“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.’” Luke 18:42 NKJV
If there is one thing to note about Jesus’ earthly ministry, it is the fact that he was a healer. In fact, if you read through the Gospels, you will find out that Jesus spent about one-third of His time in ministry healing the sick. About a fifth of the Gospels talk about Jesus’ ministry of healing.
The writers of the four gospels record about 41 healings to His credit, and this doesn’t even take into account the periods Jesus healed large crowds at the same time, like in Mathew 12:15: “…and great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.”
This is so instructive! No wonder when Peter was going to give a short report of Jesus, he said, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38) You cannot speak of Jesus’ earthly ministry without emphasizing his healing ministry.
However, something important you must observe in these healing accounts is the receptiveness of the person to be healed. Jesus would always ask if they believed that He could heal them.
For example, Matthew records: “When He entered the house, the blind men came to Him, and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘According to your faith be it done to you.’” (Matthew 9:28-29).
Jesus wants you to know and believe that He can heal you. This is so important because there were times when Jesus was hindered from doing mighty works in an entire city simply because the people there didn’t believe. (Mark 6:5-6)
Receiving healing involves faith! No wonder Jesus often recognized instances where people demonstrated great faith. From the story of the Roman centurion in Matthew 8:5-13, who believed Jesus could heal his servant who was at home by just speaking a word; to the story of the Gentile woman in Matthew 15:21-28, who received a healing for her daughter, Scripture is replete with examples that highlight the place of faith in healing.
Not only must you believe in Jesus, you must also believe that He is able to heal. In the story of the woman with the issue of blood, we see the power of faith demonstrated as well (Mark 5:25-34). While every other person in the crowd might have touched Jesus without an expectation, the woman said to herself, “If I touch even His garments, I will be made well.”
When she did eventually touch Jesus, the Bible records that, even in the midst of a multitude, He could sense that someone believing for a healing had touched Him, because He felt virtue leave Him. He then said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Child of God, the Lord wants you to know that He is able to heal. Like the woman in the story above, you might have been waiting a long time, but do not let that make you scoff at this truth. Be unwavering in your faith, as you receive your miracle!
Bible Reading Plan: Numbers 4-7