Power over Sickness and Death

MEMORY SELECTION: “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the Gospel is preached.” —Luke 7:22

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Luke 7:11-23

MANY of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Messiah portrayed him as a man of power acting in behalf of God, one who would liberate and heal the nation of Israel and eventually the world of mankind. (Isa. 42:1-8; 61:1-3) There were also the prophecies which foretold that Messiah would be a “stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”—Isa. 8:14

The seeming discrepancy resulted from a failure of the Jews to discern the nature of his first advent. Isaiah 53 is a prophecy concerning the Messiah which explains that he must first suffer and then come into his glory. We learn from the Scriptures that his suffering, and eventually his death, were brought about by his fulfilling his commission to preach the Gospel.

In Mark 1:14,15 we read, “Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the Gospel.”

Jesus was given the power to establish the authority of his ministry by performing miracles. These were prophesied of him, and those Jews who were familiar with the prophecies and the enlightened teachings of Jesus should have recognized him as the promised Messiah. But because the leaders refused to accept him, Jesus became a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.

The miracles that Jesus performed in the course of his ministry were designed also to illustrate the wonderful works that would be accomplished in the kingdom.

In John, the 5th chapter, is recorded the account of Jesus healing the man who had been bedridden for thirty years; and, because the act occurred on the Sabbath, the Jews were angry and sought to kill Jesus. In verses 19-21 Jesus states, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.” Then, speaking of the future kingdom work of the resurrection, Jesus states, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, [the footstep followers of Jesus during the Gospel Age] unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation [judgment—the thousand-year coming ‘day’ of judgment of Christ’s kingdom].”—vss. 28,29

Then Jesus confirmed that his works were to identify him as the Messiah: “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.”—vs. 36

It was because of the evidence of his works that Jesus did not directly answer the emissaries of John who questioned if Jesus was the Messiah or if they should expect another. But rather, he sent them back with an account of the miracles which they had witnessed. (Luke 7:22) To John, who was a man of faith, this was sufficient to identify Jesus as the Messiah.

While these powers to perform miracles were essential to our Lord’s ministry at his first advent, they were only a picture of the greater works to be accomplished by Christ, together with his glorified church, during his second advent, in the kingdom. Jesus stated in John 14:12, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”—Ps. 98:9; Isa. 11:1-5; 26:9; 33:6; Rev. 21:4

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