Why does Jesus Heal People?

I regularly listen to Andy Stanley's podcasts. Andy is the Senior Pastor at North Pointe Community Church near Atlanta. He's one of my favorite communicates and someone the Lord uses to challenge me and teach me.

In his recent message, "Defining Moments, Part 7: Easier Said Than Done", he answers the question: "Why does Jesus heal people in the Bible from their physical sickness?"

This question arose as Andy shared the story of the lame man who had been lowered by friends through the roof of another man's home in order for Jesus to heal him. Stanley points out how out-of-place it must have seemed that Jesus' first words to this lame man were "your sins are forgiven" rather than "your body is healed."

Andy goes on to explain that when Jesus forgave the lame man of his sins and then healed him, Jesus was showing us that we need forgiveness of sins before anything else.

Thus, we see in this story of the lame man, the answer to "Why does Jesus heal people in the Bible from their physical sickness?"

"The reason that Jesus healed people physically was to demonstrate that he had the authority to heal people spiritually."

"Every time Jesus healed someone it was a sign pointing to the fact that he came with the authority to overcome sin and the consequences of sin which ultimately is sickness and death. Jesus didn’t heal people so that people could be well because people didn’t stay well. It was temporary evidence that he had the authority to solve man’s ultimate problem and to rid man of man’s ultimate need which is to remove sin and the consequences of sin."