There are a lot of healing miracle stories in the gospels. There could be anywhere from twenty-seven to, well, lots. It depends on how you count them.
There are the stories of Jesus healing individuals, then the stories of Jesus empowering the disciples to go out and be Jesus to people, including healing them and casting out demons and all that. Do you count those? What about the stories, in Mark for example, where it just says that Jesus healed “many” that day or that “many people” came to him to be healed? What about the exorcisms and the people he raised from the dead? Do they count as “healings?” And what about calming the storm at sea, does that count as a healing of nature?
That’s not the point, is it? It’s not the number of people healed, it’s the how. And there’s where we can learn things.
For many christians, the point of the healing miracles, like all the miracles, is to point to Jesus the Son of God, the Word Made Flesh, wielding the power of God to do miraculous things far beyond the powers of this world. That’s why the stories are so short. Jesus meets someone in need, heals them, they move on. The miracle itself is the heart of the story, just as the story telling intended.
I wonder if we got the whole story. I’ve offered this thought before about the stories of Jesus, that they’re told a certain way to illustrate a particular point. Focusing on the miracle itself certainly empowers a particular understanding about Jesus.
But what do we learn about us? I think Jesus didn’t intend to be worshipped, I don’t think he intended to be set apart the way we do. I think Jesus meant to be one of us, just like us, and through that, teach us about ourselves. At the very least, we should be able to see both those sides of the biblical Jesus. Both are part of the whole Jesus.
For that side that’s just like us, I bet the stories would be much, much longer and go something like this. Jesus would encounter someone and the first thing he’d do is ask them how they are. I think he’d say tell me your story. I think he’d listen, honour their story and make sure they knew they were loved, acknowledged and heard. He’d make sure they felt seen and known. However the healing part happened, he wouldn’t just send them on their way, he’d take the time until they were ready. He’d wait until they felt ready to be part of the world again. And, I can’t imagine just how he’d do it, but I bet he’d check back in with them later to see how they’re doing. Maybe he’d send a disciple or two back to them or something like that. Maybe that sounds like too much, but it just sounds like Jesus to me, and that’s the point.
I think an engagement with Jesus would begin and end with compassion. There would be grace, time for the person to be who they are and be affirmed in that. There would be time to care about more than just fixing the obvious and moving on. There would be a connection that affirms both the person in need and the person offering care. There would be wholeness.
That, we can do. That would be Jesus showing us what we’re capable of, no special power needed. That would be one of the ways Jesus is alive in each of us.
