Apologetics Courses

The Healing Power of Jesus

As I went through the Wesley’s commentary not much of notes are given but what I gathered from the studies about the healing of power of our Lord Jesus. I can gain insight into this by a careful consideration of Mark chapter 6. I read there that people brought the sick to Jesus to be healed. In the context, I also learn that upon seeing that the thousands who had come to him had grown hungry, Jesus fed them miraculously. (Mark 6:35-44, 54-56) Healing the sick and feeding the hungry were outstanding displays of loving compassion, but they were not the primary ways in which Jesus helped others.

Jesus felt pity for those around him primarily because of their spiritual needs. Those needs were of chief importance, more so than physical needs. Consider the account at Mark 6:30-34. The incident recorded there took place on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, close to the time of the Passover in 32 C.E. The apostles were excited, and for good reason.

Having just completed an extensive tour, they came to Jesus, no doubt eager to tell him their experiences. However, a crowd gathered. It was so large that Jesus and his apostles could neither eat nor rest. Jesus told the apostles “Come, you yourselves, privately into a lonely place and rest up a bit.” (Mark 6:31) Boarding a boat, probably near Capernaum, they sailed across the Sea of Galilee to a quiet place. But the crowd ran along the shore and arrived ahead of the boat.

The sight of this crowd of thousands, including sick ones, who eagerly awaited him, touched Jesus’ heart. (Matthew 14:14; Mark 6:44) Focusing on what aroused Jesus’ compassion and how He responded. Mark wrote, “He saw a great crowd, but he was moved with pity for them, because they were as sheep without a shepherd. And he started to teach them many things.” (Mark 6:34) Jesus saw more than a mass of people. He saw individuals having spiritual needs.

They were like sheep straying helplessly, having no shepherd to guide them to green pastures or to protect them. Jesus knew that the coldhearted religious leaders, who were supposed to be caring shepherds, actually despised the common people and neglected their spiritual needs. (Ezekiel 34:2-4; John 7:47-49) Jesus would treat them differently, doing the greatest possible good for them. He began teaching them about God’s Kingdom.

So although Jesus performed miracles, by healing people etc, he was not known as the miracle worker, he was known as the GREAT TEACHER not only a Son of God performance miracle to make the people know He was not merely a man. The whole Bible is really a teaching of Jesus backing it up with the healing of miracles.