Biblical Reflections on Healing
“And Jesus went all about Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people”-Mt. 4:23
If we were asked what appeared to be the second most important aspect of Jesus’ earthly ministry, after teaching/preaching, according to the gospels, most would accurately conclude that it was indeed healing – healing of the body, healing of the mind. In fact, I would dare to suggest that even the Sermon on the Mount, was a prophetic call for social healing amongst individuals and community.
The gospel gives us many accounts of Jesus healings. Many of those that were seeking healing from Jesus were not required to do anything special prior to approaching Jesus. All they needed to do was get to Jesus, ask him, believing that he could, and he healed them. It required nothing else on their part, evensomuch that often, family members and friends came on behalf of their sick loved ones. He healed them too. Scripture leaves even the skeptic doubtless concerning this intricately woven part of Jesus’ ministry. They sought, they asked, he healed.
But then we get to a slightly different approach to how Jesus normally handles things in Jn. 5:1-8. For the first time, Jesus, asks the individual in need of healing, if he desires to be healed? Stumped, I asked aloud, why would Jesus ask this disabled man this, of course he wanted to be healed, who doesn’t? Right? The very fact that this was the first time we see in the gospels that Jesus approached someone to heal them first caused me to take a deeper look at the situation. The first thing I noticed was that the man had not only been ill for a long time but had also been lying at the healing pool for a long time. My following thoughts became questions? Why so long? How could a person be in the vicinity of healing yet miss it for so long? Verse 3 tells us that there were many more like him that obviously were healed, so why not him? I believe the answer lies in the Q and A exchange between Jesus and the man.
The question that Jesus asks the man put the responsibility of accepting healing in the disabled mans’ own hands. “Do you will or desire to be healed and whole”? The answer demands a desire effort. Though often used interchangeably in the church, I believe that it is beneficial for us to understand that there is a difference between being delivered and being healed. Deliverance is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as: rescue from bondage or danger. To be healed is defined by the American Heritage Dictionary as: becoming whole, sound, and returned back to health. “Do You Want To Be Healed/Whole”? This is a seemingly strange question to ask a paralytic. Perchance, the question was addressing something deeper than his physical state.
Many times we want to be delivered from situations, heart breaks, and even people. But we do not always desire to be healed or whole from our emotional wounds, our dominating but wrong opinions, and even our characteristic flaws. When God delivers us, he is removing us from the situation, and from dangerous effects that come along with it at that present time. But when God heals us, God is literally, removing that desire, enjoyment and addiction for that illness, sin, habit from out of us. However, unlike being delivered, which God can and has done for us without our involvement or even at our request, in order for God to heal us, we must participate by admitting that we are ill, are in need of and desire to be healed. Truth be told, many of the emotional and characteristic illnesses that we have we blame others for; it’s always “them”. Now I understand why Jesus was asking this man if he “will, want, desire” to be healed.
You would think after so many years in his state, the crippled man would have answered YES right away. But perhaps he was negative thinker, always expecting the worse. Perhaps his own pessimism kept him from reaching the healing pool for as long as it did. Sometimes being healed, whole and free is scary, because it usually changes every aspect of our lives but it’s something that will only occur when we are truly ready. Each one of have been wounded in life, in some way, but when healing opportunities present themselves, let us not be like our brother by the pool, quick to blame others, apprehensive to the healing being offered. Let us readily accept responsible and participation. Healing is available, and it may not always come through the way we expect it to.
Maybe your issue is feelings of defeat, thinking no cares, meanness, distrust, prejudices, selfishness, laziness, jealousy, etc. Question is what is crippling you? And do we desire to be healed? Will we reach for it or will we continue to “deliver” ourselves with excuses and by the blaming of others? Likewise, the church must become desirous to seek and save those by sharing and offering the healing that is provided in Christ. Aside from teaching and preaching, the church must be a concourse for healing, if we are to follow after Christ’s example. But this requires that we admit and accept our own need for healing first. Question then becomes…Do You Desire to See Others Healed?
