A Bible Study on Spiritual Healing and How to Receive It

Summary: The bible shows Jesus healing the multitudes. Jesus still heals today. Let’s look at how the people healed by the Lord “positioned” themselves to receive divine healing.

Explanatory note: I am using the term "spiritual healing" here not in the sense of inner, emotional healing, but as a frequently-used synonym for supernatural, divine healing of the body. That is, spiritual healing in contrast to natural sources of healing such as the medical field. Note: I'm not opposed to those, but I wish rather from the Scriptures to grow and increase your faith for God's higher spiritual realm of healing.

by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.

Matthew 4:23-24  Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. [24] News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.

•• Jesus went about “teaching ... preaching ... and healing every disease and sickness among the people.”

• Let’s look at some of the bible’s instances of healing to see if we can find how people got themselves “positioned” for divine healing.

(1) “News about Him spread” — Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). Faith for healing will come as people hear the “news” about Jesus the Healer.

(2) “People brought to him all who were ill” — they were active, not passive, in seeking healing.

Matthew 8:2-3  A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” [3] Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

(3) “[The leper] came and knelt” — a reverent attitude. After all, we are approaching Deity for healing!

(4) “...You can make me clean” — He came with assurance, with confidence in Christ’s healing abilities.

Matthew 8:5-10, 13  When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a [Roman] centurion came to him, asking for help.... [8] The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. [9] For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one ,‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” [10] When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, “I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith.... [13] Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! It will be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

(5) “[The] centurion came to him, asking for help” — For spiritual healing, as with all needs, come boldly to His throne of grace, to find grace to help in time of need.

• Come asking, not just waiting to see what happens.

• There is great and effectual power in prayers for healing.

• There is also great power in believing God for the parallel blessing of good health, as we teach in our study entitled Alternative Health from God.

Matthew 9:2, 6-7  Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” ... [6] ... Then he said to the paralytic, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” [7] And the man got up and went home.

(6) “Jesus saw their faith", including the faith of those who “brought... [the] paralytic”.

• Sometimes it’s your faith on behalf of another person that secures the healing.

Matthew 9:20-22  Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. [21] She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” [22] Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “Your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.

(7) Such wonderful simplicity of heart — “If I only touch his cloak...”

• Jesus honored her simple faith — “Your faith has healed you.”

• Not profound theology, but the “simplicity ... in Christ.”

Matthew 9:27-30a  As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” [28] ... and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. [29] Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; [30] and their sight was restored.

(8) “[The] two blind men followed Him” — They were aggressive, they took the initiative in seeking healing.

(9) They “followed Him, calling out...” — Not embarrassed by what others might think.

(10) “ ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ they replied.” — Not just some vague notion of faith, but total confidence in Jesus’ ability to heal.

Matthew 20:30-34  Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, Have mercy on us!” [31]The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!” [32] Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. [33] “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” [34] Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

(11) “[The] two blind men...shouted, ... ‘Lord ... Have mercy on us!” — My first pastor taught us that it’s always safe to trust in God’s great mercy for healing.

(12) “The crowd rebuked them...but they shouted all the louder” — persistence in their petition, like the woman before the judge (Luke 18:1-8) and like the man seeking bread at midnight (Luke 11:5-8).

(13) “ ‘Lord...we want our sight.’ Jesus had compassion on them and...they received their sight.”

• Trust in the tenderness of Jesus’ heart to be touched by your physical need.

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Our more in-depth bible study of this topic may be viewed at Divine Healing | Spiritual Healing. An extensive and inspiring collection of sermons and bible studies on healing may be viewed at Divine Healing Articles.

You'll find a large collection of divine healing Bible verses at our "Healing Scriptures/Healing Bible Verses to Give You Faith to Be Healed"

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©2001, James H. Feeney.
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