Jesus’ Ministry to Human Needs

THE basic need of the human race is to be reconciled to God. In God’s favor is life, the Psalmist tells us, and because man is alienated from God through wicked works there is sorrow and death everywhere. This weeping will continue throughout the dark night of human alienation from God, but joy will come in the morning of the new day—that thousand-year day of trial and judgment during which the willing and obedient will be restored to covenant relationship with the Creator.—Psalm 30:5; Acts 17:31

It was to accomplish this great work of reconciliation and restitution that Jesus came to earth at his first advent to redeem the race from death, and at his second advent to restore man’s lost dominion. Thus it was truly written of him that he came that the people might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) All who, during the Millennium, accept Jesus as their Redeemer and obey heartily the laws of his kingdom will be restored to perfect human life and live forever; while those who follow in his footsteps of sacrifice during this present age are given the abundant life of immortality.—Rom. 2:7

MARK 5:22, 23, 35-42—Because Jesus came to give life to the human race he not only proclaimed this fact by word of mouth, but furnished practical illustrations of what restitution blessings would mean for the people when the due time arrived for dispensing them world-wide. Jesus did not take the attitude that just because the world was to be converted and blessed with life during the Millennium there is no need to do anything about it now. As his followers, we should be guided by his example, and use every opportunity we have and can make to tell the people about the blessings which are coming.

Jesus was given the privilege of exercising divine power to heal the sick and raise the dead, and this gave great weight to his oral message of good tidings. His church—with the exception of some in the Early Church—are not given this privilege. But we can tell the suffering world around us that sickness and death are not to continue forever, and that they are to have their loved ones restored to them.

The story of the awakening of Jairus’ daughter is a very touching one. Jairus was a “ruler of the synagogue,” which indicates that not all who occupied these high positions in Jesus’ day were opposed to him. This man had evidently been favorably impressed by the reports which had reached him concerning Jesus, and in this time of great need was glad to appeal to him for help.

Had Jairus known that his daughter would be dead before the Master reached her perhaps he would not have had sufficient faith to appeal to him. Certainly the mourners who had gathered at his home were very skeptical, for when Jesus stated that the maid was not dead but sleeping, they laughed him to scorn. This, of course, was largely because they did not understand that he was referring to the sleep of death.

However, the only reason Jesus could refer to the damsel as being merely “asleep” was that he knew divine power could be invoked to restore her to life. It is upon this same basis that the entire human race is said to be asleep in Jesus, for during the thousand years of his reign all will be awakened. (I Thess. 4:14) The miracle of awakening Jairus’ daughter was but a token of the divine plan for all mankind.

LUKE 7:20-23—John the Baptist had announced Jesus as the “Lamb of God” who had come to take away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) But later, because of unexpected circumstances, he began to wonder and sent messengers to the Master seeking reassurance. The “same hour” these messengers arrived Jesus performed a number of miracles—curing the infirm, casting out devils, and giving sight to the blind.

Having observed this, these messengers were then told by Jesus to report to John what they had seen and heard, “how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,” and “to the poor the Gospel is preached.” We can assume that when John received this report his misgivings concerning Jesus’ messiahship vanished.

The prophecies of the Old Testament foretold that the Messiah, the Christ, would serve the people in this manner—that the purpose of his coming was to heal all the sick, raise all the dead, and to enlighten the whole world with the good tidings of kingdom blessings made available through his redemptive work. The fact that he was even then beginning to fulfill some of these prophecies was doubtless very convincing to John. The One who had come to give life was giving life.

QUESTIONS

Since the fall of man, what has been the world’s great need?

How did Jesus’ ministry reveal the purpose of his coming?

Why was Jesus’ reply to John the Baptist a convincing one?

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