Basics of Divine Healing

In this article, we look at a Divine Healing account in the Bible, and draw out a few basic doctrines of Divine Healing (This, will perhaps, be a one of a series of articles on Divine Healing). The account is that of Blind Bartimaeus receiving his sight recorded for us in Mark 10:46-52. The same basic doctrines can be drawn out with the account of the cripple receiving his healing by Jesus' Disciples Peter and John in Act 3:1-10, which I will make some reference to, in the exposition below.


Mark 10:46-52 - Blind Bartimaeus Receiving his sight:
46Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." 52"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.


Observations

1. Jesus gave attention to the blind man. Jesus, his disciples and a large crowd were leaving the city of Jericho. Many from the crowd of Jesus rebuked the blind man, and asked the man to shut up. Jesus, on the other hand, stopped and called out to the blind man. Jesus gave attention to the blind man.

Jesus moved with compassion for the blind man. Others, either just ignored the blind man or rebuked him, and basically asked that the Lord (or so-called important people) not to be bothered.

2. Jesus healed in the name of God. Jesus said to the blind man, “your faith has healed you” What it meant was that the blind man believed that God {faith in God} had vested His authority, power and anointing on Jesus to heal. The blind man believed that Jesus could heal him, because of God. Note that the blind man said repeatedly, “Son of David, have mercy on me”. Bartimaeus, though blind physically, he was with knowledge of God. He has faith in God and that faith, as in any faith in God, came from knowledge of God which he demonstrated he possessed, to us, by shouting to Jesus, as Son of David. Of course, a minister heals in the name of God. Because Jesus has gone to be with the Father God, and He has been restored to His Divinity as God, we can either pray for healing in the name of either, God (the Father), Jesus (God, the Son) or even Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God or Spirit of Jesus). The Christian God (Father God) is Yahweh. One can also use the name, Jehovah Rapha (God the Healer); I believe it can be used to refer to either the Father or the Son, Jesus.

3. Jesus exercised faith. Jesus spoke in faith, “Go, your faith has healed you”. Although nothing was recorded for us to say that Jesus did anything other than to speak in faith, we should realize that, before a surrounding crowd, to say that, was really faith in action.

4. The blind man gave attention to the minister, Jesus. When the blind man knew that Jesus was around, he shouted for Jesus. Generally speaking, the sick must want to be healed, and he must give attention to the minister. Heart conditions that deny God healing, or refusal to be bothered with it, do not help. Of course, sometimes God’s grace was still extended to such people.

5. The blind man responded and cooperated with the minister, Jesus. The person who wants healing should respond positively and cooperate with the minister. Jesus asked the blind man to go over, and the blind jumped to his feet and went over to Jesus, and told Jesus he wanted to see.

6. The blind man claimed his healing. Although, Scripture did not say he opened his eyes, I believe the blind man must have claimed his healing and opened his eyes. Logically, if he did not open his eyes, he will not know he was healed. In practice, not only the sick, at times, dared not do the things they could not do previously without pain or discomfort, and this illustrated lack of faith (of course, some will not try for fear of embarrassing the minister), the ministers themselves lacked the faith to ask people to try. Of course, it could be that the blind man’s eyes were already opened, but not seeing, and then suddenly he saw; even then, immediately he followed Jesus on receiving his sight. Even just this alone illustrated that the blind man claimed his healing. In practice, it was not uncommon for some, subsequent to God’s healing them, to think that somehow they were healed by, either the medication they were taking, or due to some other reasons, or when they still doubted their healing, the old condition came back. He must have claimed his healing, otherwise, he would have stayed on by the roadside to continue to beg, may be just to see if the sight would last out.

In Peter’s healing of the crippled man in Acts 3:1-10, the moment the crippled man felt strength coming to his legs, he claimed his healing and jumped to his feet and began to walk. Like in the blind man’s case, the healed cripple straightaway joined Peter and John into the synagogue.

7. The healed gave thanks and testified, soonest possible. The blind man straightaway left his place of begging, and went with the minister, Jesus. I am sure he was testifying that he was once blind and was now seeing. Similarly, we read in Peter’s healing of the cripple man, the healed man, also a beggar, left everything and went with Peter and John to give thanks and testify of God’s healing in the synagogue.


Doctrines

The basic doctrines of healing are these:

1. the minister must be willing to give attention to a healing need, and has a compassion to help;

2. the minister is to pray for healing in the name of Jesus or God (Yahweh/Jehovah Rapha/Holy Spirit); it is God who heals;

3. the minister should exercise faith, believe in his heart, and as a minimum, speak out. Apart from speaking, other action of faith is encouraged.

4. the “ministee” should pay attention to the minister;

5. the “ministee” should cooperate with the minister;

6. The “ministee” should claim his healing as soon as possible.

7. The healed one should quickly thank God and testify of his healing;


NB: I know there is no such word as "ministee", but just in order it is easier for everyone to remember, I have used the word, making the no. of simple doctrines to be 7, 3 for the minister, 3 for the "ministee", and 1 for the healed one.



Anthony Chia - It is God who heals.

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