Week 10, Day 1: Physical and Spiritual Healing
Today’s Reading: Mark 3:1-4:41
Some thoughts from Friday’s reading…
Often, it seems, many people are consumed by the miracles of Jesus. While the miracles performed by Jesus certainly had an important role (John 20:30-31), they were not the most important thing that He brought. Instead of focusing on only the physical healings that Jesus performed, we should also realize that He possessed the power to heal spiritually. In Mark chapter 2, we see Jesus addressing both of these types of healing.
A paralytic was brought to Jesus, and let down through the roof because the room was too full for his friends to bring him in through the door. Jesus, upon seeing the faith of this man, said (Mark 2:5): “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” This angered the Jews that witnessed it because they knew that Jesus was claiming to be deity, for only deity could forgive sins! Because of this, they began to accuse Jesus of blasphemy. Jesus, to show that He indeed had the power to forgive, went on to physically heal this paralytic.
Which of these “healings” was more important to Jesus? I would suggest that it was the spiritual healing. Upon seeing this man’s faith, the first thing that Jesus did was to heal his spiritual sickness (his sin). This was what kept the man from having the proper relationship with God. Not being able to walk would not affect whether he was saved or not! Jesus only went on to heal this man physically so that He could show the Jews that He really did have the power to forgive sins. Why would the physical miracle prove Jesus’ power to forgive sins? One of the main purposes of miracles was to confirm a message that was presented (Hebrews 2:4). God gave the apostles the power to work miracles so that their message would be received as true. Jesus, by performing the physical healing was confirming that He had indeed forgiven the sins of this man. If the message was false, God would not work miracles of confirmation!
Many look back on these miracles and wish for them to be present today. They bemoan the fact that the miraculous age has passed, and wish (perhaps like Simon the sorcerer) for the power to perform such miracles today. But, we should consider that God has left us with the more important healing. He left us with the ability to have our sins forgiven. Jesus does not simply speak them forgiven as He did with this paralytic, but He has provided us with His plan of salvation, so that every single person has the ability to receive the same blessing as did this man.
I wonder how many people who witnessed these two acts by Jesus missed the importance of the first? The Jews were angered because they understood the claim that Jesus was making. However, did they ever come to realize that the time of forgiveness of sins had come to them? This was the very time that the prophets of old had spoken about, and the time that both men and angels had desired to see (1 Peter 1:10-12). At the same time, I wonder how many people today miss the significance of what Jesus has made available to us. How many people desire the power to work miracles, but miss the importance of the fact that Jesus has given us the way to have our sins forgiven? We need to make sure that we keep focus on the truly important things! We have been given the greatest of spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3). Let us not waste them!
Popularity: 37% [?]