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Healing - part two Jesus went about touching all those who were in need. In Matt. 8 we see Jesus reaching into the lives of three different people. He came down from the place of prayer and met a leper, a centurion whose servant boy was paralyzed, and Peter's mother-in-law who was ill with a fever. In all three of these incidents, Jesus came and healed. In fact, we see from reading Matthew 8 that Jesus said three very important key phrases in this chapter: • I am willing (Matt. 8:3) • I will come (Matt 8:7) • I see your need (Matt. 8:14) I believe that Jesus wants to say specifically to you and me that He desires to heal! Let's look at Ps. 145:8 and see why Jesus is willing to come and meet our needs. "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all; and His tender mercies are over all His works." Jesus is willing to come and heal because of His great compassion. Compassion is the key word in this scripture. Jesus is full of compassion. During His earthly ministry, Jesus was moved with compassion everywhere he went, and healed all "them that had need of healing" and it is this same Jesus who after saying, "It is expedient for you that I go away " who is now seated at the right hand of God that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest for us. In the scripture, Compassion and Mercy mean the same . The Hebrew noun (rachamin) is translated both mercy and compassion. The Greek word, (eleeo) is translated "have mercy and have compassion. To have compassion is to love tenderly, to pity, to show mercy, to be full of eager yearning. Ps. 145:8, 9 begins with "the Lord is gracious and full of compassion." This is God's heart expressed over and over again throughout scripture. More than anything, we need to understand that God is love. God continually throughout scripture declares his love, mercy and compassion. This is God's character. God is love. These three nouns LOVE, MERCY, and COMPASSION describe Who God is. It is not what God can do as much as what He yearns to do. By showing His compassion everywhere in the healing of the sick, Jesus unveiled the compassionate heart of God to the people and the multitudes came to Him for help. The enemy has tried to deceive the church by saying that the age of miracles is past. We put emphasis on the power forgetting that He was always willing. That is what made Jesus'earthly ministry so powerful. He was willing. The Bible magnifies His willingness to use His power more than it does the power itself. In no places does the bible say that God is power but it does say that GOD IS LOVE. We don't secure His blessings because we have faith in His power but rather that we have faith in His love and willingness to heal us. The first statement in Ps. 145 says that God is gracious which means that "The Lord is disposed to do favors." Think of it...the Lord is gracious - He longs to do favors. We must understand that the Lord is willing - not just that He is able to heal. It is when we tap into God's willingness and His graciousness that we really understand how much God wants to heal our body. Actually the word WILLING doesn't even express the magnitude of His delight. Scripture says that " He delights in mercy. (Mic. 7:18) His attitude is even more fully expressed in II Chron. 16 "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect (complete & Peaceable) toward Him." This scripture shows that our Father is not only willing but eager to pour His blessings upon His people. "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro." Or in other words, He is ever hunting for opportunities to gratify His giving heart because He delights in mercy. Our Father is so kind and loving and compassionate that He looks for opportunities to show mercy. Daddy is willing to touch your life right now. He is willing and looking for opportunity to show Himself strong on your behalf. He wants you to ask Him. He wants you to believe Him. Again He is more than able...He is willing to do "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." His love is so great that it could not be fully gratified by blessing all the His children on earth. When I think of how the Lord floods our hearts with His tender love, I stand in awe and wonder as to what His compassion must be. A mother's compassion for her suffering child makes her not only willing to relieve the child, but to suffer for the child if she cannot heal its pain. Father gave all He. He is more than willing. Let's look at some scriptures from the Gospels that show God's compassion. Mark 1:40-45 It was compassion that moved Jesus to heal the leper. Matt. 14:13, 14 Matt. 20:29-34 Here the three blind men ask for the mercy of having their eyes opened, and Jesus granted to them the mercy of healing proving that healing is a mercy as well as forgiveness issue. The sick in those days when seeking healing asked for mercy. Today we think of mercy as only applied to the sinner, now knowing that His mercy is also extended to the sick. [ Back to Articles ] |
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