Thursday in the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time

Matthew 14:34-36; Mark 6:53-56

The Great Physician, Now and Always

Here is a short passage summarizing this part of our Lord’s ministry in Galilee.  Was it weeks or months?  We don’t know, and we don’t need to know.  Were it necessary for us to know the details of this particular tour in Galilee, the Lord, no doubt, would have provided us with them.  This reminds us of what John wrote: “These [things] are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).  And the same writer in another place: “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did.  Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (21:25).  This is all to say that Scripture does not exist to provide us with information for our amusement, but to show us the way of salvation.  We are simply given a snapshot in this passage of our Lord’s endless compassion, mercy, and sympathy for those in need.  Indeed, in this particular case, our Lord’s healing of others seems quite, well, promiscuous; that is, everyone who wanted to be healed was healed, even if they only touched the fringe of his garment.  And as with the poor woman who came up from behind and touched Jesus’ clothing, power was going forth from him to heal.  Such was and is the authority and power of our Lord over sickness, disease, sin, and death.

This may lead to the question as to why we do not see such miracles today.  And when I say, “miracles,” I mean of the truly extraordinary sort, not the gradual healing we receive of sickness – which we certainly credit to our Lord, though it be through doctors as His agents.  And I certainly don’t want to say that God does not heal miraculously today, as if He were on vacation.  We do hear such stories, especially on the mission field.  But we don’t generally see the signs that the early church saw our Lord do or his apostles afterwards.  And many people have fallen by running off with cults which claim to be able to do such things.  The answer I think lies in the last verse of Mark: “And [the disciples] went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.”  That is, the miracles were “signs” which “confirmed” the message of the gospel which the apostles preached – which is all to say that the word has been confirmed, and that once for all.  Now abideth faith, hope, and love, many wonderful and useful gifts such as administration, encouragement, and others, and the gifts which belong to office, such as pastor and deacon.  Yes, God still heals, God still speaks, but does so through His Spirit and His word, which we now have in the God-breathed Scriptures.  God be praised.

Author: The Reformed Baptist

My name is Stephen Taylor, ordained Baptist minister of eighteen years pastoral experience with a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Better than that, I am married to a godly woman, Karla, who has been very patient with me since 1989. I have two daughters, both of whom I homeschooled for extended periods of time, who became godly young women, and who ran off and married godly young men, all of which is very proper. The oldest daughter has even seen fit to bless me with a grandson and a granddaughter, and my youngest daughter with a grandson, all three of whom are bundles of exceeding joy. As you can see, I am quite blessed. This website is dedicated to helping people grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the gift of writing that the Lord has given to me. It is specifically about helping His people grow in godliness, the theme you see repeated above. I write devotions with this aim and hope that they might be of some help to God’s people. Full disclosure: I am of a Reformed bent, meaning that my understanding of Scripture is primarily informed by the Reformers and their successors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, as a student of church history and theology, I strive to remain true to that teaching handed down once for all unto the saints through every age of the Church. I like to think of myself as a “catholic” Christian, as the Reformers thought of themselves. At any rate, feel free to read, pray, and contact me if you wish, or correct me if need be. As you can see, I tend to follow the church year. Of course, I make no special claims about these devotions. I know very well that others have written better and plumbed the depths of God’s word with greater insight. But if my musings help someone draw closer to the Lord, well then, I have my reward. Blessings to you and may the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speak to you that word which He knows you especially need to hear. Grace & peace, Stephen Taylor

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