by Timothy W. Burnett
It's interesting to note that healing is the only one listed as a gift. The Gospels include many examples of what a child of God can do in the area of healing. In all cases the one who was healed believed for the healing. One exception to this is where the person needing healing was below the age of accountability or was mentally incapacitated and unable to believe.
This can be seen as a whole in Mark 9:17-28 where a man came to Jesus with his son who was bound by a devil spirit. The boy was young and below the age of accountability, which is around 13, and being bound by a devil spirit he was unable to consciously believe on his own after all.
Notice how the plot builds. The man told Jesus that he brought his son to the disciples and they couldn't heal him. Then he said, "if you can do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us." (Mark 9:22). The word "if" was a huge clue that something was amiss. The man said, "if you can do any thing..."
Look at Jesus' bold reply, " If you can believe, all things are possible to him that believes." This is big big big! In both uses, the word "if" indicated doubt. The man doubted Jesus' ability to help them, and Jesus rightly doubted the man was believing for the help. Jesus said, "if you can believe." He put it right back in the hands of the man.
Alas, the man meekly and honestly replied with tears, "Lord I believe. Help me with my unbelief!" The man believed that Jesus was the son of God, but he was not convinced that Jesus could heal his son. Earlier the man took his son to the disciples and they could not help. Why? We now know that the disciples were not the source of the problem, but the man's own believing.
After the man honestly revealed his doubt, Jesus was able to build up his believing to the end that he could cast out the devil spirit that was tearing apart the boy.
Working of miracles involve experiences that go beyond what is commonly understood to be possible. The highest example revealed in God's word is found in 1Corinthians 13:2, "and though I have all faith to remove mountains..." Jesus Christ referred to the same thing as recorded in Matthew 21:21, "if you have faith and do not doubt, you shall say unto this mountain, be removed and cast into the sea, it shall be done."
Miracles often involve the believing of a person to affect the elements of nature. There is no example of a man of God moving mountains, but when God gives the word to somebody to move a mountain and command it to be cast into the sea, then it is guaranteed to be done. God's people during this age of God's grace have the authority to command the elements of nature just like Jesus did when he commanded the storm to calm (Matthew 8:24-26). This authority and power to heal and work miracles is by the name of Jesus Christ.
Home