Chapter 4 What About Healing (part three)?

As we talked about healing generally, we asked and answered questions such as “Does God want to heal everyone?” and “Does God heal everyone?” and “Does healing require, or is healing hindered by, the quantity or quality of faith of the one who is either to receive the healing, or do the healing?” We let the God the Holy Spirit speak for Himself by looking to what He wrote through the pen of Paul and others. Now, let us turn our attention to asking and answering the question, “What does miracle healing look like?” This is an important question because many believe we should be able to heal as good as, or better, than Jesus, the Apostles, and the saints of the New Testament Era. Miracle healing today seems to take on many forms and manifestations. You can see them for yourself by going to certain video websites and following the links provided. Having personally seen “miracle healings” in a number of charistmatic churches, I can attest to you that all of them resembled in one form or another the video links footnoted listed above (and listed below). The question is, “Do these miracle healings truly reflect the miracle healings God describes for us in His word?” Just what does a healing miracle look like?

Many times, the healings one sees involve healing a headache, curing shoulder pain, or casting out an invisible spirit. One prominent television personality receives “words of knowledge” that someone in the television audience is being healed of dizzy spells, polyps, kidney stones, or the like. Are such healings typical of those described by the Holy Spirit through the pens of those He moved to write Scripture? Are such healings typical of New Testament healings? What does God say in the Bible? Let me tell you up front, when Jesus, or others, performed miracles of healing the results were obvious and observable. Critics could not rationally explain them away. They were very public and unmistakably supernatural. They were also unmistakably “non-mythical (cast off as "old wives' tales").” Consider the healing of the man with the withered hand.

10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned Jesus, asking, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"-- so that they might accuse Him. 11 And He said to them, "What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 "How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath." 13 Then He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand!" He stretched it out, and it was restored to normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him (Mat 12:10-14).


Wow! Imagine watching a visible and unmistakable healing---one that did not “wear off.” Notice that Jesus’ healing was unlike the lengthening of legs or healing of headaches which some may “perform” on television or on the occasional video with a limited audience. No, Jesus restores a withered hand in an obvious and observable way that his critics could not rationally explain away. How did His miracles of healing look? His healing miracles were very public and unmistakably supernatural. It is also unmistakably non-mythical because his critics were present and did not have to rely upon second hand reports, which they could easily deny or disparage. There could be no allegations of fraud. That is why his opponents determined to figure out how “they might destroy Him.” Their excuse might have been that He had healed on the Sabbath. However, that He healed was beyond contestation. Such is not the case with modern day miracle healers. Consider the “miracle healing of miracle healings,” the raising of Lazarus from the dead. This healing fits the same mould:

37 But some of them said, "Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?" 38 So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb. Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39 Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" 41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 "I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me." 43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." 45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. 47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 48 "If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish (Joh 11:37-50).”

Consider what God writes. Lazarus has been decidedly dead, indisputably dead, for 4 days! There were all kinds of witnesses, friend and foe alike. Some were followers of Christ; others were enemies of Christ. No doubt there were “undecideds” present as well. In front of all Jesus publicly raised Lazarus from the dead. The scope and grandeur of the miracle healing was so great that even His enemies were forced to admit, affirm, and, sadly, regret His power to heal, as they planned His murder:

47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 48 "If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation." 49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, "You know nothing at all, 50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish (Joh 11:47-50).”

Recognize that Jesus’ enemies do not deny His healing miracles. They only refused to consider the implication of these healings (i.e. Jesus is Messiah and Son of God). Notice, also, that a corpse does not have faith, nor, does one suppose, does it lack faith. The healing did not depend on the faith of Lazarus. Some will try and say that Jesus’ miracle somehow depended on the faith of those gathered around, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" This notion does not hold water because many present refused to entrust themselves to Him, or believe on Him. More than a few believed on Him after the miracle-healing. God’s healing Lazarus was not contingent upon human faith but the divine will.

39 Jesus said, "Remove the stone." Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days." 40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?" 41 So they removed the stone. Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 "I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me." 43 When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth." 44 The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go." 45 Therefore many of the Jews who came to Mary, and saw what He had done, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them the things which Jesus had done. 47 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, "What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs. 48 "If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation (Joh 11:39-48).”

Consider also that people came to meet (and sadly gawk) at Lazarus after he was raised from the dead. Not only were there witnesses to his death and raising but people saw and met Lazarus afterwards (John 12:9-11). Does this happen today? How many people have you met who were raised from the dead, or had a withered hand restored? How many people do you know of who were blind from birth have sight today through a miracle healing? How many of these alleged cases can be substantiated or documented in undeniable, unquestionable ways?

Reflect upon the healing of the paralytic in John chapter 5, a man paralyzed for some 38 years. It is even unclear that he wanted to be well or that he knew who Christ was at the time of the healing. Think of the evidence of the healing---38 years of passersby seeing the man day after day! Who could deny the reality of this healing miracle? This was a healing driven by the will of God rather than the desires of, or faith of men.

As for healing being possible on the contingency of adequate quantities of faith on the part of the healer or the one receiving the healing, spend some time reflecting upon the healing of the man born blind from birth in John chapter 9. He did not trust in Christ, nor did he have faith prior to the healing. The miracle was public. The evidence of his blindness and subsequent healing were beyond contestation. That Christ healed him was undeniable. He came to faith as a result of his healing, rather than before receiving healing. The same can be said of Naaman’s healing in 2 Kings 5:1-27. The same can be said of the unbelieving folk present for the healing of Jairus’ daughter in the gospels of Mark and Luke. Their unbelief did not quench the ability to heal. Healing did not depend on the faith of those present, nor was it hindered by their unbelief.

What does a healing look like? It looks like a mighty act of God. It is obvious, unmistakably supernatural, public and therefore non-mythical. Friend and foe alike are present. It would seem that there is little resemblance to what we see today. No excuses were made due to the lack of faith on any one party.

The magnitude of Paul’s healings closely resembled those of the Lord of Jesus. They were obvious and observable, like the healing of the withered hand; they could not be explained away. They were very public and supernatural. Paul healed a crippled man at Lystra (Acts 14:8-15). The crowds upon witnessing the miracle healing sought to worship Paul (and Barnabas) as Greek gods. Sadly, many idol worshippers received the miracle and sought to worship man and not God. Their “faith” was misplaced. It appears that, once again, we have an account of a very public healing done not only in the presence of believers and those receptive to Paul’s gospel but also superstitious pagans, many, if not most, of whom did not believe on Christ for their salvation. Yet, this miracle healing is a model New Testament miracle of healing in that it was very public, it was undeniable, it was supernatural, and it was observably obvious.

Friends, the disconcerting truth is that healings today almost invariably do not follow this pattern or resemble these examples in any way. This begs we ask and answer the question, “Why is this?”

As you reflect on this, please consider the following questions in your own heart. Such questions warrant answering.


ONE: If we are able to do all that the New Testament healers did, all that Jesus and the Apostles did—indeed all that the prophets did, then why do we never see of miracle healing of the same scope, caliber, or magnitude?


TWO: Moreover, why is it that we have “miracle healings” that are unobservable, “un-documentable,” and very much subject to contestation since, as some teach, Jesus taught that we should do greater works (including greater healing miracles) than He performed (John 14:12). Where are these greater works occurring and why do so few see them since even skeptics and foes witnessed Jesus’ healing miracles?

THREE: Since we live in an age of technology, with video recorders, camera phones, satellite uplinks, and internet video, why is it that there are no verifiable examples of eyes that had been gouged out being restored, or amputated limbs regrown, or withered hands for that matter, being fully restored? People make such claims and yet they seem incapable, or, worse, unwilling to verify them to the glory of God and the furtherance of the gospel? Why is this? Why aren't miracle healers emptying cancer wards and burn centers of the ill and injured to the glory of God?

FOUR: Jesus very publicly raised Lazarus from the dead, why does hasn’t anyone, anywhere, done the same before a crowd—and documented it? Why do we never meet these people as others met Lazarus?

FIVE: Given the glory of God that would be displayed in documenting such miracles, why is there virtually no objective, verifiable evidence when such evidences were abundantly available to the masses in the New Testament Era?

FIVE: Given the glory of God that would be displayed in documenting such miracles, why is there virtually no objective, verifiable evidence when such evidences were abundantly available to the masses in the New Testament Era?

SIX: What should we make of those who claim to have received such miracles but resist or refuse to document them? Should we suppose they wish to hide God’s glory? Why not display it in an unmistakable, observable, and irrefutable way—if there is nothing to hide, like Jesus and the Apostles did?

SEVEN: Today’s miracle healings appear to fall profoundly short of their Old Testament and New Testament counterparts. Many claim miracle healings. Many claim to have witnessed them. Many claim to have witnessed raising the dead. At the same time, there is never (I mean never) a shred of objective, verifiable, and documentable evidence made available for God’s glory. Why is this? Most, if not many, of these accounts seem to fall far short and are often second hand accounts heard through others, or the friend of a friend. What do we make of the differences between Jesus’ miracles of healing and the healing miracles done today?

We write these things not to be contentious or divisive. But Jesus taught that in His kingdom nothing would be done in secret. He taught nothing in secret. These miracle healings should be documented and shouted from the rooftops. The Bible teaches us to test the spirits. Paul commended the “noble Bereans” who listened but verified what he taught by searching the Scriptures, rather than taking his claims at face value. Should we do no less today? Miracle healings fall into the category of signs and wonders that caused people to stop, look, and witness the glory of God in fear, awe, and trembling. Such signs and wonders go far beyond the healing of a sore shoulder, lengthening a leg, or healing a migraine. What does a healing miracle look like? It looks like a radical act of God as He intervenes supernaturally in obvious, unmistakable, undeniable ways that are beyond contestation, even by critics and skeptics. We seem to see none of this today. Go before the Lord and ask yourself “Why?” Beloved, read through the gospels and compare the healings you have seen with those of the Apostle Paul, of Peter with John, or those of the Lord Jesus Christ. Ask yourself, if we are to be healing today as then did in that era, then why do we see not such miracles today?

PS:

Video links of healings are listed below because of a problem with footnoting software:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnvpQPIYvGo 8/25/2009 12:28 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LJICxXnvlw 8/25/2009 12:19 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndk93NZZShc downloaded 8/25/2009 12:10 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Rw6TCiUO8&feature=related 8/25/2009 12:23 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlAPYxwqBao&feature=related downloaded 8/25/2009 12:05 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNSaU9b37ro&feature=related downloaded 8/25/2009 12:06 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20KdDnNnms0&feature=PlayList&p=59C94AA7FB4FEAA1&index=1 downloaded 8/25/2009 12:34 PM

Next time we will discuss "signs and wonders."

We will post again before or on September 10th.