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Week:06, Season:1,
2012
Posted on Saturday by PCT
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The ministry of holistic healing
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Scripture：《
Mark 1:29-39
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29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. 32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 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. 35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
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When I worked as a chaplain at Heng Chun Christian Hospital, I shared the gospel with a woman who had cancer. After she received Jesus, she prayed in faith to God every day. After a period of time she was recovering from her illness so she started to join the church service where she found love from the congregation who all prayed urgently for her. She deeply believed that God would heal her. Somehow after six months, her illness returned and she had to stay in hospital again. She told me, “Pastor, I was praying to Jesus last night but I was very angry and depressed. I told Jesus, ‘Jesus! Aren’t you great？ You made the blind to see and the crippled to walk. You cleansed the leper and released the demon-possessed. You even made a dead man live again. But how come you cannot do anything for my disease？ ’”
Facing such a question, I suddenly did not know what to say. In the meantime, she smiled to me and continuing said, “After my prayer, Jesus gave me the answer in my dream. I saw Jesus on the cross looking at me with his gentle eyes. He told me, ‘My child! I understand your pain since I carried the pain of all humans.’” Such a testimony from this woman made me realise that the healing brought by Jesus is not only the healing of physical illness.
Jesus' healing and missionary work
Mark 1:29-34 mentions that Jesus left the synagogue and went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. When they arrived, Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever. Jesus heard this and immediately went to her. Jesus took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them. Before this, Jesus had just healed in the synagogue a man possessed with a demon. Everyone witnessing this was amazed and news about Jesus’ powers spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee. Therefore that evening after sunset (the end of Sabbath), people brought to Jesus all the sick and those possessed by demons. The whole town gathered at the door of the house and Jesus healed many people who had various diseases and also drove out many demons. Jesus indeed had the healing power and authority. After the whole day of helping so many people, Jesus must have felt very tired.
The next day in the very early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. That was the moment when Jesus was close to his Heavenly Father at the beginning of his work and this gives the best example to us. Only through praying, can we connect with our Lord and be given the ability to serve him. We also need to keep in mind what our mission is. At that time, Simon and his companions went to look for Jesus because there were a group of people waiting for Jesus to cure them. It was at such a point that Jesus said in Mark 1: 38 “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”
We can see that Jesus was clear about his purpose on this earth: to preach the gospel rather than stay in one place to cure disease and drive out demons. The miracles he enacted in one place meant that the people talked about miracles rather than salvation from God. This will influence the plan of preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. “Preaching” is Jesus’ most important mission but it does not mean that the healing work he did is dispensable. Jesus’ healing comes from his nature of compassion not as a tool of his preaching. Let us continue reading in Mark 1:39 “So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.” This is the healing and preaching work done by Jesus.
The ministry of holistic healing
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” is the best description in the gospel stories about Jesus’ ministry and life. What Jesus wants to bring to people is not only the healing of physical disease but the holistic healing for all human beings. Jesus taught and preached the gospel of God through his healing of disease.
Such a medical caring, preaching, and educating model was the early work of ministry in Taiwan. At that time, the western missionaries saw the social needs and followed the example of Jesus. So they preached the Christian gospel through medicine and education to fit in with the needs of the society at that time. They also built churches at the same time. Nowadays, much medical care and education in Taiwan’s society is provided by the government. What can Taiwan’s church do to take over the ministry of Jesus’ holistic healing？
How do we interpret the healing miracles of Jesus written in the gospels today？ Do these miracles still exist？ Perhaps the movie Leap of Faith can provide an answer to us. There was an imposter faith healer who made a living travelling around America holding revival meetings and conducting 'miracles' with his team. He took the favour of people enjoying the miracles and took the opportunity to collect money. In one revival meeting, he saw the real miracle that a lame boy was cured. From that time his heart started to be changed…We deeply believe the miracle healing of Jesus still exists but we also know that not every person will experience the same miracle healing. Jesus heals, but he also has the absolute authority. Only he knows for which person what kind of healing he will give. Christian faith should not only be based upon the healing miracle.
We all know that even now when medical care is very well developed, it still has drawbacks. As Christians, we should ask for healing from Jesus and declare that he is the greatest doctor by faith when facing people who are sick. Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”(Mark 2:17) We shall know that the healing brought by Jesus is the holistic healing including forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God and with people, and the healing of personal spiritual life, etc. This is the holistic healing ministry and the path Jesus wants us to take.
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For discussion：
1. Share the experience of miracle healing of yourself or friends？ How does this help with our faith？
2. How do you comfort and encourage people who are sick？
3. What are the things to which we need to pay more attention when we pray for ourselves or patience？
Please pray for：
1. Pray for those who are sick. May God not only heal their body but also bring holistic healing to them.
2. Pray for all the Christian hospitals in Taiwan. May they keep carrying on their medical missionary and aim in holistic healing.
Prayer：
Dear Jesus, you are the greatest doctor. You want to bring holistic healing to each of us. We pray for those who are sick. May you heal them and enable them to recover as soon as possible. We also pray for those who are broken in heart and in mind. May your cross replace their pain. We believe that because of you, we shall conquer disease and pain on earth. In the name of the Christ we pray. Amen.
Something you can do：
1. For individuals, enquire about the volunteer opportunities at nearby Christian hospitals and offer your service.
2. For churches, organise the evangelism team and work with hospitals, long-term care centres, and nursing homes. Provide care and prayers and share the gospel with them.
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