Here is a little quiz about the healing miracles of Jesus in the book of Matthew.
- Who most often initiated the healings, Jesus, the person being healed, or somebody else?
- What do we find expressed in nearly every healing story?
- How did Jesus perform the act of healing?
- Why did Jesus heal?
- What needs to be healed now?
Answer #1
In 9 of the 17 stories, we find other people initiating the healing encounter. Healing happens most often, in the book of Matthew, when people bring people to Jesus.
When we are paralyzed, we need to be brought to Jesus by others. When we are blind, we need to be led to Jesus. When your legs can’t carry you to Jesus, your friends can.
There is a place for individuals to seek out Jesus on their own. What we find most often is that healing happens in community.
You can’t heal people. You can bring them to Jesus.
You can’t heal yourself. But you can allow other people to bring you to Jesus.
At a fundamental level, Jesus is the initiator. He created us. He comes to us. It is all his power. But, in these healing stories, Jesus chooses to pass by rather than approach. He chooses to be available rather than be assertive. We find Jesus is present but not pushy. He initiates in all the ways we cannot. Then, in the one way he will not, he looks to us to initiate. He holds back to give us a chance to step forward in faith.
When you feel that God is not acting in your life, it may be that he is calling you to action. His passing may be intended to get you to chase after him. His silence may be an invitation for you to cry out to him.
Answer #2
Other than the general descriptions of the healing of the multitudes and the occasions of casting out demons, there is only one healing story where the expression of faith does not make it into Matthew’s record. The lesson… wherever there is healing there is faith.
There are three ways that we find faith being expressed in these stories that can be helpful to us in expressing our faith.
- Faith is expressed by affirming God’s ability.
- Faith is expressed by describing our situation.
- Faith is expressed by asking of God.
Tell Jesus that you trust his ability. Tell him what is happening in your struggle. Ask him to act. This is the faith that accompanies healing.
Answer #3
Jesus heals by word and by touch.
Here is the breakdown of the 17 healing stories.
- Jesus heals by word only 8 times.
- Jesus heals by touch only 4 times.
- Jesus heals by both word and touch 2 times.
- In two of the stories it is not said how Jesus healed.
The healing word displays Jesus’ authority to heal. The centurion (8:5-13) says that he is a man of authority and when he says the word it happens. The healing word shows Jesus’ authority to heal. It is the authoritative word that spoke creation. It is the word that had authority over the winds and the waves. Jesus heals with a word each time he cast out a demon. When Jesus needs to heal with authority, he speaks a healing word. We also see the authority of Jesus in the results of healing. In nearly every story, after the act of healing it says something like, “and immediately” or “that very moment”. It was not a struggle for Jesus to heal.
The healing touch displays Jesus’ intimacy. There is something required for a touch that is not required for a word; presence. The healing touch shows the intimacy of Jesus. We all know that virtual is not the same as in-person. In the healing touch Jesus shows that he doesn’t keep his distance from hurting people. There is something intimate about touch. If you are holding someone’s hand right now, I am going to guess that you are close to that person. You probably did not meet them this morning. Jesus heals by taking us by the hand.
Answer #4
Jesus didn’t heal to get attention. In fact he says things like, “See that no one knows about it.” (Matthew 9:30-31)
Jesus does not wish to be followed as a miracle worker but as a personal savior. He doesn’t just want a bunch of people excited about what they can get out of him, he wants relationships. He doesn’t want fans, he wants followers. He doesn’t want shallow fame he wants deep faith. He doesn’t want satisfied customers he wants personal relationships. He pushes back on the hype about what he can do for us to help us see more clearly what he can do in us. He doesn’t want us to think that physical healing is more important than spiritual healing. He heals our bodies so that we will trust him to heal our souls.
Matthew 9:6
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.”
Answer #5
That one is not for you to answer. It is for God to answer and reveal to you. Let God put on your heart a conviction about what needs to be healed now. When he does, bring that thing back to him in faith and ask for healing.
Here is the link to the story about Kenley Hall.
https://www.andrews.edu/sem/newsletter/facultystories/this-illness-is-for-the-glory-of-god.html