“Praise
the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits---who forgives all your
sins and heals your diseases.” (Psalm 103:2-3)
“He
heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)
In
the Scriptures nothing is heard about sickness in the Garden of Eden until
after Adam and Eve sinned, giving a foothold to the devil to afflict, molest
and oppress them. Humankind’s disobedience brought death into this world; for
God had warned: “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must
not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it
you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16)
Did
they die? Yes, though not physically. They died spiritually. They became
separated from God. God’s desire has always been for human beings to live
eternally, but after the fall, the equation changed and God removed His
protective cover. In fact, they lost all privileges and were driven from the
garden. (Genesis 23:23-24)
Whenever
we hear of sickness or suffering be sure the evil one and his demons are at
work; for Jesus said “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;’
(John 10:10) whilst He, Jesus, the Saviour of the world, ‘came to set the
captives free, to release the oppressed’ (Luke 4:8) and to ‘destroy the works
of the devil.’ (1 John 3:8b)
Our
Lord Jesus healed all those who were brought to Him that were sick–-the lame,
the blind, the mute, the demon-oppressed and the diseased--without any
distinction. As He visited towns and villages teaching and preaching, He also
healed the sick. There was no one He turned down. “People brought all their
sick to Him and begged Him to let the sick just touch the edge of His cloak,
and all who touched Him were healed.” (Matthew 14:36) Instances abound. “That
evening after sunset 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.” (Mark 1:32-33) “The blind and the lame came to Him at the temple,
and He healed them all.” (Matthew 21:14)
God
does not toy with sin. God is too pure to look at sin. When He withdraws His
shield, it makes it possible for the devil to oppress and afflict us. Living in
disobedience attracts a penalty; however, when we sincerely repent of our sins,
God will forgive. It is God’s desire that not one of His sheep should be lost,
(John 6:39) but that each would come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy
2:4)
Satan
given permission to afflict Job
God
can permit sickness as He did in the case of Job, that righteous and devout man
from the land of Uz. God showcased the integrity of His servant Job by allowing
Satan to test him. All his possessions were razed to the ground; children,
livestock, properties, you name it----but Job never cursed God. Rather he said;
“...when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10) He was
afflicted with disease, but in spite of the acute pain and suffering, Job never
gave up on God. He was unaware that it was with God’s permission, nevertheless,
God was his ‘present help in time of trouble.’
Healing
on the Sabbath
The
Pharisees (the religious authorities) repeatedly accused Jesus of healing the
sick on the Sabbath. His response was that if they could rescue their sheep
from the pit on a Sabbath how much more good could be done by saving the life
of a human being? (Matthew 12:11-12) On a particular occasion in the temple, as
the Pharisees looked on, He said to a man with a shrivelled hand who he had
encountered in the synagogue “Stretch out your hand!” He stretched it out and
it was completely restored, just as sound as the other.” (Matthew 12:13) This
did not go down well with them and they sought ways to kill Him.
How
much faith do we have to be healed? In Jesus’ days, faith was the essential
ingredient for receiving healing and still is today. We must believe therefore
in the power of the name of Jesus to heal us. Very little healing miracles were
performed in Nazareth, His hometown, because the people knew Him there. He
Himself remarked; ‘No prophet is accepted in his home town.’ (Luke 4:24)
Any
time our Lord Jesus performed a healing miracle it was because He was moved by
compassion (love). At the cross, He purchased healing for humanity with His
blood. “By His wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)
Jesus
is our Healer. Though that was not His principal mission, God gave Him power to
heal. Two thousand years after He left the earth and returned to heaven, His
name is still healing the sick. The reason is that there is power in His name;
“...God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every
name, (anything that has a name be it diabetes, hypertension, malaria) that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
“But
He was pierced for our transgressions (sins), He was crushed for our iniquities
(wrongdoings); the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His
wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
