The sick need a physician

The healings in the Gospels are, of course, a concrete prophetic enactment of this forgiveness.

Most certainly Andrew. Remember the guy lowered through the hole in the roof by his friends to be healed by Jesus? For a long time I never noticed that the very fist thing Jesus says to him is “Your sins are forgiven” - only then is he actually healing his physical ailment. Great commentary!

Israel is sick per Hosea prophet (see previous comment) , people of Israel at the time of Jesus were sick, but now days?; who is sick now days and who needs a physician now days??  any ideas.

Jeffrey John’s ‘The Meaning in the Miracles’ gives a very good account of the miracles as signs - especially of the inclusion through Jesus of people who tended to be excluded in the religious and social life of Israel - the lame, blind and physically deformed, a woman with bleeding, lepers/those with skin diseases of all kinds, and this in addition to those who were excluded for all kinds of reasons and not needing miracles performed on their behalf - women, children, tax collectors, sinful people of all kinds, including those whose offences would have merited summary execution.

As such the miracles were signs of the kingdom - not just relating specifically to health issues, but in the kingdom’s social and community purposes as well. If the kingdom is allowed to have relevance today, which it should do, since Jesus has been “a king (reigning) in righteousness” since his ascension, one who gave flesh and bones to many of the word-picture prophecies of Isaiah concerning the kingdom, then we should no less expect supernatural means of health recovery, especially on behalf of those who have least access to health care.

The prevalence of healing and supernatural signs in least developed parts of the world may also point to the social/community/justice aspects of the kingdom. They point to what God wants in a society, as much as the individual benefits which supernatural healing may bring. The disadvantaged are at the forefront of God’s intentions, not least in global terms. This is also true of more developed parts of the world - which always have their own share of people who experience injustice and disadvantage.

do the sick still need a physician? yes, they still do. but i dont take jesus to mean literal healing of sickness. he was talking about sinners and how he came to bring life and forgiveness to the sinners, thus healing those that needed him. i take it to mean that Jesus did not come for those who thought they could make it on their own, who thought their religiousness and works were good enough. he came for the broken and lost sinners. he came to “seek and save those that were lost.” i think this is a beautiful part of the message Jesus brought. yes he came for the world in general, but you can never fully appreciate him unless you first realize your complete brokenness and sinfulness without him. so Jesus went to the sinners who could see their depravity, and were willing to find new life because they knew that they were completely hopeless the way they were. much unlike the pharisees who thought their hypocritical ‘religiousness’ was enough to get them right with God.

but does God still use miraculous healings today? i wouldnt rule out the possibility, but i think it is not the norm. much like in the new testament where miracles usually had a specific and temporary purpose.

well those are just my few thoughts. hopefully they were a little bit relevant.

tim