James 5.7-19

JESUS THE HEALER

(Mark 2.1-12)

(James 5.7-19)

If you were to cut out of the Gospels all the healing miracles of Jesus you would be left with a significant hole in the Gospel story.

For example, there are no fewer than six references to Jesus healing in the first chapter of Mark's Gospel. He heals a man with an unclean spirit; Simon's mother-in-law; some of the crowd who come to him in the evening; casts out devils; heals a leper and finally heals those who flock to him. This healing ministry spills over into Chapter 2 where he also heals a paralytic, which was our Gospel Reading for today. What is more, St Mark suggests that this was a typical day for Jesus.

This part of his ministry he handed on to the apostles. He gave them power to heal. During his lifetime we read of the Mission of the 70 and after his death and Resurrection we read in the Acts of the Apostles of them continuing to heal.

This practice continued in the life of the early Church as can be seen also from today's reading from the Epistle of James, written between 50-100AD. "Is one of you ill? He should send for the elders of the congregation to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord". This, incidentally, is the basis for the practice of Anointing the Sick.

So it is clear from the New Testament that both Jesus and the early church took healing seriously.

It is equally clear that Jesus did not wish to be known only as a healer. Time and time again he tells those whom he has cured to tell no one about him. Yet when brought face to face with suffering, he can do no other than to heal. This I find quite significant for those who would set themselves up purely as spiritual healers and hold special healing services. Quite simply, it does not appear to be the way of Jesus.

The reason for this was quite simple. Jesus did not wish to be just another wonder worker of the first century. He did not wish to see healing narrowly confined to only physical illness. In fact, it can be said that the whole of the ministry of Jesus was a ministry of healing, of which physical illness was only part. The ministry of Jesus was essentially one of making people whole. A ministry of restoration. Restoring man with God and man with man. Any ministry of healing which ignores this is not true to Jesus.

Today there is a tendency not to take seriously the healing miracles of Jesus in the light of modern medical, psychiatric research. We often try to explain them away.

It is true that the people of New Testament times believed in demon possession. That is why there are so many stories of exorcism in the Gospels. It is also true that the people of the New Testament believed that sin and suffering were linked and that is why Jesus says to the paralytic in today's gospel reading: "My son, your sins are forgiven you".

And it is true that if Jesus was a child of his time, he would have accepted these explanations of suffering.

Yet it is equally true that people were healed through the power of Jesus. Of this there can be no doubt. The New Testament never seeks to explain HOW miracles happen. The New Testament merely records that miracles DID happen. It records this because of what it tells us about Jesus, namely, that here was a person in whom there was a tremendous power. A power which enabled him to do what others thought impossible. A power, not of this age - but of another age - a new age. In short, the power of the Kingdom. "If I by the finger of God cast out devils, then know that the Kingdom of God has come upon you," said Jesus.

This says three things to us.

The first concerns the nature of illness.

For far too long we have interpreted the range of Jesus' healing ministry far too narrowly. We can rejoice that the first nurses were monks. We can rejoice that the first hospitals were of Christian foundations. And we can rejoice that we have hospital chaplains and that there has been a revival of the Sacrament of Unction in recent years.

But the disease from which Jesus offers healing is not just physical disease. It involves also the crippling effects of sin, in inter-personal relationships, which put us at dis-ease with one another. It involves all that hinders humankind from being what God wants them to be and created them to be.

The range of healing therefore covers all that prevents us from being WHOLE people. It includes our jealousies, resentfulness, bitchiness, anger, impatience, dishonesty, greed, selfishness, intolerance – as well as our aches and pains.

Secondly, the source of healing on offer.

This is still Jesus himself. He makes his healing power available particularly in the sacraments of the Church. These are the outward and visible signs of his inward and spiritual presence. He offers us healing through forgiveness in both private and sacramental confession. He offers us new life, by the sharing of his own life in the form of bread and wine at the Eucharist. As we experience his forgiveness and as we experience the infusion of his life, we have a foretaste of the Kingdom of God in this life.

Thirdly, our response.

The trouble is that we seldom allow ourselves to experience this new life which Christ offers us. We need to:

STOP trying to disbelieve in miracles and explain them away

STOP thinking we have no need of the healing touch of Jesus and

STOP thinking we can solve all our problems by ourselves.

START thinking of miracles as everyday happenings

START letting go of ourselves and letting God take control and

START asking for the healing power of Jesus - the new life of the kingdom.

In conclusion, rest assured that Jesus can and will pour his healing power into your life and mine, as he did to those who came for healing in the days of the New Testament, provided we are prepared to acknowledge our dis-ease and ask for help.