"Your Faith Has Made You Whole"

As the apostles Paul and Barnabus were preaching the gospel in Macedonia, they noticed a man… but, let’s read the text…

Acts 14:8-10
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:

9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,

10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
KJV

This man, then, had done nothing to demonstrate his faith. But Paul perceived that he had it, faith sufficient to be healed. And he was. In the Gospels are a number of passages telling of people healed by Jesus, who afterward were told, "Your faith has made you whole," or something similar. These people had obviously done something to show their faith. Some were Jews; a few were Gentiles. I want us to look at each of these instances in order to learn what each one did to demonstrate his or her faith, a faith that, in Jesus’ own words, was a necessary part of their healing. Let’s begin with some blind men. And, if the same healing is described in two gospels, I‘ll show both.

The Blind Men following the Healing of Jarius’ Daughter

Jesus was called on by the ruler of a synagogue, one named Jarius, to heal his daughter who was near death. This he did.

Matt 9:27-32
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.

28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.

29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.

31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that
country.
KJV

How did these two men exhibit faith. Well, of course, when asked if they believed that Jesus was able to heal them, they replied that they did. However, this wasn’t all. First, they had followed him, crying, "Son of David, have mercy on us." The men weren’t saying that he was just a son of David, but the Son of David. "Son of David" was a term used by the Jews to refer to the Messiah, the Anointed. People of the day were well aware of Daniel’s seventy week prophecy, where he referred to this person to come as the "Messiah, the Prince", and they knew that it was about time. Two blind men on the streets of Capernaum believed that Jesus was the Messiah and said so, loudly.

The Blind Man at Jericho

Mark 10:46-52
46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.

50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.

51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
KJV

Luke 18:35-43
35 And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

36 And hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

37 And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

38 And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

39 And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

40 And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him,

41 Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

43 And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
KJV

So, blind Bartimaeus, begging by the road, asked what the commotion was and was told that "Jesus of Nazareth" was passing by. He began crying out, "Son of David, have mercy on me," and when others tried to hush him up, he only cried the more. "Son of David" again. Bartimaeus showed he believed Jesus was the Promised one. And he received sight.

The Woman Who Touched His Garment

Matt 9:20-22
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:

21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.

22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
KJV

A woman who had been ill twelve years believed that if she could only touch his garment, she would be healed. She did and she was. Let’s read it again in Mark.

Mark 5:24-35
24 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

30 And Jeus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
KJV

And, a few more details we’ll find in Luke.

Luke 8:43-49
43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,

44 Came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: and immediately her issue of blood stanched.

45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.

47 And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him and how she was healed immediately.

48 And he said unto her, Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.
KJV

Now, let’s consider a prophecy of the Messiah that’s at the beginning of Malachi 4:2.

Mal 4:2
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; …

The term "wings" used here refers to the corners or "borders" of his garment, the garment of "the Sun of righteousness", the Messiah. Thus, the faith demonstrated by this woman, that faith that had made her whole, was to act upon her belief that this Jesus was indeed the Messiah and that by touching his wings could bring healing. And, of course, it did.

Suppose she had been wrong. If Jesus weren’t the Messiah, she would not have been healed, of course, but she likely would have been in more trouble. How would the crowd have treated a diseased person such as she who clutched the clothing of a healthy, respected rabbi? I doubt this possibility even crossed her mind.

The Ten Lepers

Luke 17:11-19
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
KJV

Jesus healed ten lepers, at least one of whom was a Samaritan. The location is not given beyond Samaria or Galilee. These men loudly proclaimed Jesus "Master" and all were cleansed. One, a Samaritan, returned to glorify God at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. But where were the nine? Did they go to the priests? Did they, too, glorify God, but elsewhere? The text doesn’t say. But the stranger who did is told that "your faith has made you whole."

The Centurion’s Servant

Matt 8:5-13
5 And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,

6 And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.

7 And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

8 The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

9 For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

13 And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
KJV

The centurion, here, demonstrates his faith, first, by referring to Jesus as "Lord", but primarily by showing that he believed Jesus could heal his servant merely by saying the words. Note that the impressed Jesus states that many Gentiles, no doubt exhibiting this depth of faith also, will be joining the patriarchs--who were all great in faith--in the Kingdom. To me, this indicates that the rules have not changed. Faith has always been the criterion for salvation.
Without altering the point of the story at all, Matthew has apparently shortened it a bit by having this centurion approach Jesus directly. Luke goes into more detail, and, likely, this is the way it happened.

Luke 7:1-10
1 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.

2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.

3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.

4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:

5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.

6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:

7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.

8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.
KJV

Likely the centurion was what the Jews referred to as a "God fearer." Cornelius, the first Gentile converted, was one. In Acts 10:2 we’re told that he "feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway." God fearers were non-Jews who accepted the God of Israel as the true God, forsook paganism and its idolatry totally, kept those of the Ten Commandments that were generally referred to at the Noachide laws, i.e., they did not murder, steal, lie, or commit sexual sin. They stopped short of becoming a true Jewish proselyte, though. God fearers were welcome at synagogue. Probably the great majority of Gentiles converted early in church history were from this group.

Healing the Gentile Woman’s Daughter

Matt 15:21-28
21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.

23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.

24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.

26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.

27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
KJV

What do we know of this woman? Racially she was a Canaanite woman, living in a Gentile area, around Tyre and Sidon. However, she knows of Jesus, calling him "Lord" and, also, "Son of David." Another God fearer? The text doesn’t say. But she acknowledges him as the Messiah, the "Son of David," and begs his mercy for her daughter. The other thing we notice is her humility. Canaanites were strangers to any covenants God had made. That was okay. She had no call on Jesus at all, but was completely willing to accept whatever he would provide her and her daughter.

We have looked at a number of instances of persons being healed who demonstrated strong faith, faith that played a part in their healing. In most of these cases the people healed showed that they believed Jesus to be the promised Messiah. This was their faith. This was where they showed they "had faith to be healed."

Matt 16:13-16
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"

14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."

15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"

16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
NIV

The word "Christ" is the English translation of the Greek word Christos which means "the Anointed One," or another term the Jews used referring to the Messiah.

When Jesus had arrived in Bethany four days after the death of Lazarus, Martha proclaimed her faith in words very similar to Peter’s.

John 11:20-27
20 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house.

21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.

22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.

24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
KJV

In both these passages above note that the phrase "Son of God" is used along with "Christ." This is the case in a number of passages.

Matt 26:62-63
62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee?

63 But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
KJV

Luke 4:40-41
40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.

41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.
KJV

John 6:66-69
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
KJV
　
John 20:30-31
30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:

31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
KJV

Often in the past when I referred to Jesus Christ, I would use "Christ" almost as if it were a last name, kind of like, "Mr. Christ, or may I call you Jesus?" Now when I use it, I always try to remember always to consider what it really means.

Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the longed for Messiah, who came with "healing in his wings" and who will return to fulfill the rest of his mission as "Lord of lords, and King of kings." As we,ve seen, there was power in that belief in the days when he walked this earth, and there still is today.