Introduction
This article presents every example in the New Testament where one or more people were healed. Jesus has commissioned all believers to lay hands on the sick throughout the Church Age. so it is important for us to understand the Scriptural examples in the Bible concerning healing.
Here are some important principles of healing that we will see over and over again in these passages:
Notice that Jesus healed every sick person. It is still His will to heal people today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Mark 1:40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."
Mark 1:41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"
Mark 1:42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.
Luke 5:12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
Luke 5:13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" And immediately the leprosy left him.
Jesus was willing to heal the sick back then, and He is still willing to heal the sick today. Notice that He did the healing by laying hands on the man and commanding the man's body to be healed. Jesus did not pray for the healing (in the sense of asking God to heal the man), He commanded it. Healing works exactly the same way today.
Luke 7:2 There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die.
Luke 7:3 The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant.
Luke 7:4 When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this,
Luke 7:5 because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue."
Luke 7:6 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.
Luke 7:7 That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.
Luke 7:8 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."
Luke 7:9 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."
Luke 7:10 Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
Healing requires faith today just as it did two thousand years ago.
Mark 1:30 Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her.
Mark 1:31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
Luke 4:38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon's mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.
Luke 4:39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.
Again we see Jesus healing someone by laying hands on the person. Notice that she got up and was healed. This is an important principle that we will see over and over in these Scripture passages. It is important for the sick person to put his or her faith into action. Many times the healings don't happen until people mix action with their faith. This is just as true today as it was in the first century. Also, notice that Jesus did not pray for the woman to be healed, He spoke to the fever and rebuked it, and it left her. Healing often works exactly the same way today.
Mark 1:32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.
Mark 1:33 The whole town gathered at the door,
Mark 1:34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
Luke 4:40 When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.
Luke 4:41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.
Over and over Jesus healed all of the sick people who were brought to Him. It is His will to heal, then and now. Notice that He did not pray for the demons to leave, He rebuked them and commanded them to come out, He drove them out with a word. Deliverance works just the same way today and is often just as easy as in this passage.
Mark 5:1 They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.
Mark 5:2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
Mark 5:3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain.
Mark 5:4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.
Mark 5:5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
Mark 5:6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.
Mark 5:7 He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!"
Mark 5:8 For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!"
Mark 5:9 Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many."
Mark 5:10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
Mark 5:11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside.
Mark 5:12 The demons begged Jesus, "Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them."
Mark 5:13 He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.
Luke 8:26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee.
Luke 8:27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs.
Luke 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!"
Luke 8:29 For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
Luke 8:30 Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him.
Luke 8:31 And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
Luke 8:32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into them, and he gave them permission.
Luke 8:33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
Notice that Jesus first commanded the demon to come out, then he asked the man or the demon a question ("What is your name?") to get some more information, then He completed the deliverance. Healing and deliverance work the same way today. We should interview the sick person to get some information before doing the healing, then we should ask further questions after the healing to determine if there are any further needs. Notice in Luke 8:29 (above) that the demons did not immediately leave when Jesus commanded them to go. Sometimes we have to be persistent when doing deliverance.
Mark 2:3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them.
Mark 2:4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
Mark 2:6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
Mark 2:7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Mark 2:8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?
Mark 2:9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
Mark 2:10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic,
Mark 2:11 "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."
Mark 2:12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
Luke 5:17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.
Luke 5:18 Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.
Luke 5:19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
Luke 5:20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
Luke 5:21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, "Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
Luke 5:22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, "Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
Luke 5:23 Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'?
Luke 5:24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. . . ." He said to the paralyzed man, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."
Luke 5:25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.
Here again we see that healing requires faith. Also, we see Jesus commanding the man to be healed (not praying for God to heal the man), and we see the man putting his faith into action and then receiving his healing.
Mark 5:22 Then one of the synagogue rulers, named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet
Mark 5:23 and pleaded earnestly with him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live."
Mark 5:24 So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him.
Mark 5:35 While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?"
Mark 5:36 Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe."
Mark 5:37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.
Mark 5:38 When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly.
Mark 5:39 He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep."
Mark 5:40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was.
Mark 5:41 He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!").
Mark 5:42 Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished.
Luke 8:41 Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house
Luke 8:42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him.
Luke 8:49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher any more."
Luke 8:50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."
Luke 8:51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother.
Luke 8:52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."
Luke 8:53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead.
Luke 8:54 But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!"
Luke 8:55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat.
This is another example of Jesus healing someone by the laying-on of hands. Another point is demonstrated here as well. Jesus stressed that the father of the dead girl needed to have faith, and because healing requires faith it sometimes helps to have all those who are full of unbelief to leave the room. Even Jesus told those who had no faith to go outside so that the healing could take place.
Mark 5:25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years.
Mark 5:26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
Mark 5:27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,
Mark 5:28 because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed."
Mark 5:29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
Mark 5:30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"
Mark 5:31 "You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?'"
Mark 5:32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
Mark 5:33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.
Mark 5:34 He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
Luke 8:43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
Luke 8:44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
Luke 8:45 "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."
Luke 8:46 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."
Luke 8:47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.
Luke 8:48 Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."
This is another example of the laying-on of hands, but in reverse. The sick woman laid hands on Jesus' garment, and she was healed because she put her faith into action. This method of healing works today just as well as it did back then. Many people have been healed in this way because it releases the sick person's faith and allows the healing to take place. Notice that lots of people were pressing against Jesus, but the woman's faith drew healing power from Jesus. In fact, this healing took Jesus by surprise, because He didn't know who had been healed. Jesus did not "do" this healing, it was her faith that brought about the healing.
Another example of Jesus healing people by laying hands on them. We are specifically told that He laid hands on the problem area, the men's eyes. It is usually best to lay hands as close to the problem area as possible because this allows the healing power of the Holy Spirit to be applied as directly as possible to the sickness or injury. We will see Jesus doing this over and over. Notice that Jesus said the healing was based on their faith. This is just as true today as it was back then.
This passage demonstrates that physical afflictions are sometimes caused by demons. Cast out the demon and then either the affliction is gone or else it can easily be cured. This is just as true today as it was back then. Also, notice the reaction of the religious leaders (the Pharisees). They accused the things of God as being of the devil. Christians sometimes do the same thing today, so we need to expect a certain amount of persecution from our brothers and sisters when we step out in obedience to Christ by laying hands on the sick. Love them anyway!
Jesus had compassion on people, and He healed every sick person who came to Him. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and He still has compassion on us and He still heals by the laying-on of hands. The only difference is that now He lives in us and He uses our hands for healing the sick.
Mark 3:14 He appointed twelve--designating them apostles --that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach
Mark 3:15 and to have authority to drive out demons.
Mark 6:7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
Mark 6:12 They went out and preached that people should repent.
Mark 6:13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
Luke 9:1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
Luke 9:2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Luke 9:6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
Christ gave the twelve disciples the authority to heal every disease and sickness, and He gave us the very same authority in the Great Commission (see my Healing Training Course).
Luke 7:21 At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.
Luke 7:22 So he replied to the messengers, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.
In addition to Jesus' compassion for the sick, one of the biggest purposes for healing was to prove that Jesus is the Son of God and to bring people into the Kingdom. We are part of the same New Testament Church that the apostles were a part of (there is no such thing as an "early Church" and a "modern Church," it is all the same Church!), and healing has the same purpose and the same importance today as it did back then.
Mark 3:1 Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.
Mark 3:2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.
Mark 3:3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."
Mark 3:4 Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.
Mark 3:5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.
Luke 6:6 On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled.
Luke 6:7 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.
Luke 6:8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there.
Luke 6:9 Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"
Luke 6:10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did so, and his hand was completely restored.
Jesus commanded the man to put his faith into action, and when the man stretched out his hand it was healed. This principle is just as true today.
Jesus healed all the sick. It is His will to heal the sick. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Luke 11:14 Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed.
Again, casting out a demon is sometimes all it takes to get someone healed, both then and now.
Mark 6:4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
Mark 6:5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
Mark 6:6 And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
When you step out in obedience to Christ and begin laying hands on the sick, people (often other Christians) will be offended, so expect it. Notice that Jesus could not do many miracles in His hometown because of their lack of faith. Faith is just as important today.
Jesus had compassion on people and He healed all the sick who came to Him, all throughout His ministry. His compassion and healing continue to this day.
Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there.
Mark 6:54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus.
Mark 6:55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was.
Mark 6:56 And wherever he went--into villages, towns or countryside--they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
This is another example of putting faith into action for healing, and it is also another example of the laying-on of hands in reverse (people were laying hands on Jesus' cloak as a point of contact for their faith). Both of these are just as true and valid today.
Matthew 15:21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
Matthew 15:22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
Matthew 15:23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
Matthew 15:24 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
Matthew 15:25 The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
Matthew 15:26 He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
Matthew 15:27 "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
Matthew 15:28 Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Mark 7:25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.
Mark 7:26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
Mark 7:27 "First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
Mark 7:28 "Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."
Mark 7:29 Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."
Mark 7:30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Bread was a staple of life in the first century, meaning that it was a standard part of meals in those days. This is why the word "bread" is used in so many illustrations in the Gospels. Notice that Jesus described healing and deliverance as the "bread" of the children of Israel (the children of the Old Covenant). In other words, Jesus considered healing to be as important for them as bread was important in their daily meals. As Christians, we are under the New Covenant, which is founded upon better promises than the Old Covenant was (Hebrews 8:6). If healing and deliverance were "bread" to the children of the Old Covenant, how can we have "better" promises if healing and deliverance are not available to us today? That would be worse than the promises of the Old Covenant! Also, the principle of persistence is demonstrated here. We need to be persistent when ministering healing. We do not know everything there is to know about divine healing, so if one thing does not work then we need to keep trying other things and being persistent. If we are unable to minister healing to people, then they should allow other people to lay hands on them because their persistence will ultimately pay off. Only God knows why the healing is delayed, but He honors persistence.
Matthew 15:29 Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up on a mountainside and sat down.
Matthew 15:30 Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.
Mark 9:17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
Mark 9:18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."
Mark 9:19 "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me."
Mark 9:20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Mark 9:21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered.
Mark 9:22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us."
Mark 9:23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again."
Mark 9:26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead."
Mark 9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
Mark 9:28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
Mark 9:29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer."
Luke 9:38 A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.
Luke 9:39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.
Luke 9:40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."
Luke 9:41 "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."
Luke 9:42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.
The disciples, who had done many healings and deliverances by this time (see Mark 6:7-13), were unable to cast out this demon. Jesus explained that "This kind can come out only by prayer" (some manuscripts say, "by prayer and fasting"). Jesus said that prayer was needed for casting out this kind of spirit, but notice that He did not pray for the demon to go. He rebuked it and commanded it to go. In other words, Jesus led a lifestyle of prayer and fasting which put Him in the position to be able to cast this demon out. Another thing to note in this passage is that the disciples were unable to bring about the healing because they did not have adequate knowledge concerning how to cast this kind of demon out. This holds true even today. The more we learn about healing, the more knowledge and experience we acquire, the more people we will see being healed.
Mark 10:49 Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."
Mark 10:50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
Mark 10:51 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
Mark 10:52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Luke 18:35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging.
Luke 18:36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening.
Luke 18:37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
Luke 18:38 He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Luke 18:39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Luke 18:40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,
Luke 18:41 "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see," he replied.
Luke 18:42 Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you."
Luke 18:43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
Another important principle is being demonstrated here. Notice that Jesus interviewed the blind men in order to determine what healing they needed. This is equally important when we are ministering healing today. We need to determine what the physical problem is, what the medical diagnosis is, how the problem happened (car accident, etc.), where the pain or affliction is in the body, and so on. This information helps us to lay hands on or near the actual affliction and to command healing for the specific problem. Notice that Jesus laid hands on the specific area of the men's affliction, their eyes.
Luke 4:33 In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice,
Luke 4:34 "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!"
Luke 4:35 "Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.
The people knew that Jesus healed by the laying-on of hands, so they begged Him to place His hands on the deaf mute person. Jesus still heals by the laying-on of hands, only it is our hands that He uses, since we are His body here on earth. Notice that Jesus laid His hands on the specific areas which needed healing. Even today we find that healing often works best when hands are laid on or near the afflicted area of the body. Also note that Jesus did not pray for the healing to take place, He commanded the healing. Finally, notice that Jesus first took the man away from the crowd, away from any doubt and unbelief. These same principles of healing are just as valid today.
Many of the principles of healing which we have been seeing are demonstrated here. Removing the person from an atmosphere of possible doubt and unbelief, laying hands on the specific area of affliction, asking questions to determine if further healing is required, and laying hands again to complete the healing. This is another case where the person did not get healed or delivered the first time, even though it was Jesus doing the healing or deliverance. Persistence is important when ministering healing.
Earlier, Jesus had sent out the Twelve with the instruction to preach the Good News of the kingdom, to heal the sick, and to cast out demons (Luke 9:1-6). Now look whom Jesus is sending out: 72 ordinary believers! These average, ordinary believers were sent out to do exactly what the apostles had been sent out to do.
Luke 11:14 (see Matthew 12:22-23)
Luke 13:10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,
Luke 13:11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all.
Luke 13:12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity."
Luke 13:13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.
Luke 13:14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."
First of all, notice that demons can cause physical afflictions. Today we would probably diagnose this woman as having scoliosis or something and do surgery on her, when all that might really be needed is a simple deliverance. Notice the reaction of the religious leaders. They were indignant when Jesus did something which did not conform to their doctrines. When you step out in faith and claim that Jesus still heals today by the laying-on of hands, some people will be indignant, so expect such reactions. Love them anyway!
It is Jesus' will to heal people.
Luke 14:2 There in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy.
Luke 14:3 Jesus asked the Pharisees and experts in the law, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?"
Luke 14:4 But they remained silent. So taking hold of the man, he healed him and sent him away.
Jesus constantly confronted people's narrow doctrinal boundaries! Wouldn't He do the same if He were on the earth today?
Luke 17:11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.
Luke 17:12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance
Luke 17:13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"
Luke 17:14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.
Luke 17:15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.
Luke 17:16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan.
Luke 17:17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?
Luke 17:18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"
Luke 17:19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
Notice that the ten lepers were not instantly healed by Jesus. They were healed "as they went." The same principle applies today, because some people are instantly healed while other people's healing takes a few minutes or days.
Luke 18:35-43 (see Matthew 20:29-34)
Luke 22:49 When Jesus' followers saw what was going to happen, they said, "Lord, should we strike with our swords?"
Luke 22:50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
Luke 22:51 But Jesus answered, "No more of this!" And he touched the man's ear and healed him.
John 4:46 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.
John 4:47 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.
John 4:48 "Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders," Jesus told him, "you will never believe."
John 4:49 The royal official said, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
John 4:50 Jesus replied, "You may go. Your son will live." The man took Jesus at his word and departed.
John 4:51 While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living.
John 4:52 When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, "The fever left him yesterday at the seventh hour."
John 4:53 Then the father realized that this was the exact time at which Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live." So he and all his household believed.
The man "took Jesus at his word." We also need to take Jesus at His Word, because He cannot lie. In the Great Commission Jesus said that those who believe will lay hands on the sick, so we must take Him at His Word and obey Him.
John 5:2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.
John 5:3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie--the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.
John 5:4
John 5:5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.
John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?"
John 5:7 "Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me."
John 5:8 Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."
John 5:9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,
John 6:1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),
John 6:2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.
John 7:21 Jesus said to them, "I did one miracle, and you are all astonished.
John 7:22 Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a child on the Sabbath.
John 7:23 Now if a child can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing the whole man on the Sabbath?
John 7:24 Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."
John 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth.
John 9:2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
John 9:3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
John 9:4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
John 9:5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
John 9:6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.
John 9:7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
John 9:24 A second time they [the Pharisees] summoned the man who had been blind. "Give glory to God, " they said. "We know this man is a sinner."
John 9:25 He replied, "Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"
This example demonstrates that Jesus healed in many different ways, always being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. We need to be just as sensitive to the Spirit when ministering healing today because God will sometimes tell us to do things which don't make much sense. If God tells you to do something, do it, and the person will be healed. Notice that the Pharisees (the religious leaders) accused Jesus of being a sinner. Even today people will accuse you of all kinds of things when you step out in faith and make the claim that Jesus still heals by the laying-on of hands. Love them anyway and don't let this deter you, because blessed are you when people ridicule you for the obedient works that you are doing in His Name (Matthew 5:11).
John 11:39 "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."
John 11:40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
John 11:41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
John 11:42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."
John 11:43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
John 11:44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
Martha was a believer, but she had no faith in a "now" miracle. She believed that Jesus was the Christ, but she did not believe that He would do a miracle right then and there. Christians today believe that Jesus is the Christ, but they often do not believe that He will do a miracle right here and now. He will, if there is faith present.
Acts 3:2 Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.
Acts 3:3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.
Acts 3:4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!"
Acts 3:5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk."
Acts 3:7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.
Acts 3:8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.
Acts 3:16 By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.
When did the lame man's feet and ankles become strong? When he put his faith into action. How was he healed? By Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him. These principles are just as valid today.
Acts 5:14 Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.
Acts 5:15 As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter's shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.
Acts 5:16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.
Acts 8:6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.
Acts 8:7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.
Acts 8:8 So there was great joy in that city.
Acts 9:10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, "Ananias!" "Yes, Lord," he answered.
Acts 9:11 The Lord told him, "Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.
Acts 9:12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight."
Acts 9:13 "Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.
Acts 9:14 And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name."
Acts 9:15 But the Lord said to Ananias, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.
Acts 9:16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
Acts 9:17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord--Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here--has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 9:18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized
Acts 22:11 My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me.
Acts 22:12 "A man named Ananias came to see me. He was a devout observer of the law and highly respected by all the Jews living there.
Acts 22:13 He stood beside me and said, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight!' And at that very moment I was able to see him.
Notice that a non-apostle laid hands on an apostle and healed him! If you don't believe that Paul was an apostle at this point, I invite you to examine the evidence in my article called
Acts 9:33 There he found a man named Aeneas, a paralytic who had been bedridden for eight years.
Acts 9:34 "Aeneas," Peter said to him, "Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat." Immediately Aeneas got up.
Acts 9:35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.
This is exactly how Jesus healed the lame man by the pool in Bethesda ("Then Jesus said to him, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk."" - John 5:8). The only difference is that Peter did the healing in Jesus' Name. Healing works exactly the same for us as it did for the apostles. It is by faith and in the Name of Jesus.
Acts 9:36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas ), who was always doing good and helping the poor.
Acts 9:37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.
Acts 9:38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!"
Acts 9:39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
Acts 9:40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up.
Notice that Peter sent everyone out of the room before raising the girl from the dead. An atmosphere of doubt and unbelief can hinder healing. Also notice that Peter prayed before raising her from the dead, but then he quit praying and commanded her to get up.
Acts 10:37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached--
Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
How did Jesus heal the sick? Was it by His own power? No, He healed the sick by the power of the Holy Spirit within Him. How did the apostles heal the sick? Was it by their own power? No, they healed the sick by the power of the Holy Spirit within them. Do we have access to the same Holy Spirit that Jesus and the apostles did? Absolutely!
Acts 14:8 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked.
Acts 14:9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed
Acts 14:10 and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.
Acts 16:16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
Acts 16:17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."
Acts 16:18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
Acts 19:11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
Acts 19:12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.
Acts 20:9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
Acts 20:10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!"
Acts 22:11-13 (see Acts 9:10-18)
Acts 28:3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
Acts 28:4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."
Acts 28:5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
Acts 28:6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
Acts 28:7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably.
Acts 28:8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him.
Acts 28:9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.
In this passage we see that Paul prayed, but he healed Publius' father by the laying-on of hands.
Philippians 2:25 "But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs."
Philippians 2:26 "For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill."
Philippians 2:27 "Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow."
1 Timothy 5:23 "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses."
People sometimes assume that Timothy had a stomach problem which was not healed, but in reality he had a number of "illnesses" (plural) which were healed each time. For more on this,
2 Timothy 4:20 "Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus."
Revelation 11:3 "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.""
Revelation 11:7 "Now when they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them."
Revelation 11:8 "Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified."
Revelation 11:9 "For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial."
Revelation 11:10 "The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth."
Revelation 11:11 "But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them."
Revelation 11:12 "Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies looked on."
Revelation 13:3 "One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast."
Revelation 13:4 "Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?""
Revelation 13:11 "Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon."
Revelation 13:12 "He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed."
Revelation 13:13 "And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men."
Revelation 13:14 "Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived."
