The Great Physician

The Great Physician is Jesus Christ.

Part One: A Done Deal

Healing is part of Christ’ Atonement. If He suffered and took stripes on His back for our physical healing, then it is not insignificant. If He thought enough of healing to purchase it for us, then we ought to think enough of it to receive it.

God the Father caused His Son to bear all of our sins and all of our sickness on the cross. Jesus took our disease just as much as He took our sins. The Lord used healing like a bell to get people’s attention and to prove that He did have power on earth to forgive sins.

“ ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. ⁶ But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, ⁷ Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? ⁸ And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? ⁹ Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?” - Mark 2:5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Jesus was saying that it is easier to say, “Your sins are forgiven” than to say, “Rise up and walk” because they would immediately be able to tell if He had the power or not by whether this man rose up and walked. If you can do the greater work, then certainly you can do the lesser work. If you can jump 4 meters, then you can certainly jump one meter.

“ ¹⁰ But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,). ¹¹ I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. ⁷ Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? ¹² And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.” - Mark 2:10, 11, 12

Jesus made it very clear that the reason He healed this man was so people would know He also had power on earth to forgive sins. Jesus also said that the miracles He did authenticated who He was and confirmed what He said.

“ ⁵But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me. - John 5:36

If Jesus needed the witness of the miracles, He performed to validate His authority, then how can we possibly do less? It is the height of arrogance to think that we can use words alone to persuade people when Jesus had to have signs and miracles to confirm His words. Some people say, “We don't need miracles today; we have the Word of God.” Yet that is not what the Bible teaches.

“ ¹⁷And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; ¹⁸They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. ¹⁹So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. ²⁰ And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen. - Mark 16:17, 18, 19, 20

Part Four: Jesus hasn't Changed

When Jesus was here on this earth, every person who would allow Him to minister to them was healed. And He did not do that just once; He did it on a number of occasions. Christ is not the one who has changed (Hebrews 13:8); His followers have.

“ ⁸ Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. - Hebrews 13:8

It’s not God who isn’t healing the sick today; it’s His followers. People with all kinds of sicknesses, diseases, and torments were brought to Jesus and He healed them. He didn’t just heal some; He healed them all.

“ ²³ And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. ²⁴ And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. - Matthew 4:23, 24

“ ²³ When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: ²⁴ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. - Matthew 8:16, 17

“ ³⁵ And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. - Matthew 9:35

“ ¹⁵ But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; - Matthew 12:15

“ ¹⁴ And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. - Matthew 11:14

“ ³⁰ And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: - Matthew 15:30

“ ³⁴ And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. ³⁵ And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; ³⁶ And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole - Matthew 14:34, 36, 36

“ ² And great multitudes followed him; and he healed them there. - Matthew 19:2

“ ¹⁴ And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them. - Matthew 21:14

Even with great multitudes, He healed them all. It's God’s will for you to be well! Matthew 15:31 shows the results:

“ ³⁴ Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. - Matthew 15:34

Something that brought glory to God is not of the devil. How people can say that people being miraculously healed is of the devil is nothing but a cop-out, an excuse to not use the authority God has given us. It’s an excuse for their powerlessness. It’s a way to justify themselves, and to do it, they have to condemn those who are following the example of Jesus. Since Jesus said He did exactly what He saw His Father do and Hebrews 1:3 says He was the express image of the Father, this shows that it is God’s will to heal us all.

“ ³ Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: - Hebrews 1:3

“Then why don’t we see every single person healed?” That’s a simple question, but it has a complex answer, which I am hoping to clear up in this series. One of the obvious reasons we don’t see people healed today is that we aren’t believing God for it. We are operating in unbelief. Rather than accept that, some people will criticise what we preach and settle for less, saying, “You aren’t being compassionate. You’re just criticising people you ought to be compassionate toward. You should tell them they’re doing the best they can, and that’s fine.” Well, how did Jesus respond? When He found out His disciples couldn’t heal the demoniac boy, He declared, “O faithless and perverse generation!” (Matt. 17:17).

“ ¹⁷ Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. - Matthew 17:17

Do you really think that Jesus would have a more compassionate response to you today? Absolutely not! I’ve failed. I don’t always see healing manifest. I’ve had to accept partial responsibility. Am I condemned by that? No, I’m not condemned at all. I believe that God loves me. He has comforted me. But knowing the truth has motivated me to learn what His Word says and not allow it to happen again. It’s God’s will to heal every single person every single time. The reason this doesn’t happen isn’t because God fails to do it; it’s because His representatives aren’t operating in the fullness of what He has provided for them. I’d rather maintain God’s integrity than my own. God is a good God, and He isn’t causing people to die. There are three main reasons people get sick. One of them is sin.

“ ¹⁴ Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. - John 5:14

Jesus made it very clear in this verse that this man’s sickness returning, and even something worse than what he’d had, could come on him if he sinned. When alcoholics drink all of their lives and get liver disease, they did that to themselves—not because God did it, not because the devil did it directly, but because they’re reaping the results of their sin (Romans 6:21-23).

“ ²¹ What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. ²² But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. ²² For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Romans 6:21, 22, 23

The second major reason we get sick is because we are in a battle with the devil. Sometimes our Enemy just fights us, and it’s not based on an individual sin we’ve committed. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

“ ² And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? ³ Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. - John 9:2, 3

Jesus was saying that neither this man’s sins nor his parents’ sins had caused this blindness. Sometimes Satan just attacks us with things. The third main reason people get sick is simply natural things. Spirit-filled Christians will often so spiritualise everything that they don’t recognise that there are just some things that happen naturally. The good news is that no matter what caused the sickness—sin, the devil, or something natural—there’s always something we can do about it. Since the Lord has redeemed us from sickness and disease, we can take our authority, exercise our faith, and effect a cure. Even if our own sin opened a door and brought the sickness on us, we can repent and release the forgiveness and healing power of God in our lives.

“ ¹⁴ And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. - Matthew 17:18

If it’s God’s will to heal and Jesus healed this boy (Matthew 17:18), why couldn’t the disciples get him healed? The disciples who asked Jesus this question, “Why could we not cast him out?” They had already been given power and authority to heal the sick and cast out devils (Matthew 10:1 and 8). This is why the disciples were confused. The answer Jesus gave in the first part of Matthew 17:20 is very revealing:

“ ¹ And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease - Matthew 10:1

“ ⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. - Matthew 10:8

“ ⁸ And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. - Matthew 17:20

This is simple, but it’s profound. Every instance where Jesus ministered healing, some degree of faith was involved. Some people may argue, “What about in Luke 7:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, where Jesus raised the boy from the dead in the city of Nain?”

“ ¹¹ And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. ¹² Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. ¹³ And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. ¹⁴ And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. ¹⁵ And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. ¹⁶ And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people. - Luke 7:11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

It was faith for this widow mother to allow Jesus to interrupt the funeral procession and her grief. If faith wasn’t present, she and the others there would have reacted very differently. We just saw that if we were to ask the average person “Why isn’t everyone healed,” most people would answer, “Well, it’s because they don’t have enough faith.” It’s true that if a person isn’t operating in faith, it will hinder them from receiving, but that’s not what the Lord said. He said it was because they had unbelief.

Certain versions of the Bible render Matthew 17:20 inaccurately, saying, “Because you have so little faith.” If you were to look at the majority of the translations, especially the more literal ones, this verse is rendered “Because of your unbelief,” not “Because you have so little faith.” Most people have this concept that if they are believing God, that automatically means they don’t have any unbelief. This is not what the Word teaches:

“ ²³ For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. - Mark 11:23

If being in faith truly meant you automatically had zero unbelief, why did Jesus include this part about not doubting in your heart? The truth is, you can believe and disbelieve at the same time. Consider the parallel passage of this father and his demonized boy in Mark 9:20, 21, 22, 23

“ ²⁰ And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. ²¹ And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. ²² And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. ²³ Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. - Mark 9:20, 21, 22, 23

Now look at how this father responded:

“ ²³ And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. - Mark 9:24

The Lord didn’t correct him, rebuke him, or say anything like that; He just cured the boy. This shows that you can have faith and unbelief at the same time. Imagine a team of horses hooked up to a wagon. Under normal circumstances, they would have enough power to move that wagon. But if an equal team of horses was hooked to the other side of the wagon and both teams were pulling at the same time in the opposite direction, the net effect would be zero.

This is what Jesus was saying in the first part of Matthew 17:20. He didn’t tell His disciples, “It’s because you don’t have enough faith”; He said, “It’s because of your unbelief. Your unbelief canceled out the faith you had.” Translating this “Because you have so little faith” makes no sense when you look at the rest of Matthew 17:20:

“ ⁸ And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. - Matthew 17:20

Jesus was saying, “If your faith is only the size of a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to you.” You don’t need big faith; you just need a faith that isn’t canceled out, counterbalanced, or negated by unbelief pulling in the opposite direction.