Nature and Character of God – Missionary Sojourn

Health and Healing #17

Seventeenth in a series of posts examining how much the Bible has to say about God as Jehovah Rapha, God our Healer.

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?
John 5:1-6

Map John 5 in its entirety.

We have talked a good deal so far about scriptural evidence of God’s unswerving willingness to heal. Indeed, for the born-again in Jesus, I am persuaded that in our spirits, now indwelt (and sealed) by the Holy Spirit, healing from sin and sickness was purchased, on our behalf by the sacrifice of Jesus, two thousand years ago. From God’s side, it is a done deal. Having given His Son, and with Him all things (Romans 8:32, 2 Peter 1:3). What more than “all things pertaining to life and Godliness” would a reasonable person expect? We are called to live in these truths by faith with thanksgiving. (If anyone needs some help with that concept please consider Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 3:11, and Colossians 2:7 for starters.)

Those at the pool are described as impotent by the King James version. (Which is the version I usually use here, primarily because it is in the public domain.) I can appreciate the sense of the sick being made impotent in their calling by some malady. The Greek translated “impotent” is ἀσθενούντων (asthenountōn) meaning weak or feeble, usually translated as “sick”. I mentioned the belief that healing was purchased by Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross. The healings recorded in the Gospels occurred before the cross. In my mind the answer to this puzzle is to not limit the work of the Holy Spirit in operation in the incarnate Christ by linear time. Jesus’ death on the cross and subsequent resurrection from the dead is a unique focal point in the fabric of all time. I am not surprised by a flurry of Divine activity in the temporal vicinity. And there is this:

Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Hebrews 13:8

Jesus is now returned to the throne, seated at the right hand of the Father. As He walked physically after His incarnation, I am relying on the fact that all His mighty acts were accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit who now indwells all believers. Otherwise, the call to follow Him is an impossible command, for He is God, and I am not. If the Holy Spirit of the Sovereign of the Universe resides inside believers, then the secret to a power-filled life is to learn how to believe wholeheartedly, yield to Him, cooperate fully, and persevere. I believe Jesus’ statement that He can do nothing of Himself except what He sees the Father doing (John 5:19) is highlighting that we should follow His example (of following vs trying to do anything in our own strength).

But back to Bethesda and the multitude of sick folk. Out of all of them, Jesus singled out one man with a question, “Do you want to be made well?” Does that seem like an odd question? Do not all sick people want to be made well?

If one continues reading in John 5, the man proceeds to explain his faith in healing by stepping into the pool first after some angel-induced waves in the water and his own inability to be first. He is at least acknowledging the need for help outside himself.

One cannot pass too many years without encountering someone who honestly doesn’t want to be well. The acquaintance who comes to mind first is one who told me she didn’t want to “lose her disability”. Jesus was asking this man to expand his expectations. Things that have beset us for a long time become ingrained in our self-perception. Mustering faith for something different is a tall order. Success demands a change of attention from the problem to the Solution. Focusing on the problem is a sort of negative “prayer”, always doing more harm than good. Exactly as it was for this man at the pool.

Will all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Matthew 6:27, Living Bible

I have another acquaintance who seldom passes up an opportunity to talk about his “diagnoses”. These are usually mental health related, given by some professional or other in years past. I don’t want to minimize anyone’s difficulties, but it is easy to see that continually emphasizing these issues serves to relieve this person of any sense of responsibility for growth or personal development, trapping him where he is in much the same way that the slave mentality that came out of Egypt with Israel kept them circling the wilderness instead of entering the Promised Land.

I was asking Jesus about the minimal response of the man at the pool, where his desire to be healed was only implicitly stated by his explanation about his inability to get into the water first. Jesus answered me that He works with whatever consent He can get from a person. He really does meet us where we are! That said, Jesus would never heal anyone against their will. He also told me that He doesn’t set up competitions to get in first, clamor for the head spot at the table, or anything like that.

“But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”
Matthew 19:30, Mark 10:31, Luke 13:30

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Not of works (being first), lest any man should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9, parentheses mine

“And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”
Exodus 33:19 (speaking to Moses)

If in our born-again spirits, we are already made whole, what is to be done about the flesh which can still be sick and injured? That is what this series is about. May we all walk in the light of these scriptures and in complete faith in the goodness and mercy of God.

Memorial Day, 2023

WWII Army War Dead, Lubbock County Texas

Casualty Codes

My Dad’s older brother John Bennett Stanford was killed in action at Saint Lo France on the 14th of July of 1944 as US troops were fighting to wrest the area back from German control. My grandmother never talked to me about his loss, and my Dad’s mention of it only told me where he was. The graphic above lists the WWII war dead for Lubbock County Texas, for the Army only. The list contains 171 names, with my uncle listed in the second set of the last column. My uncle was far from alone in his sacrifice. There are similar lists for the other branches of the military in the national archives, but I can’t comment on those since I haven’t investigated them. In 1940, the census count for Lubbock County Texas was just over fifty-one thousand.

The Germans were heavily fortified at St. Lo and the fighting was grueling in the period in July known as the Battle of the Hedgerows. There was a subsequent period called Operation Cobra in which many perished from friendly fire, discussed in the linked article.

Well-researched article on the battle for Hill 192 which includes my uncle’s regiment. They had failed to take the hill in mid-June with heavy casualties but succeeded July 10th-12th. The date on the John Bennett Stanford’s tombstone is July 14th. If accurate, that would indicate he may have been killed in the fighting to take Saint Lo itself.

It is fitting that we should remember these fallen and that we should resist the current efforts to destroy the liberty they died defending.

National Archives link

Body, Heart, Soul & Spirit

I am grateful that You have redeemed those of us who have accepted your gift of salvation, that in our spirit we are all that the scripture says we are.

Keep the heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.
Proverbs 4:23

A sound heart is life to the body, but envy is rottenness to the bones.
Proverbs 14:30

6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
– Proverbs 23

Me: Good afternoon, Father!

Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: Can you help me understand these references to the heart? How does the heart relate to the spirit, to the mind, our will, even our emotions? After all, we have the expression, “I love you with all my heart!” There seem to be lots of opinions out there. What do You say?

Abba: Here are some New Testament scriptures to look at to go with the proverbs you have quoted:

20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
2 Corinthians 1

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1

29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4

So, you see, the heart contains the earnest (awareness) of the Spirit. Your born-again spirit is sealed (kept, preserved, protected) by My indwelling Spirit. You mentioned at the start the common understanding of emotions as being in the domain of the heart.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 6:5

Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Psalm 139:23

For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
Matthew 15:19

This verse in Hebrews 4 shows you two things. First, thoughts and Intents (plans, will, desires) are in the domain of the heart. Second, My word helps you sort these questions out.

Here is something else you might meditate on:

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Matthew 12:34

Even as My words tell you what is in My heart, so do yours.

Here is another example of My Heart:

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3:14-21

And one example concerning My Will:

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9

Me: Thank You Father! These are awesome assurances! I love You!

Abba: You are welcome! I love you!

Grapic mine. Needs more development, as it is hard to depict these relationships.

Health and Healing #16 – Love

sixteenth in a series about what the Bible has to say about health and healing. (Originally posted one number shy.) This entry is shared from my personal journal. The focus is mostly on a chapter in 1 John that deals with love. Believe me when I tell you that our ability to have faith for divine healing is directly impacted by our connection to the love of God.

I am grateful for Your endless love! I am grateful for your ample provision! I am grateful for Your presence! I am grateful for Your Healing! I am grateful for the heart-change You enable! I am grateful for the victory You have won over our darkness! I am grateful for Your continual leading! I am grateful for Your goodness! I am grateful that You are the Truth!

7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and everyone that loves is born of God, and knows God. 8 He that loves not knows not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 12 No man has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13 Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God. 16 And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. 17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love him, because he first loved us. 20 If a man says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 21 And this commandment have we from him, that he who loves God loves his brother also.
1 John 4:7-21

Me: Good afternoon, Father!

Abba: Good afternoon, Jon!

Me: This passage in 1 John rightly (of course) gives place to Your unimaginable Gift of Jesus who has borne our sin and its consequence, will we only humble ourselves to accept Your Life, including Your power to resist the enemy. How ridiculous to cling to flawed self-will for one second, instead of constantly coming to You through Jesus. You know the propensity of the human heart to ignore what it doesn’t want to see because it is protecting selfish motives. You know how I have indulged those!

Anyway, what I was getting to, is that the Gift of the Savior is icing on a large cake. I am thinking of all the ways that You show Your love, right down to providing air to fill our lungs and food and water to sustain our physical lives. You gave us the written word to help us learn to know the Word. You have sent Your Holy Spirit to indwell us that we would be blessed with Your guidance and power from within. How You bless us!

Abba: There is this: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall He not with him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:32

Me: Father, one of the things I want to talk with You about in this passage are revealed by these sentences:

If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us.
1 John 4:12(b)

The corollary is troubling. If we don’t love one another, You don’t dwell in us.

He that loves not, knows not God.
1 John 4:8(a)

And,

If a man says, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar.
1 John 4:20(a)

Abba: This is not something a person can work up on their own. All these instances of the word “love” are derived from the Greek agape. Meaning, it is My love. It is in you by My Spirit. I Am the one who perfects it in you (vv 12&13). That is why John can assert that if My agape is not at work in you, then it is sure that I Am not in you.

I Am love. I Am Holy. I hate every corruption and every evil thing. (1 John 4:8, Psalm 45:7, Hebrews 1:9, Psalm 97:10, Amos 5:15, Romans 12:9, Psalm 119:104, Psalm 101:3).

Even the clear statement that identifies absence of My love in one’s life is given in love, that that one might turn to Me and be redeemed!

Love is not OK with the works of the devil who comes to steal and kill and destroy (1 John 3:8). Those who carry out his schemes (even completely willingly) are deceived. I have told you what to do about that.

And he himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all reach the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to a measure of the maturity of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed about by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of people, by craftiness with reference to the scheming of deceit. But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow into him with reference to all things, who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined together and held together by every supporting ligament, according to the working by measure of each single part, the growth of the body makes for the building up of itself in love.

Ephesians 4:11-16

Did you notice Jesus’ compassion in Matthew 14:14 in healing the sick? His love has not changed. If My love is at work in you, as it was at work in Him, will not the same works be accomplished by My love? Did not Jesus tell you as much in John 14:12?

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
John 14:12

He went on to say that He would send the Holy Spirit to enable in you the things He calls you to do. John was repeating that promise from Jesus in 1 John 4:13.

Faith works by love.
Galatians 5:6(b)

Me: Thank You Father! Thank You for Your tremendous blessings! I love You!

Abba: You are welcome! I love you!

Health and Healing #15 – Praise!

Fifteenth in a series on how much the Bible has to say about healing.

O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
Ps 107:1-2

Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
Psalms 107:8,15, 21 & 31 KJV (the theme of Psalms 107)

Fools* because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted. Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat; and they draw near unto the gates of death. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saveth them out of their distresses. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare his works with rejoicing.

* see Psalms 14
Psalms 107:17-22

Years ago, when I was much less familiar with the Word of God, and the written word, I attended a worship conference hosted at Christ for the Nations, in Dallas Texas. I was along with the small team accompanying the worship leader of the church I was attending in Frisco Texas. This worship leader knew deep in her heart that true worship was a matter of the heart and that mere musical performance was a wholly inadequate substitute. That was a truth she endeavored to communicate to us in every way she could. I remember, as if it were yesterday, a vision I experienced that day. Our worship leader was on the platform with her guitar, participating in a session with several others. I saw her, for a few seconds, wearing armor that gleamed with an unearthly iridescence that seemed to supply a light of its own. In my spirit, I heard the words that, “Praise is armor of light.” I am sure that on that day, I did not know this passage from Romans 13 by heart:

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Romans 13:10-14

Now, the passage in Romans 13 does not explicitly say that praise is “the armour of light”. But it does say that we are to put it on. Then it goes on to say we are to put on “the Lord Jesus Christ”.

As I have matured, I have come to understand that the message I heard that day was glorious and true as far as it went, but incomplete. “Putting on” the Lord Jesus redeems us at the spiritual level. But we are not to stop there. We are to be completely transformed by the renewing of our minds. And that for a powerful reason:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2

We therefore need to be immersed in the word of God, letting it transform all our thinking that has been corrupted by the world, which is still under the dominion of the “prince of the power of the air.”

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Ephesians 2:2

We need to be filled with His Holy Spirit who comes to reveal to us all the truth, and empower us to walk in it. Listen as Jesus explains:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
John 16:7-15

And, in our transformation, we need to let our lips give voice to thanksgiving and praise. This blog entry opened with exhortation to such from the Psalms. Also from the Psalms, is this:

Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
Psalms 8:2, NIV

All sickness and every other evil is birthed according to the designs of the evil one. I used to think, God knows my thoughts, that is enough. But, remember, the enemy is the prince of the power of the air. Resist him and fill the air around you with thanksgiving and praise. His massive ego cannot stand to linger long in that atmosphere, for it is abhorrent to him. And, it will powerfully transform you as you put on the armor of light.

Photo by Emilio Su00e1nchez on Pexels.com

Health and Healing #14 –

Fourteenth in a series of posts concerning how much the Scripture has to say about spiritual healing.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, and said unto him, art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Matthew 11:1-5 (also in Luke 7)

Before we talk about this passage, backtrack with me for a moment to the first verse in the previous chapter. (A few verses in Matthew 10 were mentioned in Health and Healing #2.

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. Matthew 10:1
Matthew 10:1

Matthew 10 is the background for the reference to Jesus sending out the twelve for some on-the-job training in preaching the gospel with healing and deliverance attending to attest to the message. Notice from the first verse that this power is Jesus’, and that He gave them this power of His to exercise. “Yes”, some might say, “But these were Jesus disciples”. If you are in a saving relationship with Him and are not discounting His word, so are you, His disciple. Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are my disciples indeed”. (John 8:31)

John the Baptist sent a couple of his disciples as he languished in Herod’s prison to question Jesus as to whether, “He was the one to come?” Many during John’s Day, possibly including John, expected the prophesied Messiah to come as a Conquering King, a “Son of David”, to liberate the Israelites from their oppressors − of which there had been many. We might therefore forgive John his gathering doubts, since Jesus was giving no indication of fomenting a governmental takeover. In our own time, who understands that the most serious oppression is spiritual in nature; that even that which seems to come from human sources is empowered by darkness?

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians 10: 3-5

Is the societal reimagining of every truth as something twisted from its original design not a sign for any not completely devoid of spiritual discernment?

But I digress. We were speaking of John’s rising doubt enduring unjust imprisonment. (I am biting my tongue about unjust imprisonments ongoing in 2023, since that is off topic for this post.) John was in prison on account of publicly censuring Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee. Herod had divorced his Nabatean wife, and married Herodias, also divorced from Herod’s half-brother Philip. John, in the unvarnished style of the Old Testament prophets, publicly proclaimed this arrangement was in violation of the Mosaic law. This very public message garnered the ire of Herodias, who sought to fully retaliate. (Read more in Matthew 14, Mark 6, and Luke 9. See Herod Antipas in britannica.com for some additional historical context, if interested.)

What was Jesus’ answer to John’s disciples? To remind John what he had once known. He told them to tell John again what they were witnessing: all manner of healings, deliverance, and preaching of the Gospel to the poor. Then he made an interesting addition:

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Matthew 11:6

The Greek word translated “offended” is σκανδαλίζω (transliteration: skandalizó). Jesus was sending this message to John: “Don’t be scandalized that what I Am doing is not aligned with your expectations”. We too ought to guard against falling into the trap of setting our expectations above Jesus’ plan, lest we become a judge of Jesus, rather than a disciple.

How do we guard against this disastrous error?

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
John 15:15

We live as friends of Jesus. We listen to Him. We trust Him. We love Him. We do what He asks, not out of compulsion, but from affection.

Healing, whether from physical maladies, or more seriously, the spiritual ones, is IN HIM. The most important thing we can do is draw closer to Him and remain. He has called us to be as inseparable from Himself as He is from the Father. (John 10:30, 14:20, 1 Corinthians 6:17)

Health and Healing #13

Thirteenth in a series demonstrating how much the Bible has to say about the healing purchased for us by Jesus at the cross along with salvation.

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5

It is striking how varied are the ways that healing comes. I believe Jesus took care to make it plain to us that God is Jehovah Rapha (our Healer) lest we get the idea that there is some formula for healing that doesn’t require our vital relationship with Him who IS the Life. (John 17:11 tells us the Father and Son are One.) Did you see what I did there? Vital (adj.) late 14c., “of or manifesting life,” from Latin vitalis “of or belonging to life”. Now there is a subject for meditation! We are in right relationship with Him when we “belong”, by our choice, to Jesus, who is the Life. If we become disconnected from the Life, through inattention because our focus is diverted to the things of earth, we cease walking with Him in the upward way (I Am the Way, John 14:6).

Many of us are driven by various measures of performance and keep mental checklists on how we are doing:

Remembered anniversary -Check.
Made it to church – Check.
Put something in the basket – Check.
Sang on Key – Check.
Volunteered to work in the nursery – Check.
Stayed mostly awake during the sermon – Check.
Encouraged the pastor on a wonderful message – Check.

However admirable any of the things we do may be, they are no substitute for a consistent relationship with Jesus. Even if that sermon contained the very words of God and was ever so helpful, as I hope it did and was, the message came to you secondhand.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is death.
Proverbs 14:12

There are processes in our physical life that will put an end to us if they stop; heartbeat, respiration, neural transmission would be ultraquick, were they to fail suddenly. Other cessations take longer to produce the terminal result, digestion, hydration, immune functions and sleep come to mind. As His children, God gives us grace that we might choose to turn back to Him from our distractions. Make no mistake, though. He intends we converse with Him like we breathe.

Though manifestation of healing does not adhere to a formula, there are some things always necessary. Faith, overcoming unbelief, recognizing and using our authority in Jesus, and speaking our faith out loud are needful. These flow out of our relationship with Him as we wholeheartedly lean into the Word of Truth. Another word about prayer assistance by the elders mentioned in James 5 – prayer doesn’t save the sick. The prayer of faith saves the sick. Choose your elders wisely.

If you have read at Missionary Sojourn any time at all, you will know that I believe that Jesus bore our sin (and sickness) at the cross and that is a once-and-for-all transaction. That obviously doesn’t mean we can’t or don’t sin or get sick. It means that the state of the believer’s redeemed spirit is unaltered by transgressions of the law which Jesus fulfilled.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:13–14

We are not “sealed” by our behavior, but by His limitless, omnipotent Holy Spirit! His sealing is incomparably better than my kitchen vacuum sealer (refer to need for breath, above). BTW- This is not a random silly comment. The word for the Spirit in Ephesians 1:13 is Πνεύματι (Pneumati, the breath of God). We think of breath as a mere vapor, but the breath of God is infinitely substantive protection.

The word “sin” in verse 15 of James 5 is the same Greek word (ἁμαρτίας, pronounced ham-ar-tee’-ahs) translated as “faults” in verse 16.

I know many voices endeavor to help us rationalize otherwise, but one thing sin does in the life of a believer, is give Satan access. You know him. He is the one who comes to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). A Bible teacher that I am fond of is known for saying that sin gives Satan permission to “eat your lunch and pop the bag”. It’s a cute way to drive home this point and help us remember this consequence of our sin. The good news is James 5:16 is telling us how to break that stronghold. I can tell you from hard experience that believing the lie that “keeping habitual sin under wraps is best for all concerned” will ensure that bully Satan comes by for your lunch tomorrow and for as many days following as you protect your sin from the light.

P.S. Romans 6 is a good place to do more study on the subject of sin and believers.]

Health & Healing #12: Redeemed!

Twelfth installment in a series talking about what the Bible reveals about health and healing by spiritual means.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Galatians 3:13

What is the curse of the law? From what have believers been redeemed by Christ?
Deuteronomy 28:15-68 graphically answers this question. For our purposes, let’s take a survey of those parts of the curse that are obviously related to health:

1 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
Deuteronomy 28

The first fifteen verses enumerate the blessing that would accrue to the one who listens to God and does what He says. From verse fifteen on, the consequences of going the other way are detailed as “curses”. It is best to remember that we are looking at forms part of the basis of the Old Covenant and that Moses was preparing the surviving generation of the nation of Israel to pass into the promised land and was giving some final instructions, since he was not going in. The Excerpted below are some of the curses that specifically affect health, since that is the subject of this series.

15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:

22 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

27 The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
28 The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

35 The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
61 Also every sickness, and every plague, which is not written in the book of this law, them will the
LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

65 And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but the LORD shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow of mind:
66 And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt fear day and night, and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
Deteronomy 28

Some of these words might be unfamiliar to modern readers and it would be hard to be dogmatic about the exact maladies meant. Merriam-Webster defines “botch” as an inflammatory sore. Some non-specificity is not too surprising. The ancient Hebrews wouldn’t have known what you were talking about if you mentioned the flu to them. At least some of these were clearly “terminal” (vv 27 & 60). Verse 66 lets us know the unease (disease) would result in doubt about survival. Verse 61 tells us no sickness is left out of the curse.

David looked forward to redemption in Psalm 103. I take this as one of those “Messianic ” Psalms that project to the work of Jesus in setting us free. The language is majestic, and the worshipful tone can hardly fail to uplift the troubled soul that gazes upwards.

1 Bless the Lord, my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, my soul,
And do not forget any of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your guilt,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with favor and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Psalm 103

Let us circle back to our opening passage, since we have looked at some of the curse of the law. The New Covenant in Christ is good news indeed. It ought to make us soar with the eagles to recognize that Jesus has borne all these that, in Him, we might be redeemed from them.

Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Galatians 3:13

Health and Healing #11

Eleventh in a series of posts highlighting how much the Bible has to say about healing.

21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live. 24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

35 While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. 37 And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 38 And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly. 39 And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. 40 And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel, and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. 41 And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. 42 And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment. 43 And he charged them straitly that no man should know it; and commanded that something should be given her to eat.
Mark Chapter Five

Last time we contemplated together a woman healed from chronic blood loss. Her story was inserted amid this one in Mark chapter five because it took place on the way to Jairus’ house. Since I put published that post, I read David Ettinger’s post about this woman, which is well worth a visit. I follow David on WordPress but had not discovered his excellent and thought-provoking work back in 2021. Perhaps WordPress pulled it out of the archives and put it in my feed in response to my post. By whatever means it came to my attention this week, I am grateful!

Jairus (Jā·ī·res) is identified as a ruler of the synagogue. He arrives with the throng to petition Jesus to come and heal his daughter, whom he attests is at the brink of death. Jesus had already gained a lot of attention in the area by various miracles. As evidence, just look at the crowd that met Him as He and His disciples got out of the boat. Jairus could scarcely have been unaware. Very likely the members of his village had looked to him for guidance and had been asking his opinion of Jesus. What should they believe about Him? Neither would he have been blind to the condemning attitude toward Jesus held by his leaders in Jerusalem. The Pharisees’ rejection of Jesus is a stance they would have expected all synagogue leaders to follow unquestioningly. It is unknown what Jairus may have previously answered the members of the synagogue regarding Jesus. Had he publicly regurgitated the narrative of the Pharisees? Had he been openly questioning and undecided? We might well assume that Jairus was at the end of himself, to publicly come to Jesus asking for His help. He had clearly decided his daughter meant more to him than his religious position. Jairus knew of several healings performed by Jesus, and he did not hold back. His confession of faith in Jesus’ ability to heal his daughter was quite public (v23).

This account is also recorded in Matthew 9 and Luke 8. Matthew’s account is more compressed, omitting the person who appeared to inform Jairus that his daughter was, in fact, already dead (v35). This omission by Matthew is certainly understandable, as we see here that the news came during the initial conversation with Jesus. Note Jesus’ immediate response to Jairus, “Be not afraid, only believe.” This word could be construed as intending to comfort, and it is. But it is more than that. There are many episodes where those who came to Jesus for healing were told, “Be it unto you as you have believed.” (Matthew 8:13) Also, remember He had just told the woman who (previously!) had the issue of blood, that her faith had made her well. Mark 9:23-24 gives us another example of a parent dealing with unbelief. Jesus Himself “could not” to do all the works that He wanted to do in his hometown because of unbelief (Mark 6:5-6). Do not think doubt in Nazareth somehow robbed Jesus of the power to heal − the truth is that Jesus always respects the will of those He deals with. More important than simply comforting Jairus was Jesus’ helping him combat the temptation to entertain fear and unbelief. That we walk by faith (in Jesus) is foundational to Christianity (Hebrews 11). We see that Jesus prevented the crowd from following further. The passage says in King James English He “suffered” no one to follow (or did not allow). This dismissal may have required some minor confrontation of the crowd. How would you set about sending people following you away without offending? Further, at Jairus’ home, He puts out the ones who have come to engage in mourning for Jairus’ now-dead daughter. Likely, these were members of Jairus’ synagogue. I believe both of these exclusions of the unbelieving crowd are intended to help Jairus by reducing the contrary messages he would have to deal with.

Jesus, in putting out the mourners, told them she was not dead but only sleeping, which brought ridicule from the group. Jesus was not in denial about the situation. His perspective in that moment is based in faith for the (near) future state of the girl, rather than her current state. We are unable to see into existence beyond death except by faith. God does not look at physical death in the same way men do. He is not limited by our material perception. We should take heed, for Jesus came to release us from bondage to the fear of death (Hebrews 2:15). The first report need not be the final word.

With the atmosphere of faith in the room improved, what did Jesus do? He opened His mouth and told the twelve-year-old what He wanted her to do, even as He extended His hand to help. “Talitha, cumi!”

Wow! Breath returned to her. Her pulse resumed. Consciousness flared. Up she came off her mat! Verse 42 says they were greatly amazed. The fact exceeded even the expectation they needed to see her resurrected. [There are four accounts of Jesus resurrecting the dead, if He is Himself included. I believe this twelve-year-old girl is the second (Luke 7:11-17).]

Jesus, as He often did, strictly charged them not to tell others. Many opinions have been expressed why He gave this instruction. All the members of the village would have heard already the girl was dead. Wouldn’t it be obvious something unusual had happened? My own opinion (you knew I had one) is that Jesus wanted to shield the family from a flood of vocalizations of unbelief until their faith was firmed up by their experience. Often in the time immediately following a miraculous healing, the healed one will be presented with a symptomatic recurrence. The temptation is to accept one or more of several common lies. Those who hold on to their healing are those who have learned put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6), to resist the enemy (James 4:7) by holding fast to their faith, even to speaking that resistance out loud (Romans 10:17) and fixing our (spiritual) eyes on the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

The Raising of the Daughter of Jairus by Gabriel Max (German, 1840-1915) is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

Health and Healing #10

A continuing series considering what the Scripture has to say about healing.

21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea. 22 And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, 23 And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.

24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. 25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 5

I hope our attention was focused last time on the beginning verses in Mark chapter 5, in which Jesus delivered a man seriously beset by demons. Crossing back across the Sea of Galilee to “the other side” a crowd soon gathered, presumably alerted to Jesus’ presence by word of mouth. No larger than the lake is, the sail would have been visible for a most or all the distance of the trip.

Note: On 2/17/2023 a postscript was added to the previous post concerning the location named in Mark compared to the other Gospel accounts.

We aren’t told exactly where this return landing on the Sea of Galilee occurred, though in Mark chapter six we are told that Jesus proceeded from his encounters recorded Mark 5 to “His own country”. I presume that He was bound for Nazareth, where His family still lived. A major road in that direction ran southwest from Magdala on the western shore. In Mark 6 we have an account of the town folk taking up an offense at Jesus because they had seen him grow up in their midst, which they assumed made Him just like them and unqualified to make the claims He was making. Some think this landing was at Capernaum on the North end of the Sea. Jesus did adopt Capernaum as home base after the religious officials drove Him from Nazareth (Matthew 13, Mark 6, Luke 4).

In the crowd that came to meet Jesus was Jairus, a synagogue official who had a very sick daughter. He told Jesus that the girl was at the point of death. But the next words that crossed Jairus’ lips were words of faith in the ability of Jesus to heal the girl. We need to remember how Jairus’ used his mouth. He did not deny the situation, but neither did he pronounce that the current state was the last word.

Today, however, we are going to look at a parenthetical (!) healing – a healing on the way to a healing. Even as Jesus agreed to go to Jairus’ house and the crowd came along, a woman in the crowd approached Jesus for healing (Vv24-34).

We see this woman had an issue of blood twelve years. There are known maladies which might cause such, but no effort to diagnose is made here, as the cause is not relevant (other than it was not from above), and I am not qualified to do more than speculate as to cause. There were, however, strict laws concerning such issue of bodily fluids (Leviticus 15) and this woman would have been shunned in Jewish society. She would not have been allowed to be in the press of this crowd. Anyone she touched would have been considered “unclean” according to those laws. We are also told the woman had already spent all her substance seeking a cure of physicians and was only worse. Isn’t the situation largely the same today, for those afflicted with any chronic condition?

Note the faith expressed by the woman to press into the crowd to carry out her mission to merely touch Jesus’ hem! Also, interesting that she immediately felt different. Whether this was a change in physical sensation or satisfaction of belief might not be clear. Jesus felt it too, though she likely did not touch His person. When He asked, “Who touched My clothes?”, the disciples chided Jesus for even asking, since many were obviously touching Him in the throng. She trembled with fear to make a public admission of her healing, likely due to long years of suffering public disdain in addition to her physical symptoms. Perhaps part of her trembling was at the recognition that she was clearly in the presence of God. Remember those under the old Covenant had not the familiarity of adoption as we have now (Galatians 4:6, Hebrews 4:16).

I believe there were multiple reasons that Jesus called her out. Foremost is that physical healing isn’t all she needed. Jesus called her “daughter”. How high a leap from “untouchable outcast”! How near the new Covenant! He declared peace over her. How long since she had known it! He publicly commended her faith and pronounced her healed.

Some might think Jesus’ question rhetorical. I believe it was an honest question. He did not know at first who had drawn power from Him. Though He could have sought the answer in the Spirit. Had Jesus not made an issue of addressing the woman, we would not have this miraculous account to inform us of the importance of faith and of persistence in it.

A third reason for Jesus making this public is that the woman’s vocalization of her healing served to cement its manifestation in her experience, ensuring she could hold on to it. Chronic illnesses are troublesome in that they are so… familiar to us. Their continual presence tends to foment unbelief that anything else is possible. Praise the Lord that though with men things are impossible, with God all things are possible! (Matthew 19:26)

After the cross, we benefit from the fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaiah: By His stripes we are healed (v53:5). But Jesus had not yet gone to the cross, though the time was near. Were these healings demonstrations that Jesus is not constrained by time? Hmmmm… certainly something to muse about! There were obviously healing episodes in the Old Testament, usually involving one of the prophets. Those were clearly foreshadowing the loving work of Jesus, purchasing us back from the bondage to sin and its consequence.

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