Manna for Ministers I

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Is there a strong Scriptural basis for "claiming one's healing by faith?"

Often after an infirm believer is prayed over, he will proclaim that he is healed "by faith" even though the symptoms persist. Let us examine this practice in light of Scripture.

Mark 11:12 Now the next day, when they had come out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again." (Matthew 21.19 adds, "Immediately the fig tree withered away.") And His disciples heard it….
20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away." 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God. 23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

The practice of claiming one's healing is based upon verse 24, which teaches that if we believe we receive those things for which we pray, we will have them. Let's look at the context of this verse.

Jesus had spoken words to a fig tree, essentially commanding it to die. It immediately obeys his command and withers away. The next morning as they pass by the tree again, Peter is reminded and queries Jesus about the miracle. In reply Jesus explains to Peter that he did the miracle through mountain-moving faith. When he spoke to the tree, he had absolutely no doubt that the fig tree would obey him. He had received all authority from His Father, and thus he fully believed that the command he gave the tree had to be obeyed. This is the context of verse 24. Jesus is explaining the key to speaking forth in power: it is through the exercise of mountain-moving faith. On another occasion Jesus also taught this kind of faith. The disciples were asked to cast out a demon from a boy with epilepsy, and the demon would not obey them. When they asked Jesus the reason for their failure, he said it was because they lacked sufficient mountain-moving faith.

Matthew 17:14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,15 "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.16 "So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him."17 Then Jesus answered and said, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me."18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?"20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

It is clear from Jesus' words that if the disciples possessed mountain-moving faith, they could cast out demons and heal the sick; they could minister in signs and wonders. The purpose of mountain-moving faith is for us disciples of Christ to glorify God through healing the sick, casting out demons, and ministering in miraculous signs for the sake of winning souls. This is the primary context of the teaching on mountain-moving faith. It is in this context that we consider verse 24: "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Undoubtedly this verse can be taken somewhat generally to include the many things that we may want to ask God for, including physical healing. And undoubtedly people have experienced actual physical healing from God after having claimed their healing by faith. But nevertheless it is important to look at the context to determine the primary application of this verse. The context appears to be not so much about us passively receiving something from the Lord (e.g., physical healing) as it is about our aggressively speaking to a mountain, to a tree, to a demon, or to a disease in the name of Jesus. It is about our actively producing a miraculous sign in the name of Jesus for the furtherance of the gospel. In this light, how then might we best interpret verse 24?

In line with the specific context, we might rephrase verse 24 in the following way: "Whatever you pray and ask me to do through you for the sake of winning souls, especially miraculous signs and healings, believe that I will do them through you. Believe that a measure of my authority has been given to you, and that as you exercise it over disease and demons, the miracles will occur."

This interpretation is supported by Jesus' reply to his disciple Philip in John Chapter 14 after he voices doubt that Jesus and the Father are one.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." 8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Jesus encourages Philip to believe that he and the Father are one at least because of the works--the miracles---that Jesus has done. And then he goes on to make a most astonishing statement: those who believe in him would also do the works as well. Jesus is of course referring especially to the miraculous works and signs that he did. Believers would do these miracles in his name to show the world that Jesus is indeed the Son of God, the way, the truth, the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through him. Then follows the very well-known verses: 13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Such a wonderful promise, but what is the immediate context? Is the context about our receiving from the Lord things pertaining to our very real personal needs and desires? No, the context is about demonstrating to the world who Jesus is through miraculous signs. What is it that we should ask in His name, that He will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son? What we should ask is that God use us to do the miraculous works that Jesus did, showing the world that He is indeed the Son of the only true God. This is how the Father is especially glorified in the Son. This is the most Scriptural application of the precious promises found in verses 13 and 14.

Not that these promises cannot include other prayer requests regarding our health, finances, family, and so forth, but they especially apply to our healing the sick and casting out demons as miraculous signs to confirm the gospel. The heart of the Father is saving the lost.

Let us now return to the original object of our investigation, which is Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."

Although this promise might also extend to areas beyond its original context, let us re-examine the practice of applying it to receiving physical healing from the Lord. Is there a precedent in Scripture for this practice? Is there an instance in the New Testament where after an infirm person was prayed over, the symptoms remained, but the person nevertheless declared, "I believe I'm healed by faith?"

To my knowledge, there is no such incident. However, there was an incident in which a person was only partially healed after being ministered to by Jesus.

Mark 8:22 Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, "I see men like trees, walking." 25 Then He put His hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly.

After Jesus ministers to the blind man, he asks if he sees anything. Interestingly, the man tells it as it is. He can now see, but not at all clearly. He did not say by faith, "I can see clearly." If he had, Jesus could very well have walked on since he had already completed the job of restoring the man's sight. But because the man answered plainly, Jesus ministered to him again. After the second time, the healing was complete.

Speaking "by faith" about one's healing can be counterproductive in some situations. The reason why such a practice is widespread is because ministering believers do not know how to minister healing as Jesus and the early disciples did. In the Gospels and Acts, the miracles were quick and sometimes immediate. (Recall that Jesus taught Mark 11.24 in the context of a fig tree withering immediately at his command, not gradually.) It was not necessary for anyone to "claim their healing by faith." But because today's ministers generally do not know how to use their authority to heal the sick in Jesus' name, the infirm are forced to rely on a "confession of faith" which hopefully leads to a healing sometime in the future. At times the claimed healling actually does come to pass. But if we understand how to minister healing according to the gospels and Acts, we will like Jesus with the blind man continue to exert our authority against the disease until it actually leaves in the empirical sense. In this way the infirm are no longer forced to rely on a possibly stretched interpretation of Mark 11:24, but can receive their healing relatively quickly when a trained believer speaks with authority and without doubt to their disease according to Mark 11:23. When the believer speaks with mountain-moving faith, the disease (like a mountain) retreats in the face of the superior power of the name of Jesus.

Mark 11:23 "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Scripture records Jesus once saying, "Daughter, your faith has made you well." This incident was not a case of someone receiving their healing by faith sometime after being ministered to by Jesus. Rather, only after actually being healed did Jesus make this commendation about her faith.

Mark 5:29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?" 31 But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' " 32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

This incident does not support the practice of "claiming one's healing by faith."

I am not saying that this practice is wrong and therefore those who practice it are guilty of swerving from the truth. Sometimes a sick person may have no other recourse. However, I am saying that because of the Church's ineptitude in ministering healing to those with infirmities, the sick are forced to take drastic measures. Not only should they receive their healing by faith, we ministers should also know how to minister healing "by faith." After the disciples failed to drive out the epileptic demon from the boy in Matthew 17, drawing harsh disapproval from the Lord, they asked him the reason for their failure. In his reply, Jesus did not put the blame on any lack of faith on the part of the boy or his father. Jesus clearly pointed the finger and placed responsibility on his disciples.

Matthew 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

We ministers of the gospel must learn how to move with mountain-moving faith, the key by which Jesus and the early Church ministered with miraculous signs as they preached the gospel. Admittedly, we are still far from that goal, and the sick must continue to claim their healing by faith. But let us acknowledge our deficiency and learn from the Word how to minister as Jesus did.


 

 

Was Jesus able to perform miracles solely because He was in very nature God?

Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ performed mighty miracles that no human being had ever done. We know that he was God in human flesh---both man and God at the same time. Was it by virtue of his being deity that he did the miracles, or is there another explanation? This question is an important one to those who serve him.

John 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Jesus promised his disciples that they would do the works that he did, which include miracles to confirm to the world his identity as the Son of God.

John 20:30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Many of Christ's servants want to do these works to glorify the Father. How do we begin? We begin by studying his ministry to see how he did the miracles. If it was indeed by virtue of his being deity that his miracles were performed, then we are faced with a serious roadblock. We are not deity, and will never be deity. We are simply mortals saved and sanctified by God's grace through faith alone. Thus we can never hope to do these miracles for the gospel's sake.

Let us propose an alternative explanation, and determine whether or not it is worthy of support according to Scripture.

Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; 2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,

Isaiah prophesied that when the Messiah appeared on earth, he would carry out his ministry of preaching, healing, and deliverance only after the Holy Spirit came upon him to anoint him to minister. This was fulfilled when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at the Jordan River following his baptism in water by John:

Luke 3:22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased."

Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. …13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord."

It is clear that Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled when the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jesus at the Jordan River after his water baptism. We note that before this "baptism in the Holy Spirit," Scripture does not record Jesus doing any healing miracles, even though his essence before and after had not changed one bit---he continued to be in very nature God. After this baptism, he began to do miracles and "news of him went out through all the surrounding region." We can only conclude that the manifestation of power through Jesus was correlated not with his being in very nature God, but with the Holy Spirit descending upon him. Dare we go one step further to venture that his ministry of the miraculous appeared so suddenly as an actual result of the Holy Spirit descending upon him?

Philippians 2:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and become obedient to death---even death on a cross!

These verses teach us that although he was in very nature God, he voluntarily made himself nothing when he took on human flesh and become like us to be our sacrificial Lamb. Based on this, it does not stretch the meaning of Scripture to say that he also voluntarily gave up the prerogatives of power and authority he had before he was incarnated as a human being.

John 17:5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

A very important question to consider at this point is: why did Jesus give up these prerogatives?

Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

He emptied himself and became like us so that he could function as an effective High Priest for us, dying on the cross as a sin offering on our behalf. Is there another reason?

1 Peter 2:21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

Jesus became a human being and suffered for us to leave an example for us to follow. Now, how closely are we to follow in his steps? Ought we to limit it only to the area of his suffering, or can we reasonably follow him in the area of his ministry as well?

John 14:11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. (NIV) 12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also;…. (NKJV)

Jesus tells us that believers will do the works that he did, which include his miracles. Not only his suffering, but his ministry becomes an example for us to follow. Thus we have at least two reasons why Jesus emptied himself to become like us: to become our High Priest, and to leave an example for us weak human beings to follow in our lives and our ministries, in holiness and power. But is this a reasonable expectation for us with all our weaknesses? How can we really become like him in holiness and power?

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

It is only by the indwelling Holy Spirit that we are being transformed into his image. In the same way, it is only by the Spirit of the Lord that we can do the works that he did. This is the Spirit of which Isaiah prophesied in Chapter 53 and who descended upon Jesus at the Jordan. And this is the same Spirit that came upon the disciples at Pentecost. He is the same Spirit in whom every believer has been baptized.

Might we reasonably propose that Jesus underwent water baptism as well as Spirit baptism in order to lay down an example for us to follow? Certainly he did not need to be baptized in water by John for the forgiveness of sins. But he underwent it "to fulfill all righteousness." (Matthew 3:15) What this might ultimately embrace certainly exceeds the understanding of this author, but I believe it includes God's work of righteousness in us sinners who would later by faith follow in Jesus' footsteps. Everyone who has put his faith in Christ as Savior should follow his Lord in water baptism. In the same way, Christ would not have needed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit in order to minister in power had he chosen not to give up the divine prerogatives of power. But since he made himself nothing and become like us in part to provide an example for us to follow, he needed to be baptized in the Holy Spirit before he could minister in supernatural power.

In John's gospel, Jesus mentions his dependence upon his Father in the doing of his mighty works.

John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

It was not because of his divine nature that he could do the miracles; it was because the Father had given him authority to do them through the Holy Spirit.

John 5:20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. ...26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

As the Father gave Jesus authority on earth, Jesus has given his disciples a measure of his authority to complete the Great Commission.

Luke 9:1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. …6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. …9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.'

Finally, we know that God cannot be tempted to sin.

James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

We also understand from Philippians 2:6 that Jesus is in very nature God. Yet Scripture tells us that Jesus was tempted just as we are.

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

We can only conclude that Jesus voluntarily made himself nothing, becoming like us and subject to temptation as we are. Although he was without sin, he had to be perfected through suffering, temptation, and obedience to become our High Priest just as we are being perfected in our walk with him on earth.

Hebrews 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Hebrews 5:8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered.9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,

Hebrews 7:28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

We see Jesus Christ voluntarily choosing to lay down certain of his divine prerogatives when he become flesh for our sake. He had to depend on much prayer and his Father's help to resist temptation and go obediently to the cross. He also had to depend on his Father through the indwelling Holy Spirit to perform his mighty miraculous works. Because of this we disciples of Christ can have hope. We can also succeed in resisting temptation and living holy lives by trusting in him. We can also do the works that he did by trusting in him and following the example that he left for us. He left not only an example for us, but he left the Holy Spirit.

John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

What is Jesus' state at this moment?

John 17:5 "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.

To Jesus Christ has been restored all the divine prerogatives that he voluntarily laid down for our sakes when he took on flesh. The very purpose of the 'kenosis' has been fulfilled and its phase forever in the past.

(We want to thank Debbie Stenz, who provided one of the important ideas set forth in this article.)


 

 

Must it be God's express will for miraculous healing to take place?

Believers often pray for healing, even with great faith, and more often than not results are not forthcoming. We hear reports of parents withholding vital medication from their sick children believing that God will heal them. When the children tragically die despite the well-intentioned faith of the parents, we conclude that it must be God's express will to heal before such miracles will occur. It is not the faith that matters, but only God's will to intervene in a miraculous way. Is this conclusion supported by Scripture?

First of all, let us understand from the broadest perspective that God is the Ruler of the universe, and that everything that occurs does so according to His will, whether His perfect will or permissive will.

Luke 12:6 "Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.7 "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

However, knowing this does not mean that believers simply sit around and wait for God to act. Scripture clearly tells us that in some areas we have the responsibility to do our part before God will act. For example, before God forgives us of our sin, we must accept the crucified Christ as our sin offering. From this more limited and local perspective, what we do definitely has an effect on what God does. From this perspective we are free agents to whom God has given a measure of freedom to act.

Returning to the question about miraculous healing, then, is there anything we can do that will affect the outcome? Or, as some maintain, is it completely a matter of God's express will---if God wills to heal, it occurs; if God does not will to heal, it does not occur?

According to Scripture, it may not be that simple. We see in Scripture instances in which indeed miraculous healings take place completely by God's sovereign will apart from any human agency. But we also see miracles happening after someone took a certain course of action, sometimes apparently apart from God's sovereign will working through His son Jesus Christ. Let's look at these instances…

John 5:5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?" 7 The sick man answered Him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me." 8 Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your bed and walk." 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.

We note that the sick man did not do anything noteworthy to move Jesus to heal him. He did not appear to know that Jesus could heal him; he did not request him to do so even after Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well. Instead, he was complaining to him that other people always beat him to the pool when the water was stirred. This man evidently had no faith in Jesus to heal him. Nevertheless Jesus willed to heal him and did so. The miracle appeared to be completely a result of the will of the Lord to heal the man.

Mark's gospel records miracles from a different perspective. He often recounts the role that the actions of people played in the miracles that Jesus did. One miracle apparently took place apart from the Lord of the will---not against His will, but independent of his will, because the Lord's will with regard to healing in that instance was arguably neutral.

Mark 5:21 Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. 22 And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet 23 and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live." 24 So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. 25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well." 29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?" 31 But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' " 32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."

According to Jesus, the woman was healed by her faith. She believed that she would be healed if she touched his clothes, and it came to pass just as she believed. She did not even have the opportunity to ask Jesus to heal her. She was just one of many in the crowd pressing upon him and reaching out to touch him. When Jesus felt the healing power go out of him, he knew that someone had been healed, but it apparently since there was a crowd pressing on him he did not know who. Some argue that Jesus, being God, in fact knew precisely who had touched him, and was simply testing the woman by pretending not to know. Let's examine this issue.

When the Word became flesh, he gave up some of the prerogatives of deity. He gave up his glory (John 17.5), his ability not to be tempted by evil (Hebrews 4.15), and even his miracle-working power. He was not able to do miracles until after the Holy Spirit descended upon him at the Jordan River---it was not by virtue of him being equal with God, but by the power of the Holy Spirit that he did miracles on earth. After he became flesh, he even had to "learn" perfection through his sufferings (Hebrews 2.10, 5.8). And when he was on earth in the form of a human being, he was not omniscient like his Father in heaven. For example, he implied he didn't know when his Second Coming would be, something only his Father knew (Matthew 24:36).

Thus it would entirely be in keeping with the nature of the kenosis---Christ's emptying himself of his prerogatives as deity to become a human being---if he actually did not know who had touched him and been healed. The scene that Mark paints would become implausible if Jesus in fact knew who had been healed. Imagine Jesus surrounded by a throng of people as he tried to push his way to the home of Jairus to heal his daughter. People were pressing on him and touching him from all sides. It is hardly plausible that in the midst of all this commotion the man Jesus has become aware that a hand belonging to a bleeding woman will reach out from nowhere to touch him, and ahead of time he decides he is going to heal that woman of her bleeding when physical contact is made. Afterwards, he pretends he doesn't know who is healed. Such a scenario is highly unlikely based on the narrative. Not only that, when the man Jesus wills and purposes to heal the sick elsewhere in the gospels, we see him doing so very purposefully and directly---he lays hands on them, he rebukes their infirmity, he commands them to be healed or to get up or to perform some other action. He knows who he is healing. And so when someone with great faith touches him from behind, he really does not know who has been healed.

But regardless of whether or not Jesus in his human form knew who had been healed, his words to the woman after she came forward are revealing. "Your faith has healed you." Jesus emphasizes that her faith played the dominant role in the miracle. The point here is that it was not so much the will of the Lord that brought about the healing, but rather the woman's faith. One can reasonably say that the will of Jesus in this matter was neutral, since he did not even know that the woman was going to touch him and be healed.

We see that healing can be a result of the Lord's intentional purpose as was the miracle at the pool in John, or it can be a result of someone's faith when the Lord has no express purpose or will in the matter. In the second scenario, the Lord says to us: let it be done to you according to your faith.

Can the Lord choose to exert His sovereignty in some matter, and choose not to exert it in another matter, preferring instead to leave it up to us? Does He have the right to say to us: do whatever your hand finds to do, for I am with you? If we deny Him that right and tell Him He must exert His sovereign will at all times, then he is no longer sovereign.

In keeping with His nature, the Lord does give us a measure of freedom to exercise our free will and our faith. He can certainly exercise His sovereignty and say "no" as He did to Paul when the apostle asked Him to take away the thorn in his flesh, or when He did not heal the child who was deprived of his medication by his well-intentioned parents. But I believe He is generally pleased to see us exercise our free will and faith in accordance with the logos, the written word of God. Often, sick believers are healed miraculously in this way. But unfortunately it is the "horror story" of misplaced faith resulting in tragedy that gets the headlines. The many testimonies of healing through well-placed faith usually go unreported---such is the nature of the media.

But why are the sick not healed today as we read of in the gospels and Acts? It is not because God no longer heals. It might not be because God wills to heal far less frequently than He did in the time of Jesus on earth. But it may be because we believers fail to exercise the authority over disease that Christ has given us for the sake of the gospel. God has given us talents to invest for the sake of His kingdom---the gospel, and a measure authority over disease and demons to confirm the gospel (Luke 9.1-2; 10:1,9). If we bury these talents, thinking that the Sovereign God will take care of these things Himself in His own time and way, we will displease Him. But if we use and invest these talents according to the wisdom given to us by the Spirit and in His word, we will see souls saved, the sick healed, and the prisoners set free. Let's not drift to the extreme position of using "God's will" as a pretext for inaction because of our fear and insecurity.

Thank God when it is His express purpose and will to heal a sick person. But even if it is not, let's not dismiss the possibility that He might want us to exercise our faith and authority to minister the healing.

There is even an instance in Scripture where it was God's will for someone not to recover from an infirmity and to be taken home to God. Yet this person experienced healing from God.

2 Kings 20:1 In those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, "Thus says the Lord: 'Set your house in order, for you shall die, and not live.' " 2 Then he turned his face toward the wall, and prayed to the Lord, saying, 3 "Remember now, O Lord, I pray, how I have walked before You in truth and with a loyal heart, and have done what was good in Your sight." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 And it happened, before Isaiah had gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 5 "Return and tell Hezekiah the leader of My people, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: "I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of the Lord. 6 "And I will add to your days fifteen years. I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for My own sake, and for the sake of My servant David." ' "

Because of Hezekiah's prayer and tears, God appeared to have changed His mind, and healed him of the life-threatening boil.

Therefore it is possible that even when it is not God's express will and purpose to heal someone, through faith and prayer the healing may still be possible. Of course, whether or not it is good to go against God's will in this area is yet another question. Hezekiah sinned in the eyes of the Lord after his recovery from the infirmity (2 Kings 20:12-18), resulting in judgment upon his kingdom after his eventual death.