One of the core doctrines in Christianity is Isaiah 53:5. We believe and confess Jesus as our healer because He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. Another core doctrine in Christianity is the belief in grace; we can’t earn our healing because healing is a gift. We only need to have faith, and if we believe in Jesus, if we believe He is our healer, our faith will be rewarded, and we will be healed.
Do you believe you will always be healed no matter what? What if you pray for the sick?
Most Christians would say yes, God is not a man, so He can not lie. If His word says Jesus is our healer and His stripes heal us, then we are guaranteed to be healed. It also says, “and they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall be healed” (Mark 16), but as we all know, sometimes this is not always the case. Sometimes Christians and others we pray for are not healed.
If God is not a man, so He can not lie, and His word says Jesus is our healer, why this discrepancy between reality and the Bible? To answer this question, we need to study what the Bible says about healing. So let us look at a few examples of healing in the Bible to see what we can learn.
First, we need to ask, are there different ways for healing, one way for the gentile believer and one way for the Jewish believer?
In John 4:46-50, we read, “Once more he visited Cana in Galilee, where he had turned the water into wine. And there was a certain royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. Unless you people see signs and wonders,” Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
The royal official said, “Sir, come down before my child dies.”
“Go,” Jesus replied, “your son will live.”
In 1.Cor 1:22, we read, “It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven.”
To understand John 4:46-50, we first have to ask: Is the royal official a Jew or a Gentile? In John 4:48, Jesus says to the royal official,” unless you people see signs and wonders.” What people is Jesus referring to? in 1.Cor 1:22, Paul says Jews ask for signs and wonders. So the people Jesus is referring to are the Jews. This tells us the royal official is a Jew and not a gentile.
The law of Moses says it is a sin to test God or to ask for a sign. So in John 4:48, Jesus confronts the Jewish royal official and shows him his sin. In verse 49, the royal official repents of his sin by telling Jesus he does not require a sign; his only desire is for his son to be healed. Because he repents from breaking the law of Moses, his son is healed instantly.
Why is the identity of the royal official important?
Because if we do not consider the identity of the royal official, we might end up with a wrong understanding of how to be healed. Most Christianity assumes he was a gentile, and because they make this false assumption, they believe John 4:46-50 says we dont have to do anything to be healed; we only have to believe. But when we know the identity of the royal official, we understand he did something to be healed. He repented from breaking the law of Moses, and because he started obeying it, healing happened.
So the royal official was a Jew and was healed because he repented back to Moses. But what about gentiles, is there a different way to healing for the gentiles?
In Matthew 8:5-13 and Luke 7:1-10, we read: “When Jesus had finished saying all this to the people who were listening, he entered Capernaum. 2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, “This man deserves to have you do this, 5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” 6 So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: “Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. 7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. 8 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
9 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.” 10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.”
Who is the centurion from Luke 7 and Matthew 8?
The Bible says he was a gentile and not a jew. He was not a pagan gentile who believed in other gods. Luke 7:4-5 says he was a gentile who worshiped the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and lived his life according to the law of Moses. He knew it was a sin to question God or to ask for a sign from God. We see this in Matthew 8:5-13, where we read, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the Kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.”
What did we just read?
We know from the text he was a follower of the Torah (the law of Moses). The law, in Deut 13, tells us how to identify someone who has genuine divine authority. Anyone who did miracles AND taught obedience to the law had actual divine authority from Yehovah. (Deut 13) So when hearing about Jesus, who taught obedience to the law and did miracles, he comes to Jesus to have his servant healed.
The text says he obeyed the law of Moses, so we know he would never confess Jesus as God or God’s Son because doing so would be idolatry. It would also be idolatry for him to confess Jesus as the one doing the healing. But we do see the centurion acknowledging Jesus given divine authority to heal.
Because the law forbids us from questioning Yehovahs intentions or asking for a sign, we never see the centurion doubting Yeshua’s (Jesus) ability to be a conduit for healing.
Instead, the centurion obeys the law of Moses, and because of this, his servant is healed. We even see Jesus commending the centurion for his obedience to the law of Moses. Jesus (Yeshua) points out that this gentile shows more obedience to Moses than the natural-born sons of the Kingdom (the Jews.) Jesus says that because of this, the sons of the Kingdom (the Jews who refuse to obey) are cast out into the outer darkness, and the gentiles who obey will take their place in the Kingdom.
Most Christians believe Jesus came to do away with the law of Moses. But here we have Jesus telling us this gentile centurion who obeys the law will enter the Kingdom of heaven because of his obedience. And the Jews who refuse to obey will be cast out into the outer darkness.
Paul the Apostle says the same thing in the book of Romans, where he says the natural-born Jews who refuse to obey will be broken off, and the gentiles who obey the law will be grafted into Israel. Then Paul elaborates on this and says those who are broken off will be grafted in again if they repent and start to obey.
Are there different ways for healing, one way for the gentile believer and one way for the Jewish believer? The Bible says no, gentile Christians and Jewish Christians are both healed the same way by repenting from lawlessness to law.
We are only promised complete healing and restoration (Isaiah 53:5) if we repent from lawlessness to law.
Do you need healing today?
Repent from lawlessness to law so Yehovah, your Healer, can heal your body, soul, and every area of your life.
The question also needs to be asked, if this is the case, why then do we see genuine healings among Christians who reject the law of Moses? The answer can as always be found in the Bible. In Matthew 7:21-23, Yeshua says He does not know who they are; they who confess Him as Lord are well able to do great and mighty miracles in His name but have chosen to reject the law. In Deut 13, the Bible says Yehovah will allow Christians who reject the law, and idol worshipers in other religions, to do actual miracles as a test. Yehovah wants to see how you and I will react when we are faced with a genuine miracle performed by someone who rejects the law of Moses.
When we see a Christian who rejects the law of Moses, or someone in another religion, perform a miracle, we need to remember Deut 13 and choose to reject them as false prophets.
What if you are one of them, or you have been healed through the ministry of a Christian who rejects the law of Moses? Repent from lawlessness to law. If you have been healed through the ministry of a Christian who rejected the law of Moses, appreciate what Yehovah has given you but choose to repent from lawlessness to law. (Rom 2:4)
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