Jesus heals. Miracle No 1.
by
Tibi Rosehill
Many different views divide the Christian communities
regarding the miracle healing. There are believers who claim the same
healing power is available today as two thousand years ago and there are
many who deny that.
Other believers do not call into question that the miracle power has
been working in our life, however they aver that there are stipulations
created by our Creator. They bolster their view up by facts on missed
healing even in cases of strong believers.
The ministry of Jesus sheds light on some crucial elements of the divine
healing process.
Miracle No 1.
“When Jesus came down from the mountain, great throngs followed Him. And
behold, a leper came up to Him and, prostrating himself, worshiped Him,
saying, Lord, if You are willing, You are able to [a]cleanse me by
curing me.
And He reached out His hand and touched him, saying, I am willing; be
cleansed by being cured. And instantly his leprosy was cured and
cleansed.
And Jesus said to him, See that you tell nothing about this to anyone;
but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses
commanded, for a testimony [to your healing] and as an evidence to the
people.” (Matthew 8:1-4, AMP)
The story raises several exciting and interesting questions on both
worldly and spiritually level.
Worldly level
The first level could not be discussed without profound knowledge on the
historical background of the diseases and the ancient measurements had
been put in effect to protect the communities.
The diseases (leprosy, in Hebrew tzaraath) coming from East had hit
Egypt several thousand years ago. Since that time leprosy seemed to have
been common in the Middle-East and North Africa. It was considered by
the ancient people as a divine punishment and believed it to be
contagious and/or hereditary. Though the biblical leprosy might
describes a number of different skin conditions we might have no doubt
the “tzaraath” covers this diseases as well.
The modern medicine realized that the bacteria (Mycobacterium leprae),
the causative agent of the leprosy prefers the conditions which could
characterized as ones of “free from basic sanitation”. No surprise that
the poverty went all time hand in hand with the epidemics outburst by M.
Leprea.
In any community the maintenance of the hygienic milieu calls for
enormous efforts both from rulers and subjects. Because one mistake
could draw catastrophic epidemics the regulations to avoid them were
pretty harsh regardless the whereabouts of the community. Another
feature of the diseases is its different turnouts (clinical picture)
which left huge “elbow-room” for whom were responsible to adjudge the
fates of the sicks.
Besides there were cures against at least certain type of the diseases
(Exodus 4:6-7), but apparently it was not available for everybody in
Jesus time.
All we could say surely the diseases was considered as a cause of
impurity and amounted to exclusion from the community. From this idea
proceeded the meticulous regulations of Leviticus 13, 14 concerning the
diagnosis of the disease and the restoration to social and religious
life of those who were cleansed.
A review of Leviticus of the Old Testament shows that the priests were
in charge of infectious diseases, (as well as of the moral and religious
welfare of the nation). So all decisions in this matter applied to the
priest, before whom should appear personally both those who were
suspected of leprosy and those who claimed to be healed.
Now let's return to Matthew's medical report.
The crucial point of the biblical story hides in the conversation
between Jesus and the leper. The poor man knew that there was a cure
against his illness, but the Law shut him out from any chance to get the
cure, perhaps because of his ungodly acts or behavior before. What Jesus
did here was the first public acknowledge the basic human rights we
possess in our modern society: the right of everyone to the enjoyment of
the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
The mass listened with bated breath what would the “Doctor” reaction be.
In a regular case a priest who was asked for to do something like this
put the beggar to jail and apply for dead sentence to him on the court.
But not Jesus. He was willing to cure, he knew the remedy and how to use
it and he healed the poor.
In that very moment not only the leper risked his life, but Jesus as
well. If in the crowd there was a traitor, Jesus would have held for
responsible what he did to the poor sick. That is why Jesus commended
the leper to run right away to the Temple, go by the mosaic law and keep
His name in secret.
Spiritual level
The miracle healing could take several different forms. We are talking
about healing which take place same way like the biblical story tells,
so that the healer and the sick meet physically in a public place.
Spiritually the story tells us some very important rules about the
heavenly healing processes:
1. There must be a meeting physically between the anointed healer and a
prepared (believer) patient.
2. The healing comes only for request.
3. The heavenly healing calls for witnesses.
4. No restriction regarding the type of illness, there is no incurable
diseases in the Heaven.
5. The healing often extends in time or calls for repetitive procedures.
For details one can find a lot examples in the Bible or in the studies
about the relevant scriptures. But do not lose your courage in the
labyrinth of the details. If you need healing just apply for it and the
Lord shows the way step by step. Do not count on an immediate reply
though its possibility is open. But you could count upon the perfect
healing any time in the near future if you follow the divine path.
About the Author
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