Note: the following is the manuscript for the message and will not match exactly the recorded message above.

Introduction

Have you ever had a supernatural experience? Basically, a supernatural experience is something that happens that would not have been anticipated.

Your body heals in a way that is unexpected. You escape a car crash unharmed when you should have been injured or killed. You are provided for in a way you could not have anticipated.

It is easy to explain away these unexpected experiences. When we had our house up for sale, we truly expected to lose money on it because the housing market had gone down. We rejected some low offers but wondered if we should just accept a loss.

Then, no offers came in for a while and we were losing hope that it would ever sell. Suddenly, we had some interest and we went from hopeless to having a bidding war and ended up getting more than our asking price.

Is this a miracle?

Some may call it that because it was unexpected and better than what we hoped for. But what if I ask it another way.

Was this a supernatural experience? That would probably generate some different responses.

In a culture of logic and skepticism, we have a hard time attributing our experiences to divine intervention.

Today, we are exploring a very specific type of divine intervention: physical healing. This is an interesting topic because there are so many stories of physical healing in the gospels and several in the book of Acts.

Yet, I would venture to say that most of us have not had an encounter with the sort of healing miracles described in these stories.

Many of our stories of healing involve a combination of medicine or medical procedures, treatments, and time.

My hope today is for us to gain clarity on what the Bible says about healing and how it relates to our experiences related to healing today.

We will look at some examples of healing in the ministry of Jesus, and then in the early church, and then how we can understand healing in modern society.

Fundamental to the story of the Bible is the idea that God acts supernaturally with his created world. Sometimes directly, sometimes through an intermediary.

These supernatural interactions are not merely to prove or demonstrate God’s power, but for us to know God and his purposes.

In the Old Testament, what would be considered miracles or supernatural occurrences today seemed to be commonplace. God showed up in very direct and powerful ways.

The ten plagues and the exodus, the provision of water, bread, and birds for meat in the wilderness. The miraculous defeat of Israel’s enemies. And so many more miraculous events.

We are meant to know God as active and engaged with his creation. The ultimate demonstration of this is through the incarnation of God as a human man named Jesus. And when he came as a human, one of the most common things he did was heal people.

In the Gospels, there are about 75 stories in which Jesus is described as having performed a miracle. And about 30 other miracles are described in the book of Acts and in Paul’s letters. Many of these miracles are related to healing.

Let’s take a closer look at some of these examples, first in the life of Jesus and then in the early church. The goal here is to understand the purpose of God in healing.

Healing in Jesus’ Ministry

Before we can understand the purpose of Jesus’ healing ministry, we need to have clarity on the mission of Jesus.

The simplest way to describe the mission of Jesus is to say that he came to return God’s people from exile. His mission was one of restoration and reconciliation.

How was healing a part of this mission?

The first story of healing in Matthew is just after he called his first disciples.

In Matthew 4:23–25, we read: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming 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.”

So, what does this and other stories of healing have to do with Jesus’ mission of reconciliation? In the story of his healing of a paralyzed man in Mark 2, we see Jesus first forgiving the man’s sins.

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Jesus forgives the man’s sins before healing his body, showing that healing is a part of a greater work of restoration and reconciliation.

It is important to emphasize that for Jesus the spiritual and physical health are both important. Jesus wants to make the man well both physically and spiritually.

This story shows us that healing involves more than how our bodies are failing us. It shows that our entire being is broken and in need of restoration to its intended state. This restoration will happen through faith in Jesus to some degree now, but fully when he returns and we are resurrected to new life.

Another story that illustrates the mission of Jesus is the healing of a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. Just by believing in the power of Jesus and touching his clothes, she was healed.

Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Jesus heals her and publicly calls her “daughter.” This restored her physical health but also her social health. She was no longer an outcast. This is God’s desire for all people, to experience wholeness and healing physically and relationally.

There are so many more examples we could look at. I encourage you to read the stories of healing in the life of Jesus and consider how these are examples of God’s desire to restore humanity to a state of wholeness as his image bearers.

Healing includes not only the restoration of physical body to health, but is a demonstration of God’s forgiveness, peace (shalom), wholeness, identity, belonging, and faith.

The miracles Jesus performed could be understood as the inauguration of God’s rule over the new creation. This would imply that healing should not only continue after Jesus left the earth, but be an increasingly normal experience for those who follow in his ways.

Let’s look at how this happened in the early church.

Healing in the Early Church

When Jesus left, he told his first disciples to stay in Jerusalem where the Holy Spirit would empower them to continue with his ministry.

In Acts 2, we read about this event, when the Spirit came upon the disciples with power. Following this event, they were able to speak other languages in order to share the gospel with those who did not speak the common languages that the disciples spoke.

The Spirit also empowered them to heal just as Jesus did. In 2:43, it says that everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.

Then, in chapter 3, we see the first healing miracle described in detail.

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

This and other examples of healing in the early church demonstrated that the disciples of Jesus had the same power that Jesus did.

In this case, healing was a sign that pointed to Jesus and opened the door to sharing the gospel. The people knew this man was unable to walk his whole life. They knew this could not be fabricated. All his life he had been crippled, begging for money and food, and now he was walking on his own two feet.

In Acts 5:12–16, we read that this healing ministry continued in dramatic and powerful ways. “people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.”

The ministry of reconciliation and restoration was being continued by the disciples of Jesus.

This reconciliation was being extended beyond Jerusalem to Samaria, just as Jesus instructed. As the followers of Jesus began to be persecuted, they were scattered throughout the area.

Acts 8:4–7 “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.”

After Saul, who was persecuting the church, was made blind in his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, a follower of Jesus named Ananias healed his blindness.

Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Following this event, Saul, who was now named Paul, became one of the most prominent figures in church history. He went on to spread the gospel into Europe and was also given the power to perform miracles, including the ability to be unaffected by a deadly snake bite.

Unfortunately, this story has prompted some Christians to believe that no harm can come to those who trust in Jesus. I have heard about a movement of churches in which they actually bring poisonous snakes into the service to prove that their faith is genuine. If the snake bites you, your faith must not be real.

This and other distortions of what healing and miracles are for have damaged the message of the gospel because they misrepresent the purpose and source of healing.

Healing Today

Keep in mind the ministry of Jesus: restoration, peace, wholeness, belonging. Jesus wants us to be made whole and one of the ways he does this is by restoring our health. But, physical healing is always temporary. The true and permanent restoration will only come once this life has transitioned to new life in Christ which will be complete when he returns.

In the meantime, if God wants to heal someone today, we can consider it a blessing and should be grateful. And while not everyone is healed, there is nothing in Scripture that should keep us from praying for healing in every circumstance of sickness or brokenness.

The healing that we can offer as representatives of Jesus is not only miraculous physical healing, but it could include the wise and skillful treatment and recovery of illness, the ministry of presence while someone is experiencing illness or grief, and the healing of the soul through prayer and compassionate care.

Not all healing needs to be miraculous in order to be a demonstration of God’s desire for wholeness and restoration. Whenever we are agents of healing, we are being good image-bearers of God.

James 5:14-16 provides instruction for praying for healing:

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

But this is not the only example of how to care for someone who is sick or injured. Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan who took care of an injured man. In Acts 4, we read that the early Christians cared for those in need, selling their possessions and distributing their wealth.

Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

If the mission of Jesus is to restore people from exile, we shouldn’t be surprised that the ministry of healing in a variety of supernatural and ordinary ways becomes the common way in which the church operates.

If we want to be the faithful presence of God in our community, there should be no one among us who is suffering alone. But, I know that some of you are.

So, I want to challenge those of you who are unwell to invite others into your pain and discomfort so they can care for you. And I want to challenge all of us to get to know people in this church well enough to know when others are suffering.

One thing you can do is regularly take a look through the list of people in your care group and pray for those who are experiencing poor health. If you do not know who is unwell, then you have some work to do in getting to know the people in your group.

In doing this, we will be a place in which healing of all sorts happens. It may not always be miraculous or instant, but sometimes it will be. This will only happen if we pray for one another.