Apostle Dr. Peggy Elliott

HEALING AND MIRACLES 

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The Synoptic Gospels are filled with example after example of the healing power of Jesus Christ and the working of the Holy Spirit.  Over forty examples of Jesus’ miracle healings are recorded in these books. Matthew includes many proof texts to drive home the theme of Jesus as the healer. Take a journey with me as we examine three examples of the healing miracles Jesus performed:  the man with leprosy, Peter’s mother-in-law, and two blind men. We will examine who asked for the healing, what were the circumstances of the healing, what methods did Jesus use to heal, and in what timing did the healing occur?

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Matthew 8:1-4     Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

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When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.  A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  “I am willing,” he said.  “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 

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Some believe that this is a word ‘leprosy’ is used for various diseases.  Whenever I read this account, I have a visual of what I can imagine this gentleman looked like, huge boils, upon his skin, seen clearly.  If one was stricken with leprosy, they were treated as one who is ceremonially unclean.  They were treated as a social outcast.  It reminds me of how we might act today when we are told that someone has AIDS, although it cannot be seen until the later stages.  Though AIDS cannot be ‘caught,’ most who hears the word, there is an automatic reaction of repulsion by the hearer.

This man chose to come out of the closet.  The scripture tells us that he came to Jesus and knelt before him.  This man is an example of one who was in desperate need of something.  By all accounts, he should have been too embarrassed, too ashamed to be seen publicly.  Yet, I do believe he was at that point of desperation.  You know that place - when you get sick and tired of being sick and tired, you will call on Jesus, morning, noonday and even in the midnight hour.

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Thank God that Jesus was not repulsed by this man with leprosy.   Jesus looked at him with compassion.  He reached out his hand and touched the man.  Please do not skip over this account of the story!  Jesus touched the man whose skin probably looked hideous, boils that could be seen, all over him, some probably even opened and oozing with pus.  Yet, Jesus didn’t look at physical condition.  I believed Jesus also looked upon his heart.  Just a touch from the Master’s hand and immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 

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How long did it take for the leper to be healed?  Immediately.  The leper was ready to be healed. His faith was at the point where he did not ask Jesus if he could make him clean, he made a pronouncement that if Jesus was willing, he would make him clean.  This statement must have blessed Jesus. Jesus did not have to convince the man that he could heal, he did not have to beg the man to believe that he could heal him, he didn’t have to whoop up a sermon, get him all stirred up for the leper to believe Jesus could not heal him. The leper came to Jesus already ready, yes, ready to receive divine miraculous healing.  What must you do to be convinced that Jesus can heal you from your disease, your sickness?

 

Matthew  8: 14-17  Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-In-Law

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When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.  He touched her hand and the fever left her and she got up and began to wait on him.

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A glaring observation, one different from the healing of the leper, stands out to me.   Regarding the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, neither Peter nor his mother-in-law, as recorded in Matthew, asked Jesus to heal her.  Let’s just stay here for a minute.  Is it possible that we can be in need, not ask Jesus to meet our need, and he meets it anyway?  The answer is a resounding, ‘yes.’ 

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Peter was one of those in Jesus’ inner circle.  The bible does not tell us why Jesus stopped.  I live in the northwest part of the country.  In my hometown, folks don’t just drop by like I hear they do in the south.  Not only in the south do people just drop by, but when they do, the matriarch of the house gets up and cooks them some type of meal.  Nothing planned, but the visitor is yet blessed. 

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This is the comparison I see in what happened in this scripture.  Jesus dropped by his friend’s house, saw that the mother-in-law was ill and all he did was touch her hand and the fever left her – immediately! Just a touch from God. And Peter’s mother-in-law’s MUST have been from the south.  Why?  Because she GOT UP AND BEGAN TO WAIT ON THEM!  I know she cooked a good, southern meal.  What do you think?

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Matthew 9: 27-31  Jesus Heals the Blind and the Mute

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As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

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“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

 

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” And their sight was restored, Jesus warned them sternly.  “See that no one knows about this.”  But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.”

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This story just blesses me.  It knocks me off my feet!  How in the world does a blind man follow anyone?  The word does not say that Jesus was making any sound as he left. He wasn’t humming along his way, no Levites were in front of him singing.  What could it be that would cause a blind person, one who absolutely is without sight, to follow someone. I believe it was the fragrance of God that allowed these two men follow Jesus.  As a woman, I love a diversity of perfume scents. Often, in passing family or friends, they would comment on how good I smell, and they almost always can tell when I have been in a place.  The scent upon me lingers.

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Jesus’s scent lingers in our souls, upon our spirits, in our nostrils.  His scent, I believe, is what allowed even blind men to follow him.  Next, the men cried out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.”  It would not be difficult to believe that the healing of these blind man began as they followed Jesus and intensified as they cried out to him.   The question Jesus asked, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”  Their third step in the blind men’s healing, occurred as they as Jesus touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you,” and their sight was restored. Interesting, to re-store something means to bring it back to its original state.  That means, at some time, these two had sight.  How profound!  I will end the article by asking you the reader, what does God need to restore in your life?  Do you need healing?  Do you have the faith to believe you can be healed?  Just cry out to the Lord and believe he will heal you.  Jesus always heals – either here or in heaven.