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A. A Review of Jesus’ Healing Ministry
In previous chapters we have provided clear summaries of Jesus' ministry from the Bible and noted how important a part healing played in His ministry. One summary reads: “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.” (Matthew 4:23)
We have also noted that Jesus' great miracles were not self-serving activities of a power broker or entertaining exhibitions of a magician. Quite the contrary! All Jesus' works were God's signs that He was God's chosen Messiah, the One whom God sent into the world for the nation, Israel, and for all people. God had sent Him to break the powers of sin, sickness and death and to redeem His people, Israel, and the whole world.
Nor, as we have noted previously, should Jesus' works have taken His people by surprise. God had already declared His plan through His prophets that His Messiah would engage in healings as part of His activities. One such prophecy: “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” (Isaiah 35:5,6)
Thus, when Jesus came into the world, He performed such great works as His way of identifying Himself as the Messiah. He was doing these works because God had clearly proclaimed through His prophets that the Messiah would do these works. Through these works He clearly demonstrated that He, Jesus, was God's Messiah announced by the prophets, that God had again turned to His rebellious people to change them, that a new age had begun, that in Jesus the Messiah the Kingdom of God had actually come to this earth, that God Himself was present and that He wanted to take control of their hearts and rule over them as their dear Heavenly Father.