Healing of the Body, Mind and Soul

Luke 6:17–19 NKJV

17 And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, 18 as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. 19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

After Jesus had appointed the 12 apostles He came down from the mountain with them to a plain. What follows is a story of Jesus preaching to a great multitude sometimes referred to a the sermon on the plain. However, we can quickly see that this is Luke record of the same event recored by Matthew often referred to as the sermon on the mount.

Matthew 5:1 NKJV

1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him.

The picture that we get from the two accounts is that Jesus elevated Himself on the side of the mountain where He could speak to the great multitude of people. Of course, they didn’t have sound systems so the only way to project you voice to a multitude of people was to use an amphitheatre. This was usually a purpose build acoustically designed theatre where public speakers could speak to large crowds an be heard. However you could also find natural amphitheatres, usually on the side of a hill or mountain, where a speaker could be elevated and the natural acoustic qualities would enable everyone to hear.

So as Jesus came down from the mountain with the apostles they found a multitude of people had gathered. It tells us that they were from the area of Judea, including the city of Jerusalem, and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. The crowds included the religious leaders who were already trying to build a case against Jesus, Perhaps some Gentiles from the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon. Mostly those who gathered were there, as it tells us, to hear Jesus, to be healed of their diseases, and to be delivered from unclean spirits.

They had heard of the preaching ministry of Jesus that He spoke as one who had authority. They had heard of His healing ministry, that He could heal the sick with a touch or a word. And they had heard of His deliverance ministry that He could command demons and they would obey Him.

What they all had in common was a desire to be with Jesus, and an acknowledgement of His power to either teach or heal of deliver them.

The effects of sin manifest in many ways but the solution for sin is always Jesus.

Sin effects to whole man, mind, body and soul. And we need to be healed holistically.

Verse 19 tells us that Luke 6:19

Luke 6:19 NKJV

19 And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

Jesus had a powerful healing ministry. Because we still have so much illness in the world today we may be tempted to think that Jesus no longer heals, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The holistic healing ministry of Jesus is His primary purpose and He still heals today.

Lets look at the three things that Jesus healed then and hopefully we can see that these are for us to experience today.

Healing of the Mind

First Luke tells us that the people came to hear Jesus.

The effect of sin on our mind is that we have a distorted view of reality. With the fall of man came lying. Satan brought the first lie. John 8:44

John 8:44 NKJV

44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

Satan is the source of lies or falsehood. By contrast, Jesus is Truth

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

And He tells us in

John 8:31–32 NKJV

31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

So the truth of Christ liberates us from the lies of Satan.

So this is a way that Jesus heals even now. As we hear and receive the teaching of Jesus our minds which have been made ill by the deception of this world are healed.

Romans 12:2 NKJV

2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

We need come to Jesus to be healed in our minds from the deception of Satan and those who promote his lies.

But one day we will be fully healed in our minds.

1 Corinthians 13:12 NKJV

12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

Healing of the Body

Next Luke tells us that people came to be healed of their diseases.

Diseases where never a part of God’s creation in the beginning. Death also was not a part of God original creation. Death and disease came with sin.

Romans 5:12–14 NKJV

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

During Jesus ministry he healed many from all sorts of sicknesses. The apostles also healed many who were sick and disabled. But neither Jesus nor the apostles healed everyone of every disease. Just as Jesus raised many from the dead but not everyone.

So today, there are many who are healed of sicknesses miraculously which us unexplainable by science or medicine. There are many who we pray for and lay hands on and anoint with oil and we witness what can only be described as the miraculous healing of God. But not everyone is healed immediately.

However, we know that one day we all will be healed in our body and we all will be raised from the dead.

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 NKJV

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

Revelation 21:4 NKJV

4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Healing of the Soul

Or spiritual healing.

Luke said that those came who were tormented with unclean spirits.

Demonic oppression can take form in many ways not just demonic possession. In fact sickness is one way in which demons torment us. Job is a prime example of this.

Also Luke 13:10-13

Luke 13:10–13 NKJV

10 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

Luke 13:16 NKJV

16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”

We have already seen that Jesus rebuke the fever of Peter’s mother in law as though it were a spiritual presence.

There are many illnesses today which we say “its a physical or mental illness”. We live in an age of materialism that does not want to except the idea of a spiritual world. But I have no doubt that many if not all physical or mental illnesses are from a spiritual source.

Or course there are also those, even today, who are so given over to Satan that they are possessed and by the power of Jesus Christ they can be delivered. Although I believe in our western culture Satan disguises himself more and rarely reveals himself openly as we see in the scriptures. But be sure that he is still very active.

So people need spiritual deliverance and Jesus can deliver those tormented by unclean spirits today. This comes through prayer, sometimes fasting.

We also fight the spiritual battle.

1 Corinthians 10:3–6 NKJV

3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank othat spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

One day we will be delivered from all demonic torment

Revelation 20:10 NKJV

10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

We often think of healing as only physical. We desire for God to heal our afflictions. Sometimes God will grant our petitions for healing and sometimes He doesn’t. But if He doesn’t heal us it is not because He’s not for us. God is for you. If he doesn’t heal our physical illnesses it is because His work in us is firstly Spiritual. Sometimes, our spiritual or mental healing requires us to endure some physical affliction.

James 5:14–16 NKJV

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

But just as these multitudes gathered to be healed by Jesus and all were healed so all of God’s children will be healed in His timing.

So if you suffer any illness of mind, body, or spirit then come to Jesus because power goes out from Him and He will heal you holistically.