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“Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” Mark 5:22-23
In the New Testament we find similar healing stories over and over again – the blind receive sight, the lame are made to walk, the broken made whole. Nearly one-fifth of the Gospels are about Jesus’ miracles and the discussions that surround them, like we find in Mark 5. It can even start to feel routine as we read these stories. But how would we react if it happened today?
Jesus clearly believed in physical healing. His ministry was marked by it, and it continued for several generations that followed. Most Christians today continue to believe in healing, after all, we regularly pray for people’s health, right? But for the most part, we just don’t see the same kinds of healing Jesus performed happening much anymore. Instead, we tend to focus on healing that comes through the medical sciences and doctors who administer it through surgeries, prescriptions, or other natural remedies.
I remember one time when I was having some medical scans with my doctor, trying to figure out what was wrong with me at the time. I thought the scan would tell me exactly what it was, but it didn’t! The doctor didn’t seem to have any better idea what it was. I was very disappointed, thinking it was all a waste of time and money. I said to him: “So, we didn’t find out anything?” He responded, “Oh, yes we did! We found out a lot of things that it was not.”
He was right, we he had ruled out some things that could have been bad. In the end, it wasn’t anything serious, and thankfully it went away. I learned that day that doctoring is an art as much as it is a science. They aren’t God! They are just people like you and me trying to do their best.
Doctors and nurses and hospitals all have their place in healing ministry. God graciously gave us medical advances and abilities bring healing that are marvelous, even miraculous in our day. If you ask a doctor or nurse, they will be quick to say that modern medicine has its limits. They might even say that there is a greater spiritual dimension beyond their control. In other words, there is a place for healing that comes through faith in God, alongside our medical system.
Jesus knew that, and the gospels record him using different approaches as each case warranted: sometimes he called upon the faith of the person to be healed or, in some cases, the faith of bystanders; he prayed, he commanded, he forgave, he touched. He looked at the whole of the person, both physically and spiritually. In the end, all the power came from God and brought healing and wholeness in people’s lives.
This brings us to a key verse in this story when Jesus says: “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” She immediately got up and started to play, which is what kids do! The words Jesus said to that child are the same words Jesus says to us today: “I say to you, get up! All you who have been saved from sin and death, I say to you arise!” Let his healing power fill you today.
In Christ; Pastor Dan
