The Genuine Healer
Luke the man, the physician • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Luke 5:12–26
Luke 5:12–26
Tobias? - Since October 6 Israel has been celebrating the final feast of the Lord. It goes by many names; Feast of Harvest,
Tabernacles or Sukkot. The feast remembers God’s protection and care for Israel during their wilderness journey after the Exodus.
During the feast, they build a sukkot or “booth” and live in it for week, symbolizing their tent experience in the desert, and they participate in daily processions, waving branches and carrying a lulav.
But like all the other feasts, traditions have been added. Of course, this week the hostages in Israel are scheduled to return tomorrow and there is much to rejoice about.
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But the most interesting fact is how it all points to Yeshua. In the gospel of John the term “tabernacle” is used to describe how the “word of God who was God” came to deliver us from sin. John 1.14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The word “dwelt” in the Greek is “skay-no” meaning “to live or take up residence”. And that’s what YHWH did by sending His Son.
Like Israel we wandered in the wilderness of sin seeking a purpose. Yeshua became our shelter to escape as He said in John 14.23
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.
So this feast speaks to us as Christians because Paul reminds us in 1 Cor 6.19
Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary or temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
Now, in our following passage, it recounts two miraculous healings by Yeshua as evidence that He is the promised Messiah. His mission of miraculous healing was one of the prophetic signs as written in Isaiah 29:18, 35:5-6, 61:1 ; Ps 146.7
It’s important to note, Yeshua didn’t heal every person nor perform miracles to promote Himself but to fulfill prophecy.
Let’s begin 1] THE LEPER
12 And it happened that while He was in one of the cities, behold, there was a man covered with leprosy; and when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
Lepers were isolated from the community with a leper community and when anyone came near them they had to shout a warning “unclean, unclean”. This disease attacks your nerves and skin, causing tissue damage underneath the skin producing sores, ulcers, tumors, and progressive destruction of body parts. It can destroy eyes, teeth, and the larynx, accompanied by a nauseating smell. This would draw rats who would chew off their nose, fingers or toes because they couldn’t feel it. It was very contagious and pretty much a death sentence. So with a hoarse voice this desperate disfigured leper who had nothing to lose cried out “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Verse 13
13 And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately the leprosy left him.
I’m sure everyone stood back but Yeshua being God in flesh actually touched him! But note even though the leprosy left him listen to what Yeshua tells him to do. verse 14.
14 And He directed him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest and make an offering for your cleansing, just as Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
He’s referring to Leviticus 14. We must remember that when Jesus was walking this earth they were still under the Law and in order to confirm this healing this ex-leper would confirm it "as a testimony to the priests!” - Other than Naaman, a Syrian commander there was no hope for lepers...until now. Even the cleansing procedure points to what Yeshua did for us!! Read it later.
Of course we all know that leprosy is a picture of the effects of sin. We were all born sinners so sin starts small and as it grows we find ways to hide it! But sinful living always leads to a numb conscience and separates us from God’s kingdom and will. It leads us to a life of disease, destruction, and stench! It’s only when we see our dilemma and come to Yeshua humbly and ask to be cleansed that we can be made whole. And guess what? He’s always willing to touch our lives! And the beauty is, there’s no need to go to a priest today because Jesus fulfilled Leviticus 14. We’re not just covered but we’re forgiven and our conscience is cleansed!!
And this morning, if anyone’s here suffering from the leprosy of sin, I have good news, Jesus is willing to cleanse you and give you a new community of healed lepers like us and even a clear conscience! He is our great high priest and He sits on the throne of grace who wants to save us from eternal death. Jesus is willing to make us clean!!
15 But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
16 But He Himself would often slip away to the desolate regions and pray.
I like how Jesus didn’t try to get people to join him but got away Himself to talk with His Father. And He did it often and I believe we should as well. I love prayer groups but getting alone with God offers amazing benefits. I suggest, we all try to get alone with God more often because this world is noisy and distracting.
2] THE PARALYTIC
17 And it happened that one day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem, and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.
18 And behold, some men were carrying on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down before Him.
19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus.
20-21 And seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”
This gives us some insights on the power or source of faith. It’s not a fixed procedure or positive confession over and over. Here, Jesus saw the faith of these men not the paralytic. Sometimes we have faith, sometimes others have faith for us! Or we join in faith together! It doesn’t matter. Faith isn’t a force we wield at will. It’s not believing for prosperity or things we want for our flesh but trusting and submitting to what God wants for us.
Denying to go to the doctor is not a lack of faith. JW’s refuse to get blood transfusions and many have died because of it. Throwing away our medicine isn’t a sign of whether we have great faith or not. It might be foolishness rather than faith.
Granted, these days, people are prescribed certain drugs that are addictive and don’t fix the problem. But God can still use doctors who prescribe medicine, do life saving surgery, God can use people who pray in faith, or when we exercise our own faith.
But faith is not a spiritual force where the words we speak will give us whatever we want! Ask, seek and knock and accept whatever God brings to your life and trusts He’s with you! We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us!
But Jesus causes a controversy because when he sees his four friends going to extremes to get him through the roof Jesus goes to the root of the sickness he had. “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” The scribes and the Pharisees had a reason to be scandalized if Jesus was just a man but here Jesus reveals His deity but they failed to recognize His divine nature.
22-23 But Jesus, knowing their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
Jesus doesn’t even flinch. As a matter of fact, He reads the hearts of the scribes and the Pharisees and challenges their unbelief!
24 “But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and, picking up your stretcher, go home.”
25-26 And immediately he rose up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. And astonishment seized them all and they began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Notice he didn’t glorify Jesus but God. And this affected everyone who witnessed this miracle.
Of course this is a picture of the effects of sin make us lame. Paralyzed with guilt. The sin of guilt and shame causes people to either give up completely or seek escape through drugs, alcohol, or work.
Like a person who gets drunk and totals their car and survives but they severed their spinal cord or hit their head very hard and live the rest of their life in a wheel chair or with mental illness. By God’s grace some survive and get better but imagine the guilt they would carry.
This man’s bodily ailment was a result of past misconduct, and apparently his sense of guilt was an even greater burden than his physical disability. What became of this man we don’t know. What we do know is that if we carry guilt from bad mistake we made that altered our family, our reputation, career, gambling or our health Jesus would say to you “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” Because He knows that’s the root of your bondage.
BUT JESUS IS A GENUINE HEALER. In a few instances, scripture claims He healed all but that’s not a blanket statement but this is a generalized declaration to a certain situation or group not meaning “every single person He met”. And the same goes for us! I believe God heals whom He desires to heal and He allows good people to die. This is where we trust or have faith in God’s plan!
While I believe God can still heal anyone today, when we lay our hands on people, anoint them with oil etc...the scenario is different - we are not little Messiah’s who were given the same promise that everyone we touch or pray for will be healed.
If we could , there would be no need for hospitals!! This is where I would disagree with faith healers who claim “if one has enough faith, they can be healed”
Did you know Jesus never healed the same way twice? His healing methods varied from speaking a word of healing (12x)- “rise up and walk, take up your mat, stretch out your hand, sometimes He healed with a touch or when people touched Him.
In one instance He spit in the ground to make mud & put it on a blind man’s eyes, then He told the man to wash in the Pool of Siloam and he could see - In another case, He healed a blind man in stages, but the restoration was always complete. Why?
His unique relationship with God the Father and His guidance by the Holy Spirit prevented people from creating a formula or healing techniques.
Even the way the person got healed was different, some showed faith, others had none, some were just healed without a word. No one fell under the power unless they were demon possessed, or the night the Roman soldiers came to arrest Him. These were genuine healings by a genuine healer.
But so many believers longing to feel something are subject to disingenuous faith healers who have turned these merciful acts of Yeshua into a hyper show of theater.
Folks, please be careful of these teachers who are gifted communicators but take advantage of the sheep.
Jesus warned us “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits”
what are their fruits? You gotta have enough faith, using faith as a force.
They teach mysteries that can only be understood by buying their books.
Subjective experiences and emotions over bible context.
Hyped up stories of healing and revival with no certified proof they even happened.
Greed for money to support their work with no accountability.
The saddest fruit of all - no certified healings are shown.
But Jesus is the genuine article - He did it right in front of everybody and we as His followers should be the same way.
Being genuine requires:
1] Demonstrating faith through actions that reflect our trust in God
2] Quality of faith, It’s not what we say or confess but what we do that proves we trust God.
3] Genuine faith obeys God no matter the cost.
Jesus is the model.
Folks, as we long for His coming be careful of date setters, especially using Hebrew letters or Old Testament stories as prophetic news for us.
