The Healing Power of Jesus
When we talk of Jesus healing, we tend to talk almost exclusively of his healing the sick, the physically unwell.
Or, by extension, we may speak of the healings performed by his disciples, the laying on of hands, priesthood blessings, administering with oil, even miraculous healings done through faith in the name of Jesus Christ by women in the early church, or perhaps the ongoing history of faith healings elsewhere in Christendom.
Maybe we have our own personal experiences with miraculous healing, or perhaps we just know of others.
For instance, about eleven years ago, I was in Idaho, touring the personal hanger of a church fellow who collected small vintage and wartime aircraft. He ended the tour by showing us the photos of his solo plane crash back in the 80s and the third-degree burns to almost his entire body including his entire head and face. Twenty-odd years later, and I never would have guessed of my own accord that his face had once been so badly damaged and disfigured. He had indeed been physically healed in a miraculous way.
Now, while the topic of physical healing is indeed an important one for our faith; Jesus having commanded us several times not to fear, and that includes death and disability, in the time that we have, I really want to make sure we cover this subject macroscopically.
Sure, we could literally spend hours going through account after account of faithful Christians who have been miraculously healed, whether suddenly, immediately, or slowly, gradually…
Sure, we could spend hours breaking down the real causes of illness and disease (which is not, as the Rockefeller-funded pharmaceutical industry would have you believe, “germs”) or what physical health actually is, or how self-repairing and self-healing the marvellous godly creations that are our physical bodies are capable of being when we actually feed and care for them correctly…
(Of course, health seems to have become a very politicized topic this past year, and heaven forbid we take some sort of moral, political stand from the pulpit.)
But, with the advent of this Easter season, today being Palm Sunday, we’re likely all going to be reflecting on the Savior’s final mortal week this week, arguably the most important week in all history, next to the Creation week, so I want to talk more comprehensively of the ways in which Jesus heals us, and is currently healing each of us, no matter what it is we’re dealing with. No matter what. Whether they be emotional issues (family, friends, relationships, personal struggles), psychological issues (fear, anxiety, self-doubt, anger, greed), intellectual issues, creative issues, governmental issues, whatever it is.
For context, we’re going to read in the Gospel of John, Chapter 10. And as we read, I want you to really think about this: whom do you serve?
That may seem like an odd question, since we’re talking about healing, but it’s not. All rights, powers, privileges, blessings come with inherent responsibilities. No man can serve two masters. He’s going to end up hating one or the other. Things are going to get harder yet. If we serve ourselves, or our spouse, or our boss, or our government, or success, fame, money, status, power, in short, the world, or even the church institution, before God, we must inevitably hate either God or the world. The only way you can actually love the world you live in is to love God more. Put God first.
We may all be in this world, but God has called us out of it. He’s called us to not be “of the world”. To be separate from the world. To not follow their ways, but follow him. That is how we find healing.
This is what Jesus tells us:
10 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
Just consider that for a second, he didn’t just come to give us life, or give his life to give us life eternal. He wants to give us a more abundant life now. He wants us to have joy. He cares about the quality of our lives, and he is the doorway to that better path. We don’t get that by following liars and thieves, no matter what Hollywood tells you.
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Jesus tells us plainly here. He has all power over life and death. Our lives are not our own. We are all sheep.
Now, I don’t have sheep. But I do have chickens. And they rely upon me for their daily subsistence, even when they are trying to fight against me. If I don’t give them feed, or water, or let them free-range, or let them back in at night to the safety and security of their coop, they will all eventually die, whether by dehydration, or cannibalism, or by snake attack, or by some other way.
This is what King Benjamin meant when he said:
19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy. (Mosiah 4:19–20)
We are all sheep. The question is, are we his sheep?
Jesus promises his sheep that he will lead them. That he will save them. That he will lay down his life for them. That they will know his voice. That they will have pasture. That their life will be more abundant, more free, more assured, more joyful for following him and not the liars, thieves or hired leaders who will ultimately destroy us.
So then, how do we do it?
I’m not talking so much about how we become his sheep in the first place. I think most of us have some idea about how that works already. I’m talking about how we access this pasture he has for us, this joy, this healing, this abundance of life, how do we do it?
Well, it’s actually really simple. He said it himself. My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me … and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11 KJV)
We simply need to cast our burdens from off ourselves and onto him.
Let’s go back to chickens. We have a half-dozen guinea fowl, that we’ve moved from the baby coop to the big coop. Now, even though we’ve clipped all their wings twice now, they’re much better fliers than the chickens and every single day any number of them will wind up stuck back in the baby coop, separated from their brothers and sisters, and will freak out about it until they are all back together again. And as the dutiful shepherd, I will go in to help them back over fence.
The problem is, instead of cooperating, letting me pick them up and toss them back over, they will inevitably run and jump and flap about, fighting my assistance, even though we go through this routine every day and I’m just trying to give them exactly what they are wanting.
A lot of us, I suspect, are the same when it comes to asking the Lord’s help. We might say the words, but we don’t actually let go of the burden we’re carrying. We unconsciously fight him, clinging to our burdens, unwilling to relinquish them to him, not really believing that he’s going to take them as we’ve asked.
And this is why I asked, whom do we serve?
For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? (Mosiah 5:13)
If Jesus is your shepherd, if you serve him, not the world, not mammon, then whatever it is that you’re dealing with right now, whatever you’re struggling with, you need to give it to him, you need to lay it down.
He didn’t bleed from every pore just to have you keep clinging to something that’s weighing you down and drowning you. He wants to give you peace. He wants to give you rest. He wants you to choose to have joy.
There might still be a whole world of outside affliction, that doesn’t matter. We’re not “of this world”. We’re his. We’re his sheep. He laid down his life for us. He bought and ransomed us for a price. We are not our own.
It’s not your burden to carry. He loves all those who will have him to be their God.
No matter what you’ve done in the past.
Choose you this day whom ye will serve …
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15 KJV)
