When I read about all the healings that Christ Jesus did, I have to ask myself a question:  Which came first, the healing, or the believing?

The first thing I notice is that Jesus spent far more time teaching than He did healing.  Why did He think that was necessary?  Wouldn’t just healing the people give them faith?  Well, I’d admit, it would have got people’s attention, just as it would in this day and age, but just healing without teaching doesn’t do much to give people faith in God.

With nearly 29 years now in the healing ministry, early on I noticed something: many would come out to be healed, and most would leave the same way they came.  And often the same people would turn out at everyone else’s healing services as well, only to leave the same way they came.  Something was missing.  And that something wasn’t hope.  Everyone came hoping to be healed, but few actually were healed.  There would be a few here and there, but not that many.  So, hope wasn’t the missing ingredient.  It had to be faith.

When people came out to hear Jesus, He taught them about the Kingdom of God.  He taught them about the nature of His Father, and then demonstrated the love of the Father to them by healing their sick.  The people were used to hearing the Law and the Prophets from the teachings of Moses.  There was no grace there.  If you trespassed, you were punished, period.  There were no exceptions.  So FEAR made people toe the line, not love for God.  But one day all that changed.  Let me show you.

In John 8:1-19, it is written,

 1  Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

 2  And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

 3  And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,

 4  They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

 5  Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

 6  This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

 7  So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

 8  And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

 9  And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

 10  When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?

 11  She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

 12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 13  The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.

 14  Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.

 15  Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

 16  And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

 17  It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

 18  I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

 19  Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

            Surely this was a strange thing for the people to hear, for they knew the law that those taken in adultery were to be stoned.  And I notice something else, too.  Where was the man who was taken in adultery with her?  They let him off, apparently.  But it must not have been the rule of the day to let the woman off, because they only brought the woman.  And Jesus, knowing the Law of Moses, didn’t apply the Law of Moses.  Why?  I’ve asked myself that question many times.

Something was changing; the Law was harsh, hard, and nobody seemed to be able to keep it perfectly.  Not even the man who had committed adultery with the woman they brought.  Maybe he was a Pharisee?  Who knows?  The Bible doesn’t tell us.  But the Bible DOES tell us of the mercy of Jesus.  Under the Law, the woman deserved to be stoned.  Under the Law, the man did too.  And no doubt, there were thousands upon thousands who diligently TRIED to keep the Law perfectly.  But it was impossible not to offend in some point.  Everyone was guilty, bar none.   Everyone deserved the penalty of sin, being death. No one was getting off.

And yet the Lord Jesus continually displayed MERCY and GRACE.  He healed those who had sinned and had broken the Laws of Moses.  Surely you don’t think He healed only those who were without sin, because there WEREN’T any.  No, not one, the Bible says.  All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  He didn’t make people jump through hoops to experience God’s mercy.  Let me tell you of another account of Jesus showing mercy.

It is written in Mark 10:46-52,

 46  And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.

 47  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

 48  And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.

 49  And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.

 50  And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.

 51  And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.

 52  And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way. 

            I want to point out some very notable things from this passage: as I was reading them, the LORD asked me “What DIDN’T I say to Bartimaeus?”  Well, I wasn’t there, so I didn’t know.  He said, “Did I ask Bartimaeus if he had repented of his sins?”  I said, LORD, I can’t see in the Bible that You did.  He said, “Did I ask Bartimaeus if he had paid his tithes?”  Again, I said, LORD, I can’t see in Your Word that You did.  And then He asked, “Did I ask Bartimaeus if he had forgiven all those who had sinned against him?”  I replied, No, LORD, it doesn’t say that You did.  He asked, “What did I do?”  I said, LORD, You healed him.  He said to me, “Don’t make anyone jump through hoops to be healed.”

WOW!  You see, in every healing meeting I’d ever been in, when someone failed to receive healing, some well-meaning person would say, “They must have sin in their life.”  Or “They must have unforgiveness against someone.”  Or, “They must not be keeping the commandments.”  And all of that sounds logical, but it’s TOTALLY AGAINST WHAT JESUS TAUGHT!  Yes, Jesus said to obey the commandments, because that was before He went to the cross and died for our sins and rose again as our LORD and SAVIOR.  After that, everything changed!

The disciples no longer taught the Law of Moses, they taught the Kingdom of God, and the grace of the Lord Jesus would forgive people of their sins, and they could have everlasting life.  They taught the people to have faith in the mercy of Christ Jesus.  And they were persecuted everywhere they went because the Scribes and Pharisees, (the givers of the Laws of Moses) were against the teachings of Jesus.  That’s why they had Jesus killed in the first place.  There was no place in the Law for grace, or for mercy.

 

In Mark 11:22-26, it is written,

 22  And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 

 23  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

 24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

 25  And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

 26  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

            Is forgiveness a requirement before you can be healed? No, because blind Bartimaeus was healed without jumping through any hoops.  And no, because I was personally healed before I had forgiven those who had sinned against me.  BUT, as soon as I experienced forgiveness for my sins and healing, you can bet that I was quick to turn around and forgive those who had sinned against ME, and repent of my sins!

So exactly what got me healed?  I believed the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus, and I received.  In that order.  Believe, THEN receive.  Not the other way around.  But mercy and grace wins every time.  When you take the time to FIRST teach the mercy and grace of God, people easily come to faith and receive their healing.  Many healing ministers are too quick to lay hands on people and pray, who usually end up receiving nothing, when they should first do like Jesus did, and TEACH them how to received.

That’s why, when I minister healing, I spend plenty of time preparing their hearts to receive by faith, because grace and mercy always wins over the Law.  Remember, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.  And when faith comes, healing follows.  It’s EASY!