The Healing Power of Jesus

Scripture Reading

Luke 4:38–44 NIV84

38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them. 40 When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ. 42 At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” 44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Introduction

As we continue our study in the Gospel of Luke, we come this morning to a passage in which is conveyed for us Healing Power of Jesus. Last week, we considered together the way in which Christ had delivered a man that was demon-possessed in the synagogue in Capernaum. This text that we have before us follows on directly from that previous event. And in it we will once again see the power of Jesus to heal.

What we will see in this passage is the wonderful compassion and kindness of Christ as he interacts with and deals with the people in Capernaum. We serve a God who is gracious and compassionate. He is the God who is slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. And we have this perfectly pictured for us as Christ, the fullness of God Himself, came into the world and tendery and gently dealt with people in a sin-cursed world, and people motivated by a sin-cursed world.

As Christ entered into the world, His compassion for people was evident throughout his ministry. He was one who deeply cared for the wellbeing of those around him. By this point in his life, at the age of around 30 years, he had seen something of the hurts and struggles of people living in this sin-cursed world. As the perfect God-man, consider that there must have been a profound impact upon him, not only knowing the hurt and pain that this world was enduring under the curse of God, but now even experiencing what that felt like as a participant in such a world of hurt and suffering.

But we will also see from this passage that there is far deeper need in man than healing from sickness. Although Christ deeply cared for the physical well-being of people, his primary focus was on their spiritual wellbeing.

As we look to this passage, we see firstly...

1. Christ Bringing Healing from Sickness (v.38-40)

There are two distinct sections in terms of the healing ministry of Jesus in these verses. The first is very specific, with the second being a lot broader, and yet just as encouraging as we consider the care of Jesus for people.

As we consider the healings that Christ performed, notice firstly...

1.1. The Healing of Simon’s Mother-in-Law

We read of this account in verse 38...

Luke 4:38 NIV84

38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.

The synagogue that is mentioned in this verse is the one in Capernaum, the one in which Jesus had just delivered the demon-possessed man after he had been preaching there on the Sabbath day. Having left that synagogue, he went to the home of his disciple, Simon Peter.

This is the very first mention of a disciple of Jesus Christ in Luke’s Gospel. We have not been introduced by Luke to any of the disciples. Thus far, we don’t know anything of their calling through considering this Gospel account. We will see the calling of the first disciple at the beginning of chapter 5. But for now, Luke simply brings Simon’s name into the account without any kind of introduction.

But just for our own minds, you will recall that Simon Peter was a fisherman, together with his brother Andrew...

Matthew 4:18–20 NIV84

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Evidently as a fisherman, Simon lived in this city of Capernaum that was situated on the Sea of Galilee, and he had been called by Jesus to be a fisher of men. Simon had evidently been present in the temple when the demoniac had been healed, and he now invites Jesus to his home.

We also see from this passage that Simon was a married man.

As Jesus enters his home, the brothers tell Jesus that Simon’s mother-in-law is lying sick in bed with a fever. According to Luke, they requested of Jesus that he assist her, that he help her. Evidently they had been very impressed by the healing that Jesus had performed in the synagogue, and they realise now that His power may even possibly enable Him to heal a sick lady.

One thing worth noting at this point, is that what a person in that day was sick, there was far less certainty concerning the outcome. Today if we get a fever, if it hasn’t cleared after a couple of days, we go to the doctor, and we get blood tests done that will determine if its a viral infection or a bacterial infection. And based on what is found, the doctor will quickly be able to decide what action is to be taken.

Not at all the case in the day of Jesus. They had no ability to know what kind of ailment the body had. And while certainly they would have had occassions where people healed of their own accord, as their immune systems worked, there were many occassions where people would actually die. The death rate was far higher in that day.

Clearly those that came to Jesus and mentioned Simon’s mother-in-law were concerned for her wellbeing.

What is striking to note from this account is the authoritative power that Jesus had to remedy the situation.

Luke 4:39 NIV84

39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

Christ’s remedy was to bend over her and rebuke the fever.

Before we go further, I must stress the fact that because Luke says here that Jesus “rebuked” the fever, we must not assume that this was a case of some demon causing the fever / sickness. Some people take every ailment and every sickness and every pain in the body to be the result of a demon. We certainly should not assume that. In fact, Luke makes a specific distinction in this passage between sickness in the body, and how Christ healed that sickness, over against demon-possession. So there is a distinction there.

With that said, there is something striking to note here concerning Christ and his sovereign power. There was no hesitancy here. And there was no want of power in terms of Christ’s act of healing. Christ possessed authority even over the virus or bacteria which was causing a fever in the body of a lady. And as Christ has demonstrated his authority with his spoken words through the teaching that he has given, and even through exoricising a demon from a man through his spoken word of authority, so Christ demonstrates his authority over microscopic organisms infecting the body.

Notice further that there is no delay in response as Christ speaks. The cure is effective and the cure is immediate. He simply rebukes it and the fever leaves instantly.

But the evidence of the effectiveness of Christ’s authoritative power goes further than this. As a demonstration of the fact that she is well, she doesn’t merely sit up in her bed and expect or allow for people to serve her water and food in order for her to be strengthened. Rather she is the one that gets up and immediatley begins to serve and wait on the people that were visiting. In other words, here was a full restoration to health in an instant.

Here was true power from the Almighty God. Everything, even the most minute of organisms was subject to him.

Let us be sure that such is true of our day today. This may give us some measure of confidence that Christ is all-powerful. He is sovereign over all things, even over the most microscopic of organisms in the univers. Even Corona virus...

But this was not the only healing of Jesus, as if this were some isolated incident in the working of Christ. We see further from our text...

1.2. The Healing of The Multitudes

We read in verse 40...

Luke 4:40 NIV84

40 When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.

Recall that Jesus had come directly from the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath day, and had gone direcly to the home of Simon, probably to eat a meal with the family. It was on this same Sabbath Day that he arrived in Simon’s house that he proceeded to heal Simon’s mother-in-law.

The healing of someone on the Sabbath Day was something that was not permitted by the religious leaders of the day. Going forward in our study, we will see plenty of confrontation due to the works that Jesus will do on the Sabbath Day, and how this will lead the religious leaders to despise Jesus.

But Jesus did not hold to the man-made rules and regulations that the religious leaders expected.

But we do see that the Jewish people confined themselves to what the Jewish religious leaders of that day taught. In their own minds, they were convinced that it was wrong and morally unacceptable to take the sick people to be healed on a Sabbath Day. Or at the very least, they were afraid of the consequences in the event that someone was healed on the Sabbath. That is why it mentions the fact that they took their sick to Jesus “when the sun was setting...”

Recall that the Sabbath Day would have run from sunset of the Friday evening until sunset on the Saturday evening. And so this was Saturday evening, and the sun was setting, meaning that the Sabbath Day was now officially over, and they were thus free to bring their sick to Jesus in order for them to be healed.

What we find is that there was no small number of people that were coming to Jesus. We must consider something of the extent of this healing that Jesus performed. It says in this verse that the people brought to Jesus All who had various kinds of sickness.

Firstly, the number of people was extensive. In this same account in Mark’s Gospel, Mark writes...

Mark 1:33 NIV84

33 The whole town gathered at the door,

There were large crowds, clearly with many among them who were sick and needed healing. The kinds of sicknesses by which these various people were afflicted were many and varied. But what is so significant for us to note is the power that Christ had to heal each and every one.

It says in our text that “laying his hands on each one, he healed them...”

There was not a single ailment that was too much for the healing power of Jesus Christ. Every sickness was in perfect subjection to Him. There was no wavering in Christ’s ability to heal people. He was more than able.

But in addition to the great power of Jesus, and His wonderful ability to heal every single person, we also see something else here that is very important for us to note - some important details that we shouldn’t skip over too quickly. Here Christ demonstrates great care and concern for the people that he had come to serve.

Firstly, we see that Christ patiently cared for each and every person that was brought to Him. There was a great sacrifice of His personal time. Remember that this is taking place at sunset. And the multitudes, the entire town, had gathered to bring their sick to him. This was no quick visit by a sick member of the synagogue, that wouldn’t take up his time. It was a time-consuming account in which people were clamouring and pleading for the attention of Jesus. But Christ gladly and willingly makes time for them.

We would do well to learn from the attitude of Christ. Making time for people, those whom God has created, is something that we should all be eager to do. Yes, life is busy. There are responsibilities that we must fulfil to the glory of God. But our hearts should not be so caught up in our own affairs that we’re not willing or prepared to care for those around us.

Philippians 2:4 NIV84

4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Christ was not only caring for his own interests here, but he cared for the interests of the people around him.

But looking further at Christ’s response here, there is another aspect that shows us the extent of Christ’s compassion for the people. That is the fact that he laid his hands on each one of them. Luke explicitly states… “laying his hand on each one, he healed them.”

Now we must ask ourselves, did Christ not have the power and authority to say one word and heal all the people there by that one powerful word? I would suggest that he did. When God created the world, he didn’t have to create each and every animal by specific type and name. He simply said

Genesis 1:20–21 NIV84

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

The simple proclamation of God, the pronouncement of a word, and everything happened as He commanded. Could Christ not also speak a single command, and have every ailment healed in an instant? As he noticed the crowds coming to Him, could it not have been that he simply spoke one word, and all the people would have been instantaneously healed?

I would suggest that this was well within his power. But his compassion and kindness, his patience is demonstrated as he carefully and tenderly gives individual attention to each person that came to him in order to be healed. It is a truth most encouraging there was a deep care and concern for individuals.

What an encouragement this is to us. Christ does not merely see the church in terms of the sum of its parts. He considers individuals. He has care and concern for each individual according to their own ailments and afflictions. Our Lord is compassionate and extremely concerned for the wellbeing of His people.

Notice secondly with me from this passage...

2. Christ Bringing Deliverance from Bondage (v.41)

Not only did Christ heal many people, but many who were part of the crowds were evidently afflicted by demon-possession.

It is a somewhat strange consideration for us to see this concentrated manifestation of demon activity around the time of Christ. There is at best, minimal reference to it in the Old Testament. In our day, we certainly are not so aware of such things, particularly in our circles. But when Christ ministered, there seemed to be a great number of those who were demon-possessed. But even here, Christ demonstrates His authoritative power.

Read with me how this unfolds in Capernaum at the house of Simon. Verse 41...

Luke 4:41 NIV84

41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ.

Just as Christ had the power to deliver the man possessed by a demon in the synagogue, so he now has the power to deliver many people from those demons that afflict them.

The demons themselves came out of the people, crying out with a common refrain: “You are the Son of God.”

The people to whom Christ came would be very slow to confess who he was. But the demons knew well, and they freely confessed that Jesus was indeed the Son of God.

But we do see here that he rebukes them, and does not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.

Now this does raise the question concerning Christ’s need to silence the demons. If he was the Christ, the Messiah, and if his mission was to come and save people, would he not be quick to want to proclaim to people, and to have it proclaimed by all, that this was indeed who he was?

There are two common views as to why Jesus didn’t want them to cry this out.

The first common view is that he was silencing the demons from being the ones to announce who he was. In other words the reason that he didn’t want these demons proclaiming that he was the Son of God was not because he didn’t want it to be known that he was the Messiah, and that he was the Son of God, but he merely silenced the demons because they were demons, and even though they were speaking the truth, it was unfitting for such workers of evil to be the ones proclaiming him to be the Son of God.

In this regard, Philip Ryken says...

Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 How People (and Demons) Responded

If Jesus did not want people to know who he was, then why was he preaching and performing all these miracles by the power of his word?

Perhaps a better explanation is that even if what the demons said happened to be true, Jesus did not want them to be the ones saying it.

Ryken then goes on to quote Athanasius…

Luke, Volumes 1 & 2 How People (and Demons) Responded

Athanasius wrote back in the fourth century, “The Lord himself silenced them and forbade them to speak. He did this to keep them from sowing their own wickedness in the midst of the truth. He also wished us to get used to never listening to them even though they seem to speak the truth.”

Now, I would not argue too heavily against that position as a possibility. It may very well have included the fact that Jesus didn’t want the demons to be the ones to proclaim who he was.

But I would suggest that there was more than merely Christ not wanting demons to proclaim who he was. In other words, contrary to what Ryken suggests, I would argue that there was certainly a desire on Christ’s part to keep his identity something of a secret, at least at this early stage in his ministry.

The reason that I would say this is that Jesus didn’t merely silence demons in this regard, but he would go on to silence others who confessed and professed His true identity at certain times, because this would be important for the successful completion of his mission.

We find an example of this in Matthew 12. When Jesus healed the man with the withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath day, the Pharisees were determined to hatch a plot to kill him. And this really was what Jesus knew would happen, and why he was forced to go to places and minister in places that were less conspicuous, in order to preserve his own life to some extent.

Matthew 12:15–16 NIV84

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. Many followed him, and he healed all their sick, 16 warning them not to tell who he was.

There are other examples of this in Scripture. Jesus even silenced the Disciples, the very ones who would be taking the Gospel message forward in the establishment of the early church. In that account where Peter was going to confess who Christ was, we read...

Mark 8:29–30 NIV84

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” 30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

The same event and response from Christ is recorded for us in Luke 9:21, as it is in Matthew 16:20.

Christ also silenced the disciples about the event of his transfiguration, at least for a time...

Mark 9:9 NIV84

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

So we find that Christ certainly did see it as fitting to keep his identity secret at least for a time, even as he carried out his ministry and people became more aware of who he was. He was not going about declaring to everyone who He was, at least not directly.

With all that said, the great encouragement again from Luke 4:41 is the fact that Christ was powerful to deliver many from the demons that possessed them. There was none too powerful to resist his command. Furthermore, he was able to silence them simply be giving them the command to be quiet.

Christ not only brought Healing from Sickness, but he brought deliverance from bondage.

But this leads us to consider our third main point this morning, and that is...

3. Christ Bringing Salvation Through Preaching (v.42-44)

While the miracles that Jesus was performing were profound, and while they demonstrated to the people the great power and authority that was his, these miracles were still not the main emphasis and focus of his ministry. Rather, his focus, the key work for which Christ came into the world was in order to preach the Gospel of Salvation. This was his key mission.

In verse 42, we read of what happened the very next morning after a long and arduous night of healing and delivering people from demons...

Luke 4:42 NIV84

42 At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them.

We must take note firstly from this verse of Christ’s devotion to spending time in solitude with the Father. It was at daybreak, very early in the morning, that Jesus went out to find a quiet place in order to commune with the Father in quietness. Mark records the time of Jesus going out as “very early in the morning, while it was still dark.” In other words, before the sun had even come up, Jesus slipped away and went to pray (see Mark 1:35).

In the midst of the battle going on, Jesus knows the importance of praying. As we see even through this verse, there was ongoing pressure on him to follow the will of the people, and to do what they thought was best for their own interests. And Jesus would pray and humble himself in all these contexts to the will of the Father, and seek strength and fellowship that he might know and obey the will of His Father.

As we see from verse 42, the people were absolutely enamoured with Jesus. At this point, they were not so much overcome with joy at his preaching (although they may still have been amazed). Rather, they were thrilled that he was able to heal people so effectively. Imagine having that at your disposal. No more worries. No more concerns that this person is going to die. No more financial burden of having to take them from one physician to the next in order to hopefully find a remedy. Just take them to Jesus, and he’ll fix your problem. That is the kind of thinking that was driving the people.

But we are well instructed through Jesus’s response. He wasn’t there to look for a crowd of fans. He wasn’t looking for people to want what he could give them in terms of helping to remedy their physical problems, although he cared for deeply and sincerely for their physical problems. Christ was hear to proclaim a message of salvation to the lost.

Look at verse 43...

Luke 4:43 NIV84

43 But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

Christ’s work was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. The “kingdom of God” here refers to the rule and reign of God over the people of the world. God’s chosen King, His Son Jesus Christ, had entered into the world, and would be calling people to submit themselves to Him and his rule in their own lives. This was the good news that was to be preached.

But Christ says in these verses that this preaching would not be limited to this city of Capernaum, but rather would need to be taken to all the towns and villages around that region, so that all could hear this Gospel message preached.

Christ’s work was truly to preach salvation to people. While physical healing from ailments within the body was perfectly within the power and capabilities of Jesus, it was not the priority. While Christ cared very deeply for the physical wellbeing of the people that he ministered to, he was primarily concerned for their spiritual wellbeing, and submission to God as Lord over all. Their physical wellbeing was only going to be of consequence in this life - a momentary and fleeting life. The wellbeing of their soul would have consequences into eternity.

Christ clearly lays out the fact that the work that he came to do, the very reason that he was sent by God the Father, was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God.

Verse 44 tells us that this is precisely what he continued to do...

Luke 4:44 NIV84

44 And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.

Christ preached the Gospel. He kept on preaching the synagogues of Judea. And this Gospel message continued to go out, and has continued down through the ages. It remains the Gospel message that must be proclaimed to the world, and to the generations to come.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The Gospel was the good news that if you see that sin within yourself for what it is - an affront to the holy character of God, and if you confess your sin and turn to him in repentance and faith, he will save you. He will make you whole. He will renew your person, and the fruit of the Spirit will become evident in your life.

Application / Conclusion

As we close, just consider some brief points of application this morning.

A.1. Christ’s Care for You

There is a deep care and compassion that comes to us from the Father of heaven.

Psalm 145:8 NIV84

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

This is the God that we serve. This love was demonstrated through Jesus Christ. His care and compassion will be evident throughout his ministry. That care remains upon people today, and in particular, the people that are His chosen ones, those who belong to Christ.

We may be greatly encouraged that Christ hears our cries.

Psalm 34:18 NIV84

18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

This is the joy that we may know as Christians.

But let me encourage each one of us, that even as Christ cares for us in this way, we may be of great encouragement to others as we seek to cultivate a deep love and care for others. We are to cultivate compassionate and gracious hearts that seek the good of others, and that seek to show them tender love and care. This is after all the nature of our Father, and as His offspring, we are to reflect something of his nature in our own lives.

So let us continue seeking to do this, and seeking to show care and compassion and much mercy and kindness to those around us.

A.2. Christ’s Power to Heal you

This would certainly be applicable in the physical sense. Christ has power to heal each and every person. No matter what the ailment is, or what the physical struggle is, Christ remains with all authority and power.

And yet, we must recognise that not every sickness is healed. Not every person is cured of every disease.

But our greatest healing is not in the physical realm, but rather in the Spiritual. We need the healing of our souls. We need Christ’s power to work within us in order to restore us to spiritual health.

We need salvation.

Let me ask you this morning, have you been confronted with your sin, and your own desperate need for a Saviour?

Have you acknowledged your sin before God, confessed before Him your unworthiness, your deep need, and asked Him for forgiveness?

And have you confessed with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord - the One who deserves our entire lives to be lived for his glory and honour - and so received salvation, and forgiveness and reconciliation with God?

This is the big question. This is the important question. And one that we must all face honestly and carefully.

Christ has the power to save to the uttermost those who draw near to him in faith. Let us do that, dear friends. Let us draw near to Christ, and stay near to Him.

And let us then take these truths to others who do not know Him. Let us tell others of the great physician that is able to heal them at their point of greatest need.

And may Christ receive all the glory and honour as we do that.

Amen!