Day 26
Jesus’
Miracles: wholeness
Read: Luke 5:18-25
When Jesus died he made it possible for all rifts to be healed. On the
cross he won the victory over sin and death and the powers that work to destroy
our lives, and in his rising again he opened up the way to a new life of wholeness
and peace. Yet wholeness did not start there, it was already a hallmark of
Jesus healing ministry. When Jesus touched bodies, he “touched much more.” He
made people and communities whole from the-inside-out.
The healing of the
paralytic man is another “great Jesus story of faith at work in bringing
wholeness.” Faith takes risk. Faith does the unexpected. Faith gets God’s attention. And here we see faith was not just an
individual made whole, but the friends that bought him to Jesus. Jesus commends
their faith - plural – emphasising
the four friends’ role. The journey to
wholeness is not an individual pursuit, it’s one in which we need friends
who will stand with us.
Jesus’
response to this faith baffles the crowd. Seemly ignoring the request for
healing, he forgives the man’s sins. He then
asks the question: “Which is easier?” The reality for Jesus was physical
healing is easier. No sickness was too
hard for Jesus and yet he could not convert all sceptics. Author Phillip Yancey
observes, “Jesus knew that spiritual disease has a more devastating effect than
any mere physical ailment. Every healed
person ultimately dies – then what? He
had not come primarily to heal the world’s cells, but to heal its souls” –
that’s long-term wholeness.
Ponder Point
(reflect)
- With Jesus wholeness is transformation
from the inside out
Consider
(respond)
- What would an integration of
active-faith, spiritual wholeness, and physical health look like?
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