Jesus' Authority Over Sickness Series

Grace Community Church

Winchester, VA

www.gracecommunity.com

Watch this sermon on our youtube channel: https://youtu.be/4SDSKxp_K9k

According to the World Health Organization, there are over 20,000 diagnoses of diseases. Someone may ask, if God exists and He is a loving God, why allow all these diseases? A Christian’s response is the answer to this question: What is the root cause of these diseases? (Credit: Paul Clemente). There are false teachers and healers everywhere who attempt to exploit people’s need for relief from pain and sickness.

I’ve heard a couple of people this year recount Benny Hinn telling his followers not to bury a loved one that dies, but to drape the body over the TV and leave them there for 24 hours so Jesus would raise them from the dead through Hinn. It’s almost laughable if it weren’t so horrible and there was likely at least one desperate person who probably tried it. I’m looking for the audio myself and I probably wouldn’t even mention it, if it wasn’t that my source is so reliable (MacArthur).

Every single one of us has a problem and that is our human body. Our birth is the first step to our death. The moment we are born, we start the dying process. Even in utero, we fight sickness, disease, and death and there is nothing we can do to stop it. We can treat disease and we can treat sickness, but ultimately there is no cure this side of heaven.

I’ve been around quite a bit of sickness and death over the years. I’ve been with families as their loved ones took their final breath. I’ve held parents in my arms as we grieved over the effects of sickness in a child’s body and I’ve prayed countless times for God to heal people. Of the thousands of prayers I’ve prayed, I could count on one hand how many miraculous healings have taken place. I want you to know that doesn’t shake my faith. Jesus didn’t bring the gospel to cure diseases, he came to save sinners and that is the greatest hope we can give someone. In fact, as we will see in a few weeks, the forgiveness of sins is greater than physical healing

23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” (Luke 5:23–24 ESV)

Over the last several weeks, we’ve coved the transition from demonstrating who Jesus was as a person to Luke demonstrating Jesus’ power and authority over all things. He starts in a synagogue in Nazareth telling the congregation that he has come to bring good news to the poor, gives sight to the blind, set prisoners free, and liberty to the oppressed. They turn him out of town for these claims and he goes down to Capernaum and as he preaches, a demonic screams at him and Jesus delivers this man from the bondages of Satan.

Now we are at the conclusion of this service and Jesus is heading to Peter’s mother-in-law’s house where they’re likely getting ready for dinner after synagogue:

38 And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they appealed to him on her behalf. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her, and immediately she rose and began to serve them. 40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. 42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. (Luke 4:38–44 ESV)

This passage we have is a closely-knit collection of the purpose of Jesus’ ministry. In this, we have 3 things that Jesus healed while he was on earth. He healed the body, he healed the mind, and he heals the soul.

1. Jesus Has Physical Authority

Jesus is heading to Peter’s house. We know that Peter was married. 1 Corinthians 9:5 refers to Peter's wife. His wife is not mentioned here, but his mother-in-law was here. So we can construct a little bit about the family. This was Peter's house. Peter was married. Tradition tells us Peter had children, though the Scripture doesn't refer to them. and when he gets there he finds her with a high fever; she has some kind of infection. It was tradition after synagogue to share in a sabbath meal and so this is what is happening here. When Jesus arrives, they find that she has a high temperature and so Jesus goes in and rebukes the fever. Immediately it leaves here. There is no progressive healing. Just as the demon immediately leaves the man at the synagogue, so the fever leaves the woman.