Healing is one of the most controversial topics in Scripture. Some believe that all can, and should, be healed if they simply have the necessary faith. Others believe that healing is a rare occurrence or that it simply doesn’t happen any more at all. Both extremes have serious problems.
The truth is that Jesus did heal and so did the believers in the early church, and there is no biblical shred of evidence to support the notion that the church today has any less access to healing than the early church. Quite the contrary.
On the other hand, it is hard to pin down “healing faith.” Three individuals were healed in this passage. The first is often derided by the hyper-faith teachers for simply believing that Jesus “could” heal instead of that He “would” heal. Yet, he got healed, and that is the bottom line.
The second wasn’t the centurion. It was the centurion’s servant who likely had no idea that anyone was asking Jesus to heal him much less any idea that Jesus could or would heal. Yet, he was healed. (The centurion’s great faith stemmed from his understanding of authority; a topic most people don’t associate with faith.)
The third was Peter’s mother-in-law. There is no record of her asking to be healed. There is no record of anyone asking Jesus to heal her. He just did it.
Can I explain all of this? No, and neither can anyone else. My theology of healing is simply this:
“He took up our infirmities
and carried our diseases.”
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