(Note: Some of the content in this lesson comes from Pastor Nancy Dufresne of Dufresne Ministries. You can visit their ministry at www.dufresneministries.org.)
(John 21:25 NKJV) And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.
There were innumerable healings and miracles performed by Jesus but we do not have record of them all. We do have record of 19 of them and because the Holy Spirit instructed those men to record them for us, we should take the time to study them.
In studying these healings, we can learn that if we will do what the people did, we can receive what the people got.
For this reason, we are looking at the details of each case.
Remember, pay attention to the details. Sometimes the key for you to be able to receive from Heaven is in the details.
In studying these healing miracles, we can learn how to receive healing for ourselves and learn how to minister healing to others.
This is a summary of the ministry of Jesus: He went about teaching, preaching, and healing.
(Matthew 4:23 NKJV) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.
(Matthew 9:35 NKJV) Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Preaching is a proclaiming of the Good News and is designed to draw the attention of people. Teaching brings people into knowledge and revelation of what belongs to us as believers.
We need to hear proper teaching on healing so that we can cooperate with the healing power of God.
What you hear, is going to be what you have faith to receive.
Jesus wants you to have a life of health and healing and to walk in that, you have to know something and be skilled in it.
(Luke 13:10-17 NKJV) Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. (11) And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. (12) But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” (13) And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. (14) But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” (15) The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? (16) So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (17) And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
(Luke 13:10 NKJV) Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.
Jesus was teaching God’s people because (Hosea 4:6a NKJV) “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
The Scripture does not say that people’s lives are destroyed because the devil attacked them; it says they are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. The best way to avoid destruction is to know more.
A minister once said, “If you are in the middle of a storm and you have done all you know to do and nothing seems to be changing, then you need to know more.”
When people are untaught, the devil will take advantage of their ignorance.
(Luke 13:11 NKJV) And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.
She had a spirit of infirmity. A spirit had attached herself to her body.
She had been in this condition for eighteen years.
Jesus was not phased by the length of time. Don’t get used to something that has lasted a long time.
It is very likely that she had been a long-standing member of that synagogue and yet had never been able to receive healing in her body.
She came to church even though she probably did not feel like it. She knew this would be a place to get help. She was a covenant child of Abraham and had a right to be healed.
Can a Born-Again believer have a demon?
Even though she belonged to God, she was being tormented by this spirit in her physical body.
Brother Hagin would say that you may purchase a home and the inspector finds that there are termites affected the home but that does not mean the termites are in you. Just because something is attached to your house does not mean it is in you.
The devil is behind all sickness indirectly, but it takes the Holy Ghost to reveal to us if a spirit is involved in bringing healing to someone.
(Luke 13:12 NKJV) But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”
Jesus called her to Him. That was not easy nor was it convenient for her. She is bowed over.
Jesus is calling all those that are hurting to Himself.
There was an element of faith on her part to go to Jesus.
How bad do you want it?
Jesus said, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”
He spoke what was hers; no what He saw. Jesus did not speak to what He saw, He spoke to what should be. This is what you do when you have a covenant. He spoke to her what was already hers as a daughter of Abraham.
For eighteen years she was free and loosed and did not know it but Someone finally showed up that knew.
Being led by the Holy Spirit, in this case, Jesus never addressed the spirit of infirmity. He spoke to the woman what was hers and what He wanted to have happen.
Jesus did not point out the spirit, He pointed out the covenant.
Every believer has the same right to what this woman had a right to.
(Luke 13:13 NKJV) And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
Jesus did not always lay hands on people, but this time He did and for the first time in eighteen years she was made straight. She got her human dignity back!
When you receive something from the Lord, glorify Him!
(Luke 13:14 NKJV) But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”
The ruler of the synagogue had indignation for the wrong reason. He should have been bothered that she had been attending his synagogue and had never been healed.
In his response, the ruler was saying that healing by the hand of God was not holy enough to be performed on the Sabbath. He is diminishing this flow of healing through the hands of Jesus.
Jesus elevated healing to a status of being holy because this happened on their “holy day”. Healing is a holy thing!
This ruler had lost any compassion for people he might have had. He had more compassion for a day of the week rather than a hurting human being in need to help and healing.
She had not been able to get help any day of the week!
He held to his religion and not the Covenant.
(Luke 13:15 NKJV) The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?
A hypocrite is someone who has the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s behavior does not conform.
Perhaps Jesus had seen this ruler lead his donkey to water on the Sabbath and that is why he addressed him as a hypocrite.
When your animal needs water on the Sabbath, you will make sure it gets water BUT when a person needs help, you do not even regard a person as highly as an animal.
(Luke 13:16 NKJV) So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”
Jesus now made this a matter of obligation that she be made free.
Jesus equated the ruler’s actions with the work of Satan. In the Hebrew language, the name “Satan” means a slanderer or accuser, but it also means “one who obstructs or opposes.”
This ruler had obstructed this woman from being able to receive her healing. This was her covenant right as a Jew to be healed. How much more is it our right to be healed under the Better Covenant.
(Hebrews 7:22 AMPC) In keeping with [the oath’s greater strength and force], Jesus has become the Guarantee of a better (stronger) agreement [a more excellent and more advantageous covenant].
(Hebrews 8:6 NKJV) But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.
(Luke 13:17 NKJV) And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
Apparently, there was more than one adversary there that day, but they were all put to shame.
The multitude rejoiced because of what Jesus had done.