Jesus: Gentle Healer

People have loads of questions on healing, such as:

· Does God really heal today?

· Is it always God’s will to heal?

· What about Paul’s thorn in the flesh?

· Is healing about God’s power, my faith, or both?

· Why Africa and not here?

· Should all Christians do it?

We all have specific and personal questions about loved ones who may not have been healed. Instead of trying to arrive at quick or over-simplistic answers we need to recognise that healing is rooted in the mystery of God.

I think that, in God’s eyes, spiritual formation is more critical than physical well-being. This is one of the reasons why he allows pain to come our way (Willow Creek survey).

There are few biblical characters who God used whose lives were absent from pain.

3 things that the healing ministry of Jesus tells us about him:

1. For Jesus, healing is never detached from his ministry of compassion

See Mark 1:40-45 (story of leper) and Luke 7:11-15 (story of widow at Nain).

His healing ministry tells us that he is a man of compassion.

2. For Jesus, healing is a sign of the Kingdom

See John 3:2. Signs shouldn’t be minimised though we must be careful we don’t miss the main thing.

Jesus teaching on healing has put Christians in the vanguard of the healing ministry.

3. From Jesus, all Christians are given authority to pray for the sick.

See John 14:12-14

When the gentle healer came to town transformation always took place.