Jesus’ Concern for Life and Health

Luke 7:2-15

GOLDEN TEXT: “I came, that they may have life and have it more abundantly.”—John 10:10

OUR Lord’s miracles were performed with a view to proving Him to be the Life-giver, and not merely as having the right or privilege of giving life, but as having pleasure in so doing. From this standpoint our Lord’s miracles were small illustrations of that much grander work which He, with and through His glorified church, will accomplish for mankind during His millennial reign, when all the blind eyes will be opened, all the deaf ears unstopped, and all the mentally and physically lame will be healed, and all the dead in trespasses and sins will he revived, and through obedience, gradually obtain full restitution of all things lost, as promised through the mouth of all God’s holy prophets since the world began.—Acts 3:19-23

The centurion of our lesson was both wise and humble. He realized that as a Gentile he could have no special claim upon this Jewish Prophet and the work He was doing for the Israelites, hence he secured the co-operation of some of the elders of the city to present to Jesus on his behalf a request for the healing of his servant.

The elders besought Jesus, testifying that although he was not a Jew he was a noble character, a lover of Israel, and had built them a synagogue for their worship, in which he could not engage because a Gentile. He was like the Syro-phenician woman who desired a crumb from the children’s table without claiming to be one of the children. The lesson for us in this connection would be humility of mind in approaching the Lord on any subject, which would make us ready for His favors. We too, should concede that we have nothing of right or of merit to demand, that we should approach the Lord from the standpoint of unworthy suppliants, seekers of grace and mercy, not justice, at His hands.

Probably too the centurion thought of himself as a sinner, and that here was a representative of the Almighty, whose power he acknowledged. His feelings, doubtless, were akin to those of Peter when the latter cried out, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man O Lord.”—Luke 5:8

The centurion believed that if the Lord could exercise the power of healing when present He could also exercise the same power when absent. Possibly he had heard of the healing of the son of the nobleman of his own city Capernaum, when Jesus was at Cana and merely spoke the word. For these reasons the centurion sent other messengers as Jesus was approaching, explaining his desire not to inconvenience Him, his unworthiness to have Him enter his home, and his complete faith that a word from Him would be sufficient. Jesus took the man at his word and went no further, but He expressed His astonishment; at the centurion’s faith, saying to the multitude, “I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.”

Soon afterward our Lord, the disciples and quite a multitude of followers were approaching the little city of Nain, when forth from the gateway of the city came a funeral procession, a widowed mother and mourning friends, pallbearers, and a bier or litter oil which lay a dead young man, the widow’s only son. Our Lord was touched with compassion as He saw the widow’s tears, and He said to her, “Weep not,” and approaching, the pallbearers stood still and Jesus touched the bier and said, “Young man, I say unto thee arise.” The dead man stood up and began to speak.

The conclusion of this simple narrative is that “there came a fear upon all”—a realization that God was very near to them as represented in the power of Jesus. The multitude glorified God, not with loud hosannas, but with a reverential appreciation of the Net that a great prophet, a great teacher, was among them, and that God was ‘thus with them, representatively, saying “God hath visited His people.”

Our Lord’s ministries of healing lasted but a few years and reached comparatively few of the Jewish people, but since He ascended He has been carrying on a work of healing on a still higher plane, through His disciples whom He acknowledges as members of His body. Operating through these many eyes of understanding have been opened, many deaf ears unstopped, many morally halt and lame have been cured, and many have been raised from the dead in the sense that the apostle refers to when he says, “You hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins”; and again, “If ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above”; and again, “If the spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His spirit that; dwelleth in you.”—Eph. 2:1; Col 3:1; Rom. 8:11

QUESTIONS:

What was the purpose of Jesus’ miracles?

Why did the centurion seek the help of the Jewish elders in securing the services of Jesus in connection with the healing of his servant?

When will the general work of healing all mankind be accomplished?

Is there any sense in which Jesus has been conducting a work of healing during this Gospel age?

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