Article June 15, 1987 Issue

From the brief review of Jesus' miracles and signs one fact...

Morris Maddocks

The Christian Healing Ministry

From the brief review of Jesus' miracles and signs one fact cannot have escaped the notice of the persevering reader: Jesus spent a large proportion of his ministry in healing the sick. The healings described in detail were those that had impressed themselves on the consciousness of witnesses, on account of either the dramatic effect or the new dynamic of the teaching. These formed only a small part of Jesus' total healing ministry. In the synoptic Gospels there are nineteen other instances in the form of summary passages which state that people were healed, sometimes a general reference to all kinds of diseases or to 'those who were sick'; sometimes these include cases of demon possession; other diseases mentioned in the summaries include lunacy, paralysis, blindness, dumbness, and lameness. The Fourth Gospel writer is near the truth when he states, 'There are also many other things which Jesus did' (21.25). Constantly Jesus was surrounded by crowds who sought him out and invariably he healed their sick. The fact that Jesus healed, and healed so consistently ... has too frequently been disregarded in the history and theology of the Church, and yet the evidence of the New Testament is there for all to see.

Morris Maddocks, The Christian Healing Ministry
(London: The Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1981). Used by permission.

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