Jesus' Healing andRaising the Dead

Jesus' Healings and Raising of the Dead

Key Summary Passage

The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up and the poor have Good News preached to them. (Matthew 11:5)

Jesus' Healings and Raising of the Dead

It is difficult to know how many healings and miracles Jesus actually performed. Given numerous references to many people

or all of them, plus the individually mentioned healings and miracles, they must add up to at least a thousand,

if not many more...

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25)

Jesus' Healings and Raising of the Dead

The are about 30 recorded accounts of Jesus healing specific people...

Only 7 of these are recorded in 3 or all 4 of the Gospels.

I am going to briefly summarise the 30 or so recorded accounts, then we're going to take a closer look at just some of the healings recorded in all of the Gospels, as well as consider the widow of Nain's son (recorded only in Luke,) the raising of Lazarus (recorded in Luke and John) and Jairus' daughter (who is spoken about in 3 of the 4 gospels.)

It seems to me, there must be a good reason why these 7 healings and just 1 raising from the dead were recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke?

Jesus' Healings

Leper in Galilee

Roman Centurion for Paralysed Servant

Demoniac in Synagogue

Peter's Mother-in-Law, Sick with Fever

Paralytic at Capernaum

Man with a Withered Hand at Synagogue

Dead Son of the Widow of Nain

Demoniacs at a Tomb

Woman With Issue of Blood

Jesus' Healings

Deaf Man with Speech Impediment

Blind Man at Bethsaida

Two Blind Men at Capernaum

Mary Magdalene and others Healed of Evil Spirits and Infirmities

Mute Demoniac

Blind, Deaf Demoniac in Galilee

A Few Sick People Healed in Nazareth

Gentile Woman's Demoniac Daughter

Epileptic Son

Jesus' Healings

One Blind Man Approaching Jericho of Judea

Blind Bartimeaus Leaving Jericho

Two Blind men Departing from Jericho

Woman With a Spirit of Infirmity (possibly Rheumatoid Arthritis)

Man with Dropsy (possibly Edema/Congested Heart) healed by Jesus as He Journeyed to Jerusalem

Ten Lepers Between Samaria and Galilee

Samaritan Leper Between Samaria and Galilee

Servant's (Malchus') Ear In Garden in Jerusalem

Jesus' Healings

Nobleman For His Sick Son Who Was at Capernaum Infirm Man at Pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem

Man Born Blind at JerusalemIndividual Healing Events in JudeaIndividual Healing Events between

Samaria and GalileeIndividual Healing Events in Galilee

4 Further Individual Healings

Group Task

How many parts of the body did Jesus heal?

( Mark the lady on the big sheet at the end of my talk! )

Jesus' Raising of the Dead

Apart from the tombs being opened at Jesus' death, there

are only THREE PEOPLE recorded as being raised from

the dead by Jesus, whilst He was on the Earth...

Jesus' Raising of the Dead

The Widow of Nain's Son( Recorded in 1 Gospel... Luke 7:11-17 )

Jesus' Raising of the Dead

Lazarus

( Recorded in 2 Gospels... Luke and John 11:1-45 )

Jesus' Raising of the DeadJairus' 12 year old Daughter

( Recorded in 3 gospels Mark 5:22-24 & 35-43 )

Jairus' Daughter

You will have hopefully noticed that Jesus said she was sleeping and told her to arise.

Sleeping is a term usually only used to describe believers who have died. The first person to see when she wakes from the dead

is Jesus! She then also sees her father and mother and her relatives and friends. This connects nicely with the concept of

Ephesians 4:14, quoting from Psalm 60, where we read,

Awake, O sleeper, and

arise from the dead, and

Christ will shine on you.

Healings & Raising from the Dead

To bring things to life a bit (!), I'd like a few volunteers to represent five people that Jesus healed or raised from the dead...

Three Brothers...1. The blind man who then could see!

2. The paralytic (paralysed) man just after he was let down through a hole in the roof and could then walk AND had his sins forgiven!

3. Jairus just after his daughter was brought back to life!

...And Two Sisters4. The widow of Nain, just after her son was brought back to life!

5. Lazarus' previously most upset sister just after he was raised!

Jesus' Raising of the Dead

As we have seen, there are only three recorded accounts of Jesus raising

individual people from the dead, whilst He was on the Earth...

Why did Jesus raise so few whilst He was alive on the Earth?

Why did He choose just the Widow of Nain's Son, Lazarus and Jairus' Daughter?

Jesus' Raising of the Dead

In Lazarus, we have a BELIEVER, A FAITHFUL BROTHER who died in faith awaiting the RESURRECTION, but was awakened early by Jesus and now again awaits the Resurrection of the Dead;

In the Son of the Widow of Nain, we have A SON OF A BELIEVING MOTHER, who was raised due to the compassion of Jesus (I think we can also assume she was a woman of faith);

In Jairus' Daughter, we have A DAUGHTER OF A BELIEVER, who was raised due to THE FAITH OF HER FATHER (we do not know if she had sufficient faith of her own.)

Jesus' Raising of the Dead

So, why did Jesus raise a son and a daughter and what is this telling us about RESURRECTION?

The unbelieving husband is made HOLY because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made HOLY because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean,

but as it is, THEY ARE HOLY (sanctified.)

1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 14

Jesus' Raising of the Dead

...Your children would be unclean, but as it is, THEY ARE HOLY (sanctified.)

1 Corinthians chapter 7 verse 14

I suggest that by these two children being raised from the dead, plus the above verse, Jesus is teaching and reassuring us that our

children can be resurrected for a second chance BECAUSE OF THEIR PARENTS' OWN FAITH, should they sadly die

prematurely or too young before Baptism (of course, many Unamended Christadelphians would probably dispute this.)

Jesus' Healing Today?

Is anyone among you sick? Let them call for the Elders of the Church, and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the

name of the Lord. And THE PRAYER OF FAITH WILL SAVE THE ONE WHO IS SICK, AND THE LORD WILL RAISE THEM UP.

And if they have committed sins, they will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one

another, THAT YOU MAY BE HEALED. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

James 5:14 16 (see also Psalm 41:4, Mark 1:17 & Acts 28:27)

Jesus' Healing Today?

Have you noticed the similarity in James to the account of the healing of the paralytic man?In both cases, not only is the person healed of physical or mental disabilities or illnesses, THEIR SINS ARE ALSO FORGIVEN!

So James is teaching that not only is healing available whenever Elders pray over the sick and anoint them with oil, but that forgiveness of sins also comes as a result of their prayers!Of course, we are not saying all terminal illnesses or death itself can be repeatedly prevented in every case, as it is not God's will that we live forever whilst in our mortal bodies.

Healing Today?

Jesus also talks of some serious mental illnesses and diseases only being able to be removed

by prayer and fasting...

This kind (of illness) cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting.*

Matthew chapter 9 verse 29

Is this as true today, as it was then?

Healing Today?

The Purpose of Healings

1. DEMONSTRATE

The Purpose of Healings

They DEMONSTRATE and bear witness that Jesus had

both the POWER, AUTHORITY to heal, forgive

sins and raise the dead.

The Purpose of Healings

2.FORESHADOW

The Purpose of Healings

They FORESHADOW Jesus permanently

healing and raising the dead to immortality.

The Purpose of Healings

3.REASSURE

The Purpose of Healings

They REASSURE and comfort believers that they

will be resurrected to immortality and be no longer prone to illness.

The Healings by Jesus

DISTANCE was no object to Jesus

healing people, if they had enough faith

The Raising of the Dead and Healings by Jesus

They were TEMPORARY fixes to Human Disease, Mortality and Sin

The Ultimate Raising of the Dead and Healings by God

There will be PERMANENT fixes for Disease, Human

Mortality and Sin

No More Sickness!

Instead there will be...

Righteousness, Peace and Joy