Imagine a world without diseases. That’s how the world was when God originally created it. Then sin entered the world and corruption crept in everywhere. In order to restore the world to its vintage condition, God sent Jesus to reset the clock and reconcile us to Himself, both physically and spiritually. Jesus came to heal our bodies and souls.

That’s right. Isaiah said it without equivocation, “By His wounds, we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5). Obviously, the previous verses clearly indicate that the healing is more than just physical, but it is obvious that the physical well being of people is also part of God’s redemptive plan. A person restored to full health is a slap in the face of the enemy. It is God’s way of saying to Satan: “You will not go on disrupting my plan forever.” That is, I believe, the main reason Jesus spent about one third of His earthly minister healing the sick.

Contrary to Jesus, however, we do not possess the power of the divine touch. Our understanding of the Father’s will is so imperfect that we dare not presume anything other than the fact that He tells us to ask boldly in His Name (Hebrews 4:14-16). And ask boldly we must. But this requires some purposeful activity.

Jesus was intentional about helping people with physical challenges. He went to places where they would hang out. In John 5, Jesus even made an “impromptu” stop by a famous well in order to heal a man who suffered physical degradation for 38 years. Jesus was going to a religious function in Jerusalem. He didn’t have to go to that well where the worst sort of diseases were represented, but somehow He chose to go there. Not only did He include that in His itinerary, He took time to gather background information about that man (not that Jesus needed to do it, He was God after all). John 1:5 gives us all the indication that Jesus saw the man lying there, then went over to him and “learned” that he had been sick for a long time.

Do you see the intentionality here? Jesus didn’t just go through a place of suffering. He went there to change it. He didn’t simply see that man as a “project,” He saw him as a person who needed help. Jesus was not just doing charity work, He was doing God’s work motivated by a deep love to see all things restored to how they were when God created the world.

My prayer is that all of us who are called by Christ’s Name will also be intentional about helping and serving people with physical limitations. There are scores of people in our communities who can use some help. Though we do not possess the “magical touch,” we have the hope of Christ and the compelling love from God which can help people rise above their limitations. I ask you to find tangible ways to help bring hope and healing to those in your community who suffer. Jesus would have us do no other way.

And that is the topic of our message this Sunday. Hope you can join us.

Pastor Ivanildo C. Trindade

Lead Pastor, Grace Church, Lititz, PA