The Healing Ministry of Jesus

The New Testament describes numerous specific instances of Jesus’ healing sick individuals, but it also frequently states and implies that Jesus healed groups of unnamed people who came to Him for help. I have compiled a list of instances where the Gospels do this. Those instances include the nine listed below. In items where two or more passages are named, the passages are parallel passages. In each instance, I’ve either quoted from the single passage named or quoted from one of the two or three mentioned.

1. 1. Matthew 8:16-17; Mark 1:32-34; Luke 4:40-41 — “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them” (Luke 4:40).
  2. Matthew 4:24 — “News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them (Matt. 4:24)
  3. Matthew 12:15; Mark 3:7-12 — “A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill” (Matt. 12:15).
  4. Luke 6:17-19 — “He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.” (Luke 6:17-19).
  5. Mark 6:1-6 — “Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.’He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:4-6).
  6. Matthew 14:13-14; Luke 9:10-11; John 6:1-2 — “He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing” (Luke 9:11).
  7. Matthew 15:29-31; Mark 7:31-37 — “Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them” (Matt. 15:30).
  8. Matthew 19:1-2 — “Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there” (Matt. 19:2).
  9. Matthew 21:14 — “The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them” (Matt. 21:14).

Jesus’ Miracles Pointed to the Reality of His Being God

The New Testament is clear that Jesus’ miracles, including His healings, were not ends in themselves, but means to the end that people might recognize who He was. A great deal of biblical evidence exists for this. Let’s consider four items.

First, Jesus’ healing of the paralytic, recorded in Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 5:17-26, specifically validates His claim to be God. In the house where Jesus was teaching, a large crowd of people had gathered. A paralyzed man was carried on a stretcher to that place by four of his friends, but they couldn’t get inside. Refusing to give up, they made a hole in the roof and lowered the man down on the stretcher in front of Jesus.

When Jesus saw the faith exhibited by the man and his friends, He told the paralyzed man his sins were forgiven. The Pharisees present were indignant, and they thought, Who is this guy? Only God can forgive sins! Jesus knew their thoughts and challenged them. He asked them which would be easier, to say to the man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to tell him to get up and walk. Then Jesus declared, “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” (Matt. 9:6). He then looked at the disabled man and told him to get up, pick up his mat, and go home! That is exactly what he did, right in front of everyone!

This healing pointed to Jesus’ authority to forgive sins. It clearly indicated, not only that this carpenter from Nazareth had that authority, but also that He had it because He truly was God! While Jesus’ other healings and the other kinds of miracles the Savior performed may not have pointed to His authority to forgive sins as explicitly as does this one, all of them at least point to it implicitly. How? Our second, third, and fourth items help us better understand.

Second, in John 5:31-40; John 10:37-39; and John 14:1-11, Jesus discussed the significance of His miracles. He urged those listening to Him to believe in Him, in part, because of His supernatural works. Believing in Him in this context means believing that what He was saying about Himself was true, including what he said to His disciples in John 14:6 — ““I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
—Jesus, in John 14:6—

Third, Jesus did not hesitate to use physical healing as an illustration of spiritual healing and forgiveness. See Matthew 9:9-13, Mark 2:13-17, and Luke 5:27-32. In Luke 5:31-32 Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Fourth, Jesus said this to certain individuals He had healed: “Your faith has made you well.” This statement had, and has, a dual meaning. It conveys the idea of spiritual as well as physical healing.

While Jesus performed many physical healings during His ministry, His greatest work involved healing people spiritually, making them right with God the Father.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture references in this article have been taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

top image credit: James Tissot – The Healing of Ten Lepers (Guérison de dix lépreux) – Brooklyn Museum