Church News The power of healing

In these weeks between Easter and Pentecost, we are firmly placing the two-fold Easter event into our modern society.

We are carefully studying conditions in Jesus’age when the first Easter took place.

We are finding that Jesus’ society was very challenging, just like our own.

Today, we think of Jesus, the healer.

Although our NHS is under pressure, we still enjoy hospitals, medical facilities and wonderful trained personnel.

Compared with health facilities and public hygiene conditions in Jesus’time, we live in a medical paradise.

As one archaeologist commented, we could not survive under ancient conditions.

There were so many infectious diseases against which we are now unprotected. We would be dead in weeks.

Doctors were not highly regarded.

There were no infectious diseases wards and people suffering from contagious leprosy were evicted from their villages.

When they realised that Jesus was giving them proper healing, ‘They laid the sick in the market places and pleaded with him’ (Mark 6.55-56).

This solitary and overlooked verse shows the unbearable plight of ancient people and their desperate need for proper healing.

A unique part of Jesus’work was his healing ministry.

In that age, before medical science, illnesses were attributed to demon possession.

In these healing incidents, Jesus appears to converse with the demons (Mark 1.21-26.)

That is why it is so difficult, if not impossible, to‘explain’these acts of healing.

The gospels record that the people reacted in one of two diametrically opposite ways.

Either the people admired and believed in Jesus.‘Many of the people believed Jesus, they said, ‘When the Messiah comes will he do more signs than this man (Jesus) has done?’’(John 7.31).

On the other hand, the religious authorities accused Jesus of casting out demons by the power of the devil, (Matthew 9.32-34 and Luke 11.14-15).

But Jesus’acts of healing have a deeper meaning.

Jesus gives us the healing of forgiveness. Forgiveness creates healing.

In Mark 2.1-12, we read of the healing incident when the paralysed man is lowered from the roof by his four friends.

Jesus spoke to the man:‘My son, your sins are forgiven’(Mark 2.5)

The man came looking for a prescription to cure him. Instead, he got a sermon.

But Jesus was teaching us about God’s healing.

Complete health involves the whole person. We have seen this feature of health and illness during the Covid lockdown.

Not only are people suffering physical illnesses through lack of exercise and cancelled procedures, but people are suffering mentally through stress and prolonged isolation.

Proper health involves the body and mind and soul.

In Mark 2 1-12, Jesus uses this miracle of healing to teach us supremely about forgiveness.

Because, at the heart of forgiveness, there is healing. Forgiveness creates healing in two ways.

First, healing of our broken relationships.

Second, healing for the wounds in the hurting hearts, wounds caused by these broken relations. Folks, this is fundamental.

Sin is separation and it hurts. Forgiveness is reunion and it heals.

Sin separates us from God. Forgiveness reunites with God. Forgiveness of sin is the healing of our relation with our hurting God. Because God is hurt when we disobey and desert him.

Then it follows forgiveness heals our relations with one another.

Wounded relationships and hurting people are healed through the curing power of forgiveness.

Finally, we need to learn to forgive ourselves.

How often we say,‘I’ll never forgive myself’?

Even worse, how much does that unforgiven nagging memory still plague us because we have not forgiven ourselves?

Forgiveness is a gift.

Another word for forgiveness is pardon.

Pardon comes from two Latin words‘per donum’meaning ‘through a gift’.

The healing of our relationship with God is God’s gift found in forgiveness.

When our broken relationships with one another are mended, we exchange the precious gift of forgiving and healing.

And, when we stop blaming ourselves for that mistake we made years ago, we are doing ourselves a great turn.

‘Forgive (heal) us of our sins (faults) as we forgive (heal) one another’(Matthew 6.12). and recorded online on our YouTube channel.

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