It was a crisp morning in Galilee as Jesus walked along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The soft lapping of the waves and the gentle breeze carried the voices of the people that had begun to gather…
A young mother cradled her infant, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded, “Master, please heal my baby!”
A weather-beaten fisherman limped forward, “Rabbi, I beg you, restore my strength so I can provide for my family.”
One by one, the sick, the outcast, and the hopeless approached Jesus. Their eyes held a glimmer of faith that maybe, just maybe, this teacher from Nazareth could bring wholeness to their broken lives.
Jesus looked upon them with deep compassion. He knew He hadn’t come to merely teach or demonstrate His power.
No, the Son of God had a greater mission—to reveal the unchanging will of His Father through His ministry on earth.
Jesus Healed All Who Came
The gospel accounts provide a stunning testimony of Jesus’ healing ministry. Whenever He traveled throughout Galilee preaching the good news, great multitudes brought their sick.
“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages…healing every sickness and every disease among the people.”
Matthew 9:35 (NKJV)
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These weren’t isolated cases or mere demonstrations of His deity. No, Jesus healed all who came–the lame, the blind, the demon-possessed.
The Gospel of Luke records:
“18 And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.”
Luke 6:18-19 (KJV)
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His ministry clearly revealed the heart of the Father—wholeness for humanity. Jesus didn’t turn anyone away or explain that healing wasn’t God’s will for them.
He simply looked upon them, spoke the word, touched them, and supernatural restoration flowed.
Jesus Imparted Healing Authority
But the healing ministry wasn’t just for Jesus alone. He gave His closest followers, the twelve disciples, the very same miracle-working authority.
“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power…to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.”
Matthew 10:1 (KJV)
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Later, Jesus appointed seventy others and “sent them two by two before his face into every city…” with the same remarkable ability to “heal the sick” (Luke 10:1,9).
Jesus could have kept this power to Himself, yet He willingly transferred heaven’s authority to His disciples.
Why? So they could continue to manifest God’s heart for wholeness, revealing it was His will for all to be healed.
Healing Is God’s Perfect Will
The religious leaders condemned Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, but He made it clear—this was the perfect will of the Father being revealed.
When Jesus healed the man born blind, the Pharisees became indignant. But Jesus rebuked them, declaring, “…that the works of God should be made manifest in him” (John 9:3).
After healing the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus explained:
“My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”
John 5:17 (KJV)
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Divine healing wasn’t some temporary demonstration. It was the Father’s perpetual work being made visible through the Son.
Healing didn’t just point to God’s power, it put His unwavering desire for wholeness on display.
As the gospel of Matthew records, “…great multitudes…glorified the God of Israel” when they witnessed the blind seeing, the lame walking, and the mute speaking (Matthew 15:31).
Sickness, suffering, and death bring dishonor to God. But healing, the very evidence of His compassionate heart, causes all to praise our remarkable Creator.
When Healing Seems Delayed
Of course, we can’t ignore the reality that although healing is God’s will, it doesn’t always manifest instantly. Even in Jesus’ ministry, there were instances where people’s needs weren’t met right away.
Take the famous account of the Syrophoenician woman who desperately sought deliverance for her daughter from demonic oppression. At first, Jesus seemed unresponsive to her pleas (Mark 7:24-30).
But she persisted in faith, boldly declaring, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.” Jesus commended her unwavering faith saying, “For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.”
The delay wasn’t a denial that healing is God’s will. Rather, it was an opportunity for even greater faith to arise and bring glory to God’s power.
We can be encouraged by Jesus’ interactions with the centurion and the nobleman in John 4:46-52. Though his son was deathly ill, Jesus simply spoke the word, and he was instantly made whole.
When we follow Jesus’ example to persistently hold to God’s Word as final authority, no matter our circumstances, we’ll experience His promise:
“…thy faith hath made thee whole.”
Mark 5:34 (KJV)
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Key Takeaways:
- Jesus’ ministry of healing all who came revealed the Father’s unchanging desire for wholeness.
- He imparted the same miracle-working power to His disciples to continue this healing ministry.
- Divine healing glorifies God as the source of wholeness, life, and restoration.
- Though delays may come, persisting in faith according to God’s Word produces the manifestation.
Conclusion
The ministry of Jesus Christ shines as a brilliant revelation of the heavenly Father’s will for all people—nothing less than complete healing, deliverance, and abundant life.
As we follow His example to persistently agree with and act on God’s healing Word, we can expect to experience the unleashing of God’s resurrection power in our lives and on the earth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Doesn’t sickness sometimes serve a purpose in God’s plan?
A. Based on Jesus’ example and teachings, sickness is never the will of God. It’s the result of mankind’s fall and the operation of Satan, the “thief” whose aim is to “steal, kill and destroy.” (John 10:10).
Jesus healed all who came specifically because “God anointed Him…to preach deliverance to the captives…recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” (Luke 4:18).
Sickness binds and oppresses, which is contrary to God’s will.
Q. If healing is God’s will, why aren’t more Christians experiencing it?
A. Jesus made it clear that healing, like any other promise, requires the response of faith (Mark 5:34). Though it grieves God’s heart, many simply have not renewed their minds to understand and agree with His will from the Word.
Jesus could only do a few mighty works in Nazareth because of their unbelief (Mark 6:5-6). When we persistently agree with God’s Word concerning healing and press in with unwavering faith healing power will be released to restore us back to health.
Q. Aren’t there some sicknesses that God uses to teach people His ways?
A. While God can bring good from any circumstance, Scripture never indicates that He authors sickness or uses it as a tool of teaching.
When Jesus encountered the man born blind, His disciples asked if it was due to sin. But Jesus refuted this notion, saying:
“Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”
John 9:3 (KJV)
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Later, the man testified of Jesus:
“Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.”
John 9:32 (KJV)
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Again, Jesus manifested the Father’s heart of wholeness.
