And Jesus Healed Them All
June 30, 2024 - Rev. Dr. Jan Remer-Osborn
It is my strong belief that we are wired to be naturally healed by God who created us. I find it amazing that our bodies are made with its own preparation, its own medicine for sickness and brokenness. We take all of these for granted. At least I know I do.
"A miracle is often the willingness to see the common in an uncommon way.”[1]
Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. He is the almighty healer. Some may die before he gets there, but then he brings them back to life. This foreshadows our resurrection, and Jesus’ role in our eternal life with God. Today’s scripture resonates with the confidence of Jesus. ‘Just touching my clothing can heal you. Take hold of my hand and I will give you life. Even death has no power over me. Jesus tells us this through his actions.
Jesus heals everyone on any day of the week. He does not discriminate: poor & rich, religious & devil-ridden, lepers, a man who could not speak, a bloodied unclean woman, the blind and crippled, and a man with severed ear. Jesus then takes our God-given abilities to heal up several notches when he
summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.” (Matt. 10:1)
It’s simply a question of belief. Do we believe Jesus is God? Do we believe that Jesus who prayed 25 times believed in the power of prayer? Do we believe that Jesus was able to perform at least 17 healing miracles? And most importantly, “Do we believe that Jesus is alive today within us and around us when we gather together?
Jesus has power. We have power through the Holy Spirit. What gets in the way of us accepting using this power? An obvious answer is lack of belief. Less obvious is fear. Starting with this, we as God’s children, have the power to pray for motivation, willpower, and healing. First, we must believe that [We] can do all things through him who strengthens [us].” (Philippians 4:13) Then, we must be active agents of change. We have the power to treat our achy knees by exercising, to treat heart related disease by eating healthy and being the appropriate weight, and to seek medical attention. We have the power to relieve stress with simple breathing exercises and to reduce our experience of pain by using mindfulness and other techniques.
We have the power to put joy in our lives rather than wallow in misery and sorrow, and to make meaningful differences in other people’s lives. Do we believe that some of us, through the Holy Spirit, can heal others? But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible,” Not just some things, all things, we are told in Matthew 19:26. Believe it! Amen.
[1] Noah Benshea, Jacob the Baker: Gentle Wisdom For a Complicated World