The Sheer Marvel of It
It is not often that one pays attention to the paragraph headings in those modern versions of the Bible that have them. But one in Matthew 9 in the New International Version comes close to a comprehensive description of the wonder of Jesus' works of healing, mercy, and power. "A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman," it says. The words depict the challenge constantly confronting the Savior during His time with us; not the kind of challenge one could bluff one's way through. Yet, Jesus confronted it all. That day, the dead girl came back to life; and the bleeding woman, after 12 years of misery, got a brand-new start.
Revlect on the following passages (or at least as many as you are able). Do not write anything. Just simply be amazed by the sheer marvel of it all, at the wonderful Savior we have. (Matt. 9:27-34; 12:22, 23; 14:25-31, 34-36; 15:29-31; 20:29-34; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 6:19).
To grasp the full power of these passages, one must take them slowly, trying to recapture their original setting. In Matthew 12:22, 23, for instance, the man brought to Jesus is both blind and mute. Close your eyes and put a finger over your lips for a while, and try to imagine the condition of that unfortunate soul. In that state you do not know what is around you, and you cannot ask. But the man meets Jesus, and leaves His holy presence with eyes wide open and with his tongue unsealed in praise!
Then how about Matthew 15:30, 31. "Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them. The people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel" (NIV).
(It even got better. Matthew 14:34-36 and Luke 6:19 tell us that people pressed forward to touch the Savior, "because power was coming from him and healing them all" (Luke 6:19, NIV).
Jesus promised that His followers will do greater things than He did. What does that mean? Why are we not seeing such marvels of healing and restoration today? Or, in some places, are we seeing it? How does the church's healing ministry today compare with the example that Jesus set? How can you as an individual in modern times help continue Jesus' healing ministry?
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