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CHAPTER 17
JESUS THE HEALER
Introduction
The Apostle Peter, who associated with Jesus constantly
for three years, summarized Jesus' healing ministry in this
short verse:
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Spirit and power, and how he went around doing
good and healing all who were under the power of
the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:38,
NIV).
Dr. John Alexander Dowie, in his classical, eloquent
style, reveals how this verse was quickened to him:
I sat in my study in the parsonage of the
Congregational Church at Newtown, a suburb of the
beautiful city of Sydney, Australia. My heart was
very heavy, for I had been visiting the sick and
dying beds of more than thirty of my flock, and I
had cast the dust to its kindred dust into more
than forty graves within a few weeks. Where, oh
where, was He Who used to heal His suffering
children? No prayer for healing seemed to reach
His ear, and yet I knew His hand had not been
shortened. Still it did not save from death even
those for whom there was so much in life to live
for God and others. Strong men, fathers, good
citizens, and more than all, true Christians
sickened with a putrid fever, suffered nameless
agonies, passed into delirium, sometimes with
convulsions, and then died. And oh, what aching
voids were left in many a widowed or orphaned
heart. Then there were many homes where, one by
one, the little children, the youths and the
maidens were stricken, and after hard struggling
with the foul disease, they too, lay cold and
dead. It seemed sometimes as if I could almost
hear the triumphant mockery of fiends ringing in
my ear whilst I spoke to the bereaved ones the
words of Christian hope and consolation. Disease,
the foul offspring of its father, Satan, and its
mother Sin, was defiling and destroying the earth-
ly temples of God's children and there was no
deliverance.
And there I sat with sorrow-bowed head for my
afflicted people, until the bitter tears came to
relieve my burning heart. Then I prayed for some
message, and oh, how I longed to hear some words
from Him Who wept and sorrowed for the suffering
long ago, a Man of Sorrows and Sympathies. The
words of the Holy Ghost inspired in Acts 10:38,
stood before me all radiant with light, revealing
Satan as the Defiler, and Christ as the Healer.
My tears were wiped away, my heart strong, I saw
the way of healing, and the door thereto was
opened wide, so I said, "God help me now to preach
the Word to all the dying around, and tell them
how `tis Satan still defiles, and Jesus still
delivers, for `He is just the same today.'"
A loud ring and several raps at the outer
door, a rush of feet, and there at my door stood
two panting messengers who said, "Oh, come at
once, Mary is dying; come and pray. "With just a
feeling as a shepherd has who hears that his sheep
are being torn from the fold by a cruel wolf, I
rushed from my house, ran hatless down the street,
and entered the room of the dying maiden. There
she lay groaning, grinding her clenched teeth in
the agony of the conflict with the destroyer, the
white froth, mingled with her blood, oozing from
her pain-distorted mouth. I looked at her and then
my anger burned. "Oh," I thought" for some sharp
sword of heavenly temper keen to slay this cruel
foe who is strangling that lovely maiden like an
invisible serpent, tightening his deadly coils for
a final victory."
In a strange way it came to pass; I found the
sword I needed was in my hands, and in my hand I
hold it still and never will I lay it down. The
doctor, a good Christian man, was quietly walking
up and down the room, sharing the mother's pain
and grief. Presently he stood at my side and said,
"Sir, are not God's ways mysterious?" Instantly
the sword was flashed in my hand--the Spirit's
sword, the Word of God. "God's way!" I said,
pointing to the scene of conflict, "how dare you,
Dr. K--, call that God's way of bringing His
children home from earth to Heaven? No, sir,
that is the devil's work, and it is time we called
on Him Who came to `destroy the work of the devil,'
to slay that deadly foul destroyer, and to save
the child. Can you pray, Doctor, can you pray the
prayer of faith that saves the sick?" At once,
offended at my words, my friend was changed, and
saying, "You are too much excited, sir, 'tis best
to say `God's will be done,'" he left the room.
Excited! The word was quite inadequate for
I was almost frenzied with Divinely imparted anger
and hatred of that foul destroyer, Disease, which
was doing Satan's will. "It is not so," I ex-
claimed, "no will of God sends such cruelty, and
I shall never say `God's will be done' to Satan's
works, which God's own Son came to destroy, and
this is one of them." Oh, how the Word of God
was burning in my heart: "Jesus of Nazareth went
about doing good, and healing all that were
oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him." And
was not God with me? And was not Jesus there and
all His promises true? I felt that it was even so,
and turning to the mother I enquired, "Why did you
send for me?" To which she answered "Do pray, oh
pray for her that God may raise her up." So we
prayed. What did I say? It may be that I cannot
recall the words without mistake, but words are in
themselves of small importance. The prayer of
faith may be a voiceless prayer, a simple heart-
felt look of confidence into the face of Christ.
At such moment words are few, but they mean much,
for God is looking at the heart. Still, I can
remember much of that prayer unto this day, and
asking God to aid I will endeavor to recall it.
I cried: "Our Father, help! and Holy Spirit, teach
me how to pray. Plead Thou for us, oh, Jesus,
Saviour, Healer, Friend, our Advocate with God the
Father. Hear and heal, Eternal One! From all
disease and death deliver this sweet child of
Thine. I rest upon the Word. We claim the promise
now. The Word is true, `I am the Lord that heal-
eth thee.' Then heal her now. The Word is true,
`I am the Lord, I change not.' Unchanging God,
then prove Thyself the healer now. The Word is
true, `These signs shall follow them that believe
in My Name, they shall lay hands on the sick, and
they shall recover.' And I believe and I lay
hands in Jesus' Name on her, and claim this prom-
ise now. Thy Word is true, `The prayer of faith
shall save the sick.' Trusting in Thee alone, I
cry, oh, save her now, for Jesus' sake, Amen!"
And lo, the maid lay still in sleep, so deep
and sweet that the mother asked in a low whisper,
"Is she dead?" "No," I answered, in a whisper
lower still, "Mary will live; the fever is gone.
She is perfectly well and sleeping as an infant
sleeps." Smoothing the long dark hair from her
now peaceful brow, and feeling the steady
pulsation of her heart and cool moist hands, I saw
that Christ had heard and that once more, as long
ago in Peter's house, "He touched her and the
fever left her." Turning to the nurse I said,
"Get me at once, please, a cup of cocoa and
several slices of bread and butter." Beside the
sleeping maid we sat quietly and almost silently
until the nurse returned, and then I bent over her
and snapping my fingers called "Mary!" Instantly
she woke, smiled and said, "Oh, sir, when did you
come? I have slept so long;" then stretching her
arms out to meet her mother's embrace, she said,
"Mother, I feel so well." "And hungry, too?" I
asked, pouring some of the cocoa in a saucer and
offering it to her when cooled by my breath.
"Yes, hungry too," she answered with a little
laugh, and drank and ate again, and yet again,
until all was gone. In a few minutes she fell
asleep, breathing easily and softly. Quietly
thanking God we left her bed and went to the next
room where her brother and sister also lay sick of
the same fever. With these two we also prayed,
and they were healed. The following day all three
were well and in a week or so they brought me a
little letter and a gift of gold, two sleeve links
with my monogram, which I wore for many years. As
I went away from the home where Christ as the
Healer had been victorious, I could not but have
somewhat in my heart of the triumphant song that
rang through Heaven, and yet I was not a little
amazed at my own strange doings, and still more at
my discovery that HE IS JUST THE SAME TODAY.
And this is the story of how I came to preach
the Gospel of Healing through Faith in Jesus.
[Gordon Lindsay, THE LIFE OF JOHN ALEXANDER DOWIE
(Dallas: The Voice of Healing Publishing Co.,
1951), pp. 22-25].
Not one single person from Dowie's congregation
died of the pneumonic plague after "the eyes of the heart"
of this nineteenth century minister were opened to the truth
that Jesus still heals. (Lindsay, THE LIFE OF JOHN ALEXANDER
DOWIE, p. 26).
(The illness that struck Dr. Dowie's congregation was
probably caused by the bacterium YERSINIA PESTIS. When
these bacteria attack the lymph nodes it is called bubonic
plague. When it attacks the lungs, it is called pneumonic
plague. When it attacks the bloodstream, it is called
septicemic plague. It is also called The Black Death. The
mortality rate today, even if treated by antibiotics, is
still 5 percent! It is usually transmitted to human beings
by infected fleas on rodents).
Jesus Is the Will of God
Jesus was the revealed will or word of God. Everything
he said and did revealed the will of God:
In many separate revelations--each of which
set forth a portion of the Truth--and in different
ways God spoke of old to [our] fore-fathers in and
by the prophets. [But] in the last of these days
He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom
He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things,
also by and through Whom He created the worlds
and the reaches of space and the ages of time--
[that is,] He made, produced, built, operated and
arranged them in order. He is the sole expression
of the glory of God--the Light-being, the outray-
ing of the divine--and He is the perfect imprint
and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and
maintaining and guiding and propelling the uni-
verse by His mighty word of power. . . . (Hebrews
1:1-3, The Amplified Bible).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1,
NIV).
For I have come down from heaven not to do my will
but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38,
NIV).
"So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son
of Man, then you will know that I am the one I
claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but
speak just what the Father has taught me. The one
who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,
for I always do what pleases him." (John 8:28-29,
NIV).
As long as it is day, we must do the work of him
who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can
work. (John 9:4, NIV).
Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does.
(John 10:37, NIV).
For I did not speak of my own accord, but the
Father who sent me commanded me what to say and
how to say it. I know that his command leads to
eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the
Father has told me to say. (John 12:49-50, NIV).
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip,
even after I have been among you such a long time?
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How
can you say, `Show us the Father'? Don't you
believe that I am in the Father, and that the
Father is in me? The words I say to you are not
just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in
me, who is doing his work. (John 14:9-10, NIV).
Jesus alone was born both (1) without the sinful Adamic
nature and (2) positively holy. Therefore, ONE CAN BUILD
HIS THEOLOGY ON BOTH JESUS' EXPERIENCE AND TEACHINGS. How-
ever, one cannot build his theology on the experience of
other men, although he can build his theology on the
inspired teachings of biblical writers.
Old Testament Prophecy
Fulfilled in Jesus
Isaiah prophesied the healing ministry of Jesus as well
as his atoning death:
Surely our diseases he did bear,
and our pains he carried;
Whereas we did esteem him stricken,
Smitten of God and afflicted.
(Isaiah 53:4, The Holy Scriptures
According to the Masoretic Text).
Matthew records a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4,
When evening came, many who were demon-
possessed were brought to him, and he drove out
the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.
This was to fulfill what was spoken through the
prophet Isaiah:
"He took our infirmities
and carried our diseases."
(Matthew 8:16-17, NIV).
There are many other recorded examples of Jesus' heal-
ing ministry, but two detailed accounts give further insight
into God's will concerning divine healing.
Examples of Jesus' Healing
Jesus' healing of the leper is found in all three syn-
optic Gospels. Mark records this wonderful revelation of the
heart of God:
A man with leprosy came to him and begged him
on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me
clean."
Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his
hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said.
"Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and
he was cured.
Jesus sent him away at once with a strong
warning: "See that you don't tell this to anyone,
But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the
sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleans-
ing, as a testimony to them." (Mark 1:40-44, NIV).
The leper had a partial revelation of God's nature. No
doubt he had either seen or heard of Jesus' miracles and
knew that Jesus had power to heal people. However, the leper
did not have a revelation of the love of God as expressed in
the desire to heal suffering human beings. [Ralph G.
Turnbull, gen. ed., PROCLAIMING THE NEW TESTAMENT (Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1961), THE GOSPEL OF MARK, by
Ralph Earle, p. 21].
Luke the physician adds that this leper was "full of
leprosy" (Luke 5:12). This was probably a skin disease that
rendered the person ceremonially unclean--not the type of
disease known as leprosy today. (Earle, THE GOSPEL OF MARK,
p. 20).
The leper said, "If you want to, . . .you can make me
clean." (Mark 1:40b, Today's English Version). Jesus'
reaction to this man is not adequately expressed in most
English translations. Ralph Earle suggests the aorist
passive participle should be translated, "[having been]
gripped with compassion." Jesus' heart went out to the
man. Next, Jesus said, "I am willing" (Greek, THELO, "I
choose"), thus declaring that it was God's will to heal
him. Next Jesus uttered one word, translated "be cleansed"--
this word is in the aorist passive imperative, and could
better be translated, "be thou (right here and now,
immediately) cleansed." (Earle, THE GOSPEL OF MARK, pp. 20-
21). And of course, he was!
Some say that Jesus healed to prove that he was the Son
of God. If so, why did he "sternly warn" the former leper
not to tell anyone? The truth is that Jesus was motivated
by AGAPE, which has no ulterior motives. To charge that
Jesus had ulterior motives is to impugn the character of
God. Jesus healed the leper for the same reason that he
heals all people--he loves them!
Human beings build hospitals, perform medical research,
and provide medical training running into billions of
dollars and somehow think that their desire to heal is
greater than God's! God gave his only Son to die for our
sins and healing.
Another example of Jesus' healing is that of the woman
with an infirmity:
On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the
synagogues, and a woman was there who had been
crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was
bent over and could not straighten up at all.
When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said
to her, "Woman, you are set free from your
infirmity." Then he put his hands on her, and
immediately she straightened up and praised God.
Indignant because Jesus had healed on the
Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people
"There are six days for work. So come and be
healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."
The Lord answered, him, "You hypocrites!
Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or
donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it
water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of
Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen
long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from
what bound her?"
When he said this, all his opponents were
humiliated, but the people were delighted with all
the wonderful things he was doing. (Luke 13:10-
17, NIV).
The leper apparently was suffering from sickness caused
by Adamic sin, whereas this woman was suffering from sick-
ness caused by a demon commanded by Satan (Luke 13:11, 16).
Jesus healed both types.
Jesus Healed All
The following scriptures support the premise that Jesus
healed all who came to him:
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in
their synagogues, preaching the good news of the
kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness
among the people. News about him spread all over
Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill
with various diseases, those suffering severe
pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures,
and the paralyzed, and he healed them. Large
crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem,
Judea and the region across the Jordan followed
him. (Matthew 4:23-25, NIV).
Jesus went through all the towns and
villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching
the good news of the kingdom and healing every
disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he
had compassion on them, because they were harass-
ed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is
plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord
of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers
into his harvest field."
He called his twelve disciples to him and
gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and
to heal every disease and sickness. (Matthew 9:35-
10:1, NIV).
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had
compassion on them and healed their sick. (Matthew
14:14, NIV).
When they had crossed over, they landed at
Gennesaret. And when the men of that place
recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the
surrounding country. 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 14:34-36, NIV).
When the sun was setting, the people brought
to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness,
and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.
(Luke 4:40, NIV).
He went down with them and stood on a level
place. A large crowd of his disciples were there
and a great number of people from all over Judea,
from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and
Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed
of their diseases. Those troubled by evil spirits
were cured, and the people all tried to touch him,
because POWER WAS COMING FROM HIM AND HEALING THEM
ALL [Italics Mine]. (Luke 6:17-19, NIV).
If one were to look at these few scriptures, or all the
healing passages of the Bible, he would only have a sampling
of what God has done in healing mankind physically and
mentally. John testifies,
Jesus did many other things as well. If every
one of them were written down, I suppose that even
the whole world would not have room for the books
that would be written. (John 21:25, NIV).
There are exceptions to the general truth that Jesus
healed all. Apparently not all who were sick sought his
healing. Also, most of the sick from his home town were
not healed because of their unbelief:
Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the
people in their synagogue, and they were amazed.
"Where did this man get this wisdom and these
miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn't this the
carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary,
and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and
Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where
then did this man get all these things?" And they
took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown
and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
And he did not do many miracles there because
of their lack of faith. (Matthew 13:54-58, NIV).
Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown,
among his relatives and in his own house is a
prophet without honor." He could not do any
miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick
people and heal them. And he was amazed at their
lack of faith. (Mark 6:4-6, NIV).
Someone will remember a fine, upstanding Christian,
filled with the fruits of the Spirit, who was not healed.
One possible answer to this exception is found in an
account of the disciples failure to trust God for healing:
When they joined the rest of the disciples,
they saw a large crowd around them and some
teachers of the Law arguing with them. When the
people saw Jesus, they were greatly surprised, and
ran to him and greeted him. Jesus asked his
disciples, "What are you arguing with them about?"
A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I
brought my son to you, because he has an evil
spirit in him and cannot talk. Whenever the
spirit attacks him, it throws him to the ground,
and he foams at the mouth, grits his teeth, and
becomes stiff all over. I asked your disciples to
drive the spirit out, but they could not."
Jesus said to them, "How unbelieving you
people are! How long must I stay with you? How
long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy
to me!" They brought him to Jesus.
As soon as the spirit saw Jesus, it threw the
boy into a fit, so that he fell on the ground and
rolled around, foaming at the mouth. "How long
has he been like this?" Jesus asked the father.
"Ever since he was a child," he replied.
"Many times the evil spirit has tried to kill him
by throwing him in the fire and into water. Have
pity on us and help us, if you possibly can!"
"Yes," said Jesus, "if you possibly can!
Everything is possible for the person who has
faith."
The father at once cried out, "I do have
faith, but not enough. Help me have more!"
Jesus noticed that the crowd was closing in
on them so he gave a command to the evil spirit.
"Deaf and dumb spirit," he said, "I order you to
come out of the boy and never go into him again!"
The spirit screamed, threw the boy into a bad
fit, and came out. The boy looked like a corpse,
and everyone said, "He is dead!" But Jesus took
the boy by the hand and helped him rise, and he
stood up.
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples
asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive the
spirit out?"
"Only prayer can drive this kind out,"
answered Jesus; nothing else can." (Mark 9:14-29,
Today's English Version).
The balanced Christian will be filled with the fruits of the
Spirit AND faith!
Jesus identifies community unbelief (v. 19); weak faith
of the boy's father (vv. 22-24); and lack of prayer on the
disciples' part (vv. 28-29). Just because someone is not
healed does not mean it is not God's will. Because someone
is not saved does not mean it is not God's will. Also, one
can be saved and not healed.
One may protest that teaching divine healing may
detract from the most important work of grace, the new
birth. F. F. Bosworth recounts his experience:
. . . . Instead of the "ministry of healing"
diverting from the more important matter of
salvation for the soul, we have seen more happy
conversions in a single week than we ever saw in
a whole year of evangelistic work during the
thirteen years before the Lord led us to preach
this part of the Gospel in a bolder and more
public way. . . .
In our last revival preceding the writing of
this book, conducted in Ottawa, Canada, during the
seven weeks of the meeting, six thousand came for
healing, and about twelve thousand for salvation.
[F. F. Bosworth, CHRIST THE HEALER (Old Tappan,
NJ: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1973, p. 71.
[I am indebted to chapter three of Bosworth's CHRIST THE
HEALER: "Is Healing for All?" I am also indebted to Fred
Price's tape, "Is Healing for All?" (Joshua, TX: Romans
VII Ministries, 1974)].
A CONCRETE EXPRESSION OF THE LOVE OF GOD AWAKENS THE
HEART FOR THE NEED OF THE NEW BIRTH.
Since Jesus is the greatest revelation of the will of
God and since he healed all who came to him, one can con-
clude that it is God's will to heal all. In Christ, then,
one can be whole physically and mentally as well as
spiritually.
The love, care and compassion of God shines into the
hearts of people when they see God heal someone in deep
physical or mental distress. The message comes through that
God really does love people.
Self-esteem rises because one more fully realizes that
God esteems us highly!
ASSIGNMENT: CONFESS ALOUD, "GOD REALLY DOES LOVE ME!"
BEGIN TO PRAY FOR THE SICK, EXPECTING THEM TO BE HEALED!
END
