23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people. 24 The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.

        Jesus’ message was accompanied by a great amount of healing. Every time I visit someone in the hospital my heart longs for physical healing like that today. Certainly we believe God can and sometimes does heal people today, that is why we pray when people are sick. Some have tried to imitate Jesus’ ministry today with healing & miracle services. Others promote a so-called “power evangelism” which promotes the use of miraculous signs as a means to win people to Christ. Reports abound from missionaries of God doing miraculous works in third world countries, even with testimonies of people being raised from the dead. Are all these things really happening? If we in our country don’t see many of these things, is it because of our lack of faith?

        Paul, who at times saw miraculous things happening, also experienced limitations to supernatural healings (see 2 Tim 4:20, where he left Trophimus sick, and 1 Tim 5:23, where he recommends Timothy take “wine for the stomach’s sake”). Even the most adamant promoters of miracles today often wear eye glasses and die of some health-related malady! The NT tells us throughout to pray for endurance in suffering even when no healing comes. Yet James 5:14-18 encourages us to pray for healing. So what is with that? Simply put, Biblical evidence shows that following Christ does not mean all sickness goes away. Nor does the miraculous prove one has faith.

        So what do we make of Jesus’ miracles? They demonstrated that God cares about people. But His healings served a higher purpose than simply the removal of hardship, for suffering is a constant companion to life in a fallen world. Healings were attention-getters, pointing to that which is far greater than physical healings. He met peoples’ “felt” needs (which they were most aware of) in order to speak to them about their spiritual needs. And this method worked! Large crowds heard and followed Him. Word got around. And for those who came to faith, their greatest need was met—forgiveness of sins!

Father, help us live our lives caring for the felt needs of others, as attention-getters, pointing them to Your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the face of suffering, we ask for perseverance, that we may faithfully serve You and others.