Jesus was born for this. The Bible is full of stories of the downs and outs. Crowds thronged Jesus, including the rich, the famous and the powerful, those with ample means to donate and contribute to His ministry, some of whom might have employed tough strong body guards to open their way to access to Jesus. When everybody was rushing against time, Jesus always slowed down, paused, looked around and stopped for the sick, weak, lowly, poor, voiceless, and even an outcast, and showed God’s great mercy and grace (undeserved favor) for such individuals to ensure that they got heard and their needs attended to. He knows the Father’s hearts, and He follows the Father’s will.
Who were the ones that Jesus stopped for? Here are some general and specific examples, spanning over old and young, men and women, Jews and foreigners,
Indeed, all sorts of sick, physically or mentally afflicted or oppressed people who came to Him were healed and set free. They were of all ages, races, nationalities, social classes and financial status, cultures/political/religious affiliations. He was concerned with their spirit, soul and body health. The Bible recorded some of such incidents and those He healed, delivered, and paid special attention. Here is an unexhaustive list:
Matthew 8: a leper; a Roman Centurion’s servant; Peter’s mother-in-law; two demon-possessed men set free.
Matthew 9: a paralytic; Matthew (Levi, Luke 5) the tax collector (soul and spirit); a 12th year old girl restored to life, a woman who had bleeding issue for 12 years healed instantly; two blind men received their sight -healed; a mute man healed.
Matthew 12: healed a man with a withered hand on Sabbath in a synagogue; also healed a demon-possessed, blind and mute man.
Matthew 14: Showed His compassion for the great multitudes who followed Him on foot from the cities and healed their sick. At evening He fed them, by miraculously multiplying five loaves and two fish to feed about five thousands men, besides women and children. (Provision)
Matthew 14: Many sick people begged Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment and as many as touched it were perfectly well.
Matthew 15: A gentile (Greek) woman showed her faith and cried out to Him to heal her severely demon-possessed daughter and she was healed from that very hour.
Matthew 17: A deaf and dumb spirit tormented boy with seizure was healed despite the unbelief of even the boy’s father.
Mark 2: Forgave and healed a paralytic carried by four men who had faith and were undeterred by the crowd. They uncovered the roof and let down the bed so Jesus could heal him. (Spirit, soul and body)
Mark 10: Let the little children come to Him, took them up in His arms and blessed them. (Special attention.)
Mark 12: Took note of and praised one poor widow who could had only two small copper coins and gave all to the temple. (Special attention.)
Luke 7: Raised from dead the son of a widow of Nain. (Special attention.)
Luke 7: While being a guest in a Pharisees’ house, Jesus let a repentant sinner woman wash his feet with her tears, wipe with her hair, kiss his feet and anoint them with fragrant oil. (Spirit, soul and body)
Luke 14: Healed a man with dropsy on Sabbath in the home of a ruler of the Pharisees.
Luke 15: All the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. (Spirit and soul)
Luke 17: Ten lepers cleansed, including a Samaritan.
Luke 18: Counseled a rich young ruler. (Spirit and soul)
Luke 18: Stopped for a blind beggar, Bartimaeus, near Jericho and healed him.
Luke 19: Brought salvation to a rich chief tax collector, Zacchaeus and his house. (Spirit and soul)
John 4: Shared the Kingdom of God with a Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. (Spirit and soul)
John 4: A Samaritan (foreign) woman who had five husbands and was living with one not her husband. (Spirit and soul)
John 4: Healed the dying son of a nobleman.
John 8: Jesus pointed out that not one of the accuser was without sin. So the adulteress was forgiven and not condemned, and He asked her to go and sin no more. (Spirit, soul and body)
John 9: Healed a man who was born blind.
John 11: Raised Lazarus who was dead for four days.
Summary of those whom Jesus healed and saved: Luke 5:31-32 NLT 31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
Application: Think about why we need Jesus. Why is remembering His birth so important? What more do we still need to ask since He has given all He has for all mankind?
2024-12-17 Καὶnos
