submission to masters(2:18-25)
3. submission to husbands(3:1-6).

 

We will deal with (1) briefly as it serves as an introduction to (2) which we will deal with in detail. We will not need to consider (3).

 

Submission to rulers (2:13-17)

Peter says that as Christians we are to submit ourselves to those in authority so that by our good behaviour we may put to silence those who accuse us (vv. 13-17).   We are free, but we must not use our freedom as an excuse for doing wrong, for despite our freedom we are God’s slaves (v.16).   So we submit to those in authority because we are submitted to God. It is for the Lord’s sake that we submit to authority, no matter what form that authority may take (v.13).

 

Submission to masters (2:18-25)

From the previous section we see that submission to human authority is an expression of our submission to divine authority. This should enable us meekly to accept the decisions of those who have authority over us.   At the time that Peter was writing, this was of special relevance to slaves[11] and Peter speaks to them specifically in verses 18-25 telling them to submit to their masters even if they are harsh.   It’s quite likely that they will have to put up with unfair treatment and will suffer unjustly (vv. 19-20). If this occurs they are to remember that they are called by Christ’s own example to endure it (vv.20 – 21)[12]. Jesus is the supreme example of an innocent person who suffered unjustly!

There is no suggestion in these verses that Christians do not need to suffer because Christ has already suffered for them.   Quite the opposite is indicated.   The Christian who suffers for doing good must endure it patiently knowing that this is God’s will for him, for Christ himself has set an example for him to follow (vv.20 – 21)[13].

Verses 22-25 (cf. Isaiah 53) set forth the sufferings of Christ as the supreme example of the innocent suffering unjustly. They demonstrate the principle, already stated in v.21, that Christ’s sufferings are an example for the Christian to follow. The statements that:

• Christwas innocent (v. 22),
• he refused to retaliate or complain (v.23),
• he committed of himself to God(v.23)

are all clearly intended as an example and an encouragement to the Christian slave who is suffering unjust punishment.   Furthermore, such an interpretation of these verses is completely in harmony with the teaching concerning suffering elsewhere in the letter[14].

But Christ’s innocence, his non-retaliation, and his committing himself to God are not the only encouragement to the Christian who is suffering unjust punishment. He is encouraged even more by the results of Christ’s suffering. Jesus’ death was not in vain! It purchased our salvation!

The sense of purposelessness felt by those enduring unjustly inflicted suffering is softened for the Christian by the realisation that Christ’s sufferings were by no means without purpose. Verses 24-25 remind us of this.   Christ’s sufferings were redemptive.   The innocent slave who is unjustly beaten by his master is reminded that Christ too was unjustly punished, but not without purpose for Christ bore our sins that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (v.24) and as a result the wandering sheep has returned to the shepherd (v.25).   Perhaps the slave might understand that his suffering too is not without a purpose, even though he might not understand what that purpose might be. Nevertheless, although there is no suggestion here that the slaves’ suffering might be redemptive in the sense that Christ’s suffering is redemptive, the suggestion might well be that by following Christ’s example in enduring unjust suffering meekly the slaves might, by their Christ-like attitude, win others to Christ (Cf. the instruction to wives in 3:1).

But that brings us now to by whose wounds you were healed which we are seeking to understand. To do so correctly we must bear in mind the context. Peter is presenting to slaves, who were sometimes unjustly treated, the example of Christ whose suffering provides the pattern for all who suffer unjustly.  And the relevance of the phrase by whose wounds you were healed in a passage addressed to slaves who were sometimes unjustly flogged is obvious.

The word translated as wounds is mōlōps which means a bruise, scar, or weal left by a lash and describes a physical condition with which the slaves were very familiar.  To slaves who were unjustly beaten Peter points out that Christ too was beaten, and because of the wounds inflicted upon him they have been ‘healed’.  The fact that Peter says you were healed rather than we are healed (Isaiah 53:5) highlights the fact that it is particularly the slaves who are addressed here for it is for them that the use of the word mōlōps (wounds) is especially significant.

But in what sense had the slaves been ‘healed’?   Peter obviously intends them to understand here the forgiveness of their sins. He is talking about ‘healing’ from the wounds of sin. This is clear from the following facts:

 

• Immediately before this Peterhas said that Christ bore our sins that we might die to sin and live to righteousness
• He uses the conjunction for in verse 25 thus identifying their ‘healing’ in verse 24 as what took place when as sheep going astray they returned to the shepherd (v.25). The fact that no such conjunction is found in Isaiah53:6 may indicate that Peter is especially stressing this connection and certainly suggests that the ‘healing’ referred to is spiritual[15]. You were healed is undoubtedly a reference to the slaves’ conversion.

 

Furthermore, to seek to understand the ‘healing’ as physical seems to be totally inappropriate.   There is no reference to the healing of disease anywhere in the epistle, let alone in the immediate context. The ‘healing’ referred to clearly means a spiritual wholeness which results from Christ’s bearing our sins on the cross and our return, as sheep who had gone astray, to the shepherd and guardian of our souls. The passage is, in fact, an encouragement to Christians to endure suffering, not a means of escape from it.

 

Conclusion

In this chapter we have shown that Matthew takes Isaiah 53:4 and applies it to healing, but NOT the cross.   Peter takes Isaiah 53:5 and applies it to the cross, but NOT to physical healing.   This means that neither verse supports the teaching that Jesus died for sickness as well as sin. However, as I have already suggested, there is a sense in which healing may be understood to be in the atonement[16], but that does not mean that Jesus died for our sicknesses just as he died for our sins.

In fact, when taken to an extreme, this doctrine can be very dangerous. For example, if we understand, as some do, that By his wounds you were healed (1 Peter 2:24) means that Jesus’ death was our healing and that, therefore, we cannot really be sick because Jesus has already healed us by his death, we are led into denying that we are sick and claiming that we are already ‘healed’, when in fact we may be seriously ill and in need of medical treatment. There are even cases of people who have died prematurely because of this very thing[17].

That is why it is extremely important that we understand that By his wounds you were healed is, as I have already demonstrated, a reference to the slaves’ conversion when, because Jesus had died for their sins, they were healed from the spiritual wounds that sin inflicts and returned to the Shepherd of their souls.

As we turn now to what the New Testament teaches about healing we will consider first the ministry of Jesus as it is revealed in the four Gospels. We will take representative examples from each. In Matthew’s Gospel I have chosen the healings recorded in Matthew 8:1-17 because:

• After the general statement about Jesus’ healings in Matthew 4, this is the first record of specific healings found in Matthew.
• The passage appears to be fairly representative of the healings of Jesus recorded in Matthew.
• The specific healings recorded can teach us much about Jesus’ healing ministry.
• The passage concludes with the controversial quote from Isaiah 53 to which we shall return when we discuss healing in relation to the atonement in Part Two of this book.

 

This passage records the healing of a man with leprosy (vv.1-4), the healing of a centurion’s servant (vv. 5-13), and the healing of many, including Peter’s mother-in-law (vv. 14-17). We will deal with each of these in turn.

 

The Man with Leprosy (vv.1-4)

After the teaching Jesus gave in chapters 5-7, which is often referred to as The Sermon on the Mount, large crowds followed him as he came down from the mountainside (8:1). Then Matthew tells us that:

A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean”. Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing”, he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy (vv. 2-3).

 

To appreciate the full significance of this it is important that we understand certain things about leprosy. It was a highly contagious disease which at that time was medically incurable. Consequently lepers were the outcasts of society, being forced to live apart for fear that others might catch the disease (Leviticus 13:46).

The first thing to notice here is that the leper did not doubt Jesus’ ability to heal, but he was unsure if Jesus would be willing. His faith that Jesus could heal him was probably based on what he had already heard of Jesus’ miracle working ministry described briefly by Matthew in 4:23-24. It is sometimes said that to be healed we need to believe not only that God can heal us but also that he will. But the Bible nowhere states this and the leper’s healing seems to contradict such teaching.

Secondly, Jesus’ reply to the leper is noteworthy. I am willing, he says. In fact, his willingness to heal is evident right through this passage as we shall see when we come to examine the other healings recorded in Matthew 8. Indeed it is evident throughout the Gospels. However, it is especially noticeable here, as the leper is the only person mentioned in the New Testament who asks the Lord to heal him if it is his will. The fact that Jesus responds in the way he does, affirming that it is his will to heal, must surely suggest that that when praying for the sick we should always assume that it is God’s will to heal, for as we have said, in the person and ministry of Jesus we have the final revelation of the nature and purpose of God.

Next, it is important to notice the compassion of Jesus. He touches the leper! This was contrary to the Levitical law, but for Jesus love is the fulfilment of the law. It is difficult to imagine the emotional impact that his touch would have made upon the leper. We do not know how long he had had the disease, but ever since he contracted it few if any would have touched him. Now Jesus touches him. This may simply indicate that his power was often conveyed by a touch – cf. the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law in v. 15 – but it seems also to demonstrate Jesus’ love and concern for the marginalised in society.

But, of course, it is one thing to have compassion on the sick and to be willing to heal them. It is quite another to have the power to do so. As we will see in the next section, Jesus was a man under authority and his power to heal was directly related to that authority. He only acted in obedience to his Father. On one occasion, when challenged about his authority to heal, he replied:

I tell you the truth. The Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees the Father doing (John 5:19).

 

This was the secret of his authority and the power of his word. He lived in submission to his Father and he knew his Father’s will. So now to the leper he says, Be clean! And he is clean – immediately! One word from the Master is enough. When he commands, it is so! In fact, throughout this chapter, as we will see, Matthew is emphasising the power of the word of Jesus (cf. vv. 8, 16).

Finally, Jesus commands the man:

See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded as a testimony to them (v. 4).

 

See that you don’t tell anyone presumably means ‘Don’t tell anyone about this before you see the priest’. It cannot mean that he was never to tell anyone in the light of the words as a testimony to them later in the verse.

The instruction to go to the priest was in line with the command concerning lepers given in Leviticus 14:2-32. It was the priest who would certify the cure. So, as a testimony to them probably means ‘as evidence that you have been healed and may therefore be restored to the community rather than living apart’. Jesus was not just concerned with the man’s physical condition, but with his social and spiritual needs too. His healing meant full reintegration into society and admission to the synagogue from which he had been barred as unclean.

The Faith of the Centurion (vv. 5-13)

In the next passage Matthew records the healing of a centurion’s servant. He says:

5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him asking for help. 6 “Lord”, he said, “my servant lies at home paralysed and in terrible suffering. 7 Jesus said to him, “I will go and heal him”.  8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 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” (Matthew 8:5-9).

 

On hearing this Jesus was amazed at the man’s faith (v.10) and told him, Go! It will be done just as you believed it would and his servant was healed at that very hour (v.13).

In some ways this passage teaches us lessons similar to those learnt from the healing of the leper. We notice again:

• Jesus’ willingness to heal (v. 7)
• The power of his word (vv. 8, 13)
• The immediacy of the healing (v. 13)

However, there are some added features in this story which are of great importance. These include:

• Jesus’ willingnessto heal a Gentile
• The secret of Jesus’ authority
• The role of faith.

Jesus’ willingness to heal a Gentile (vv. 7-8)

During his earthly life Jesus’ healing ministry was confined almost exclusively to Israel. This is clear from the record of his healings in the Gospels and from his statement in Matthew 15:24, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. However, when Gentiles came to him in faith he granted their request. When a Canaanite woman came to him asking for help for her daughter who was suffering terribly (Matthew 15:21-28), Jesus was amazed at her faith and healed her daughter, like the centurion’s servant, at a distance.

In the case of the centurion, Jesus actually states that he has not found anyone in Israel with such great faith (Matthew 8:10). He goes on to say:

I say to you that many will come from the east and west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside… (Matthew 8:11-12).

 

This wonderfully illustrates the truth, later to be so clearly stated by the apostle Paul in his letters to the Galatians and Romans, that it is not our nationality or our physical ancestry which pleases God and makes us one of his children, but our faith. The healing of the centurion’s servant, therefore, points us forward to the end of the Gospel where Jesus, having died for the sins of the world, would commission his followers to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).

 

 

The secret of Jesus’ authority (vv. 8-9)

Jesus was amazed at the centurion’s faith apparently because he believed that Jesus could not only heal, but heal at a distance (v.8)! He also seemed to understand that one word from Jesus was enough. His reason for saying this was simple. He recognised that Jesus was a man under divine authority. As a Roman centurion he had one hundred men under his command. But his authority over those men sprang from the fact that he himself was under authority (v.9). If he had rebelled against the authority of the general at the head of his legion he would have been stripped of his rank and would have lost his authority over his men. He understood that to have authority one must first be under authority.

The fact that Matthew quotes the centurion in detail here shows that he intends us to understand that the centurion had accurately assessed the reason for Jesus’ authority. Jesus could do the miraculous things he did because he lived the whole of his life under the authority of his Father. Satan had tempted him to submit to his authority (Matthew 4:9) promising all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would do so, but Jesus resisted the temptation and submitted himself to God’s will, even to death on a cross. That’s why, when he had finally accomplished the Father’s purpose, he was raised from the dead and could say in Matthew 28:18,

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me!

The lesson is clear. If we want to have authority, we must be under God’s authority. We cannot take it. It must be given us by God. And he will only give it to those who are submitted to him.

The role of faith (vv. 10, 13)

The role of faith in healing is an extremely important subject and we will discuss it in more detail in Part Two of this book. For the present it will be helpful to draw a simple comparison between the healing of the leper and the healing of the centurion’s servant. In this connection, two things are noteworthy:

1. We noticed in the story of the healing of the leper that the man’s faith was limited to the belief that Jesus could heal him. He was not sure that he would. The centurion, however, clearly believed that his servant would be healed (v. 13).
2. In the case of the leper, it was the sick person himself who was exercising faith. In the story of the centurion’s servant the faith was exercised by the centurion, not by the sick servant.

This seems to suggest that, although faith is clearly an important element in healing, it would be unwise to be dogmatic as to how much faith is necessary for healing or who needs to exercise it. Interestingly, as we shall see in a moment, in the case of the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, faith is not mentioned at all!

Jesus heals many (vv14-17)

In the final section of the passage we are considering, Matthew records the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, followed by a summary of how, later in the day, Jesus healed all who were sick. This, he says, was to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah 53:4,

He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.

As we have already mentioned, there is no mention of faith in the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. Matthew simply tells us:

When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on them (vv.14-15).

 

In Luke’s account we are told that it was a high fever and that Jesus bent over her. He also says that Jesus rebuked the fever (Luke 4:39). Matthew’s version, however, is rather more dramatic. Jesus comes in, sees the woman, touches her hand, and she gets well. By expressing it this way Matthew is emphasising again Jesus’ total authority. His touch, like his word, is enough. The healing is immediate and complete. She gets up and begins to wait on them.

In the evening, we are told, they brought many who were demon-possessed to him and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick (v. 16). Although, as we shall see later, there is sometimes a connection between demons and sickness, there is no need to assume that all sickness is caused by demons. In Matthew 4:24 a distinction is made between demon-possession and other afflictions, and here in 8:16 the natural way to read the verse is to understand that two distinct activities were taking place – demons were being cast out and the sick were being healed.

Two things are significant here. First, the demons were cast out with a word. It only takes one word from the Man with authority. Out! And the demons flee. So again Matthew is emphasising the power of the word of Jesus. Secondly, he stresses that Jesus healed all who were sick. This is a common theme in Matthew (cf. 4:23-24, 9:35). It undoubtedly provides further evidence of his willingness to heal. So in two short verses Matthew repeats the theme that we have already noted – Christ’s power to heal the sick and his willingness to do so.

But in verse 17 Matthew adds another reason. Jesus heals the sick in order to fulfil what was prophesied in the Old Testament. Jesus is portrayed throughout Matthew as the fulfilment of all Israel’s hopes and ideals and Matthew quotes frequently from the Old Testament to show that Jesus is the One for whom they had been so long waiting.

Later we will consider in more detail the significance of this quotation when we discuss whether Jesus carried our sickness on the cross. For now it should be sufficient to point out that Matthew does not quote Isaiah 53 in the context of Jesus’ atoning death, but of his healing ministry in Galilee.

Conclusion

In this short passage from Matthew’s Gospel we have learnt many lessons about healing. Because Jesus was always submitted to his Father’s authority, and because he came to demonstrate the love and compassion of God, he was both willing and able with a simple word of command, to heal all who came to him, whether Jew or Gentile, and where necessary to make possible their reintegration into society. In doing so he demonstrated that he truly was the Christ. More importantly, he revealed the loving heart of God for suffering humanity.