Let us discuss some common doubts about healing the sick.
1. What is God’s reaction towards our sickness ?
Our God is a healer. He heals our sickness.
Old Testament days-
Exodus 23:25 …And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.
Exodus 15:26 … I am the Lord who heals you.”
Psalm 103:3 ..Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases
New Testament days-
Matthew 8:16 “ When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick,
Mark 6:56 “ Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the market places, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.
Luke 5:15 However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities.
We serve a God who is same yesterday today forever….
2. Did Jesus die for our sickness?
We know Jesus died for our sin but he died for our sickness also.
Old Testament Prophesy-
Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely He has borne our grief’s And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Matthew 8:16-17 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities, And bore our sicknesses.”
1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
Because he died for our sickness you can receive healing and restoration.
3. How many people will God heal ?
Jesus healed all sick people who came to Him.
Matthew 12:15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.
Matthew 14:36 and begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched it were made perfectly well.
Luke 6:19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.
Matthew 8:16-17 When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick
Jesus healed all who came to him. Scripture says He is the same God yesterday –today-forever….
4. What should be believers response towards sickness?
Jesus sent his disciples to preach the gospel also he gave them power and authority to heal the sick. Every disciple of Jesus has got the same power and authority to heal.
Matthew 10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
Luke 9:1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
After the Pentecost, In the book of Acts we found disciples were healing the sick and casting out demons.
Let’s see what Peter did..
Acts 5:16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
In fact Jesus said one of the mark of discipleship is ——-ability to heal the sick
Mark 16:18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
5. Some say ‘ I believe in healing, but I don’t believe that healing is for everyone.’ If it is not for everyone then how can we pray for sick?
Among all who sought healing from Christ during His earthly ministry, there is only one who asked Jesus ‘if it is your will’. There was an outcast leper in mark 1:40, who did not know what is Jesus will for sickness. He asked Jesus- “if you are willing you can make me clean”
Mark 1:40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
The first thing Jesus did was to correct his understanding by saying that He wills. And then he healed that person.
Jesus never said to anyone that it was not His will to heal. Moreover, we find in the scripture as many as approached Him were healed.
6. Is there anyone who was not healed after coming to Jesus or his disciples?
No not even one.
However, there was one an epileptic boy (Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29) who approached the disciples of Jesus for healing. But disciples could not heal him because of lack of faith. So, Jesus had to heal him.
7. Why Jesus could not heal many in his hometown ?
(Mark 6:3-5).
Could Jesus not heal people in His home town. Of course He could. He healed the few who approached him for healing. They looked down at Him and only a few had come to him for healing.
Actually, they had unbelief in their heart and so they did not come to Jesus for healing.
8. Was Apostle Paul sick?
Was Paul sick…No.
2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
In the subsequent verse, God said to Paul…My grace is sufficient for me.
This verse is not about Paul’s sickness. There are four different reasons to understand that.
a. How many times did Jesus tell sick people to go away for his grace is sufficient?
We don’t find it anywhere in the bible. So that is not God’s attitude towards sickness.
b. The expression of “thorn in the flesh” is used both in NT and OT as an illustration as a personality. Both numbers 33:55, Joshua 23:13 the term thorn in the flesh is used as personalities (Canaanite). Paul states that it was a messenger of satan. It was not a sickness.
c. Also “the messenger of Satan to buffet me”. “To buffet” means to deal blow after blow. Harassing work of the devil fits into this description. In 2 Corinthians 12 chapters, Paul was talking about the hardships of his life. But he never mentions sickness there. If he would have been sick, he should have mentioned it there.
So it seems he was either suffering from devil’s harassment or persecution but it was not a sickness.
Did Jesus die for our sins? Yes.
Did he die for our sickness? Yes.
Did He die for our problems? No.
Did he die that we might be free from persecutions? No.
Persecution is a part of life for disciples.
9. Was Timothy sick and apostle Paul could not heal him ?
1 Timothy 5: 23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.
Some people believe Timothy was sick. Paul could not heal him by prayer and so he is advising him for some medication.
But this is not true.
Was timothy sick? Probably. But this verse does not show evidence that he was prayed over and not healed. Probably Paul prayed for him and telling him to change his diet as what he was drinking was not been good to him.
10. When we pray all get healed? What we should do when someone is not healed?
No. Not necessarily.
We need to keep praying and asking God for further guidance.
