HEALTH, HEALING, AND MIRACLES – PART THIRTY-THREE
Sunday – October 21, 2018, Cheshvan 12, 5779
Greeting precious brother and sister in the Lord and welcome back to this wonderful Bible Study taken from the Ministry of Jesus. Remember, God’s best is health but healing is available to all of us. Today let’s take a look at a man with dropsy (likely heart failure).
Luke 14:1-6 (KJV)
1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.
2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer him again to these things.
Just prior to this incident a “certain Pharisee” came to Him and tells Jesus that Herod wants to kill Him but remember so do a fair number of the Pharisee’s from time to time and do in the end. If we examine the text to follow this incident we find it has to do with people exalting themselves (pride and arrogance). In the account we are examining today we find Jesus is having Sunday (Sabbath – Saturday) dinner with people who for the most part did not like Him and disagreed sharply with Him. Jesus did not avoid His enemies, He not only forgave them but ate with them. Now at the table and it sounds like right across the table from Jesus was a man with dropsy. Dropsy was a fluid retaining disease which could represent a number of conditions including heart failure, kidney failure, liver failure, or lymphedema. In any event, he was a sick man. Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees if it was legal to heal on the Sabbath? They did not answer this question or the follow-up question. Let’s take a look at a different translation.
Luke 14:4 (PassionNTPsa)
4 No one dared to answer. So Jesus turned to the sick man, took hold of him, and released healing to him, then sent him on his way.
It would appear that this man with dropsy was not a guest but one that came to the Pharisees home to be healed for he knew Jesus was in the house. The man had to have faith, faith in Jesus, faith in the Word of God he had heard that built his faith, and faith in the name of Jesus. He did not come with faith in the name of Peter, Thomas, or John but Jesus. He had heard what Jesus preached and faith came and now he has taken corresponding action. He heard that those who came to Jesus could be healed so here he is and he does not go away disappointed or ashamed. We are not told any of this explicitly but we know all of it was present or it would have been a Nazareth experience. As I close for today let’s take a look at the feeding of the four thousand (separate from the feeding of five thousand plus).
Mark 8:1-9 (KJV)
1 In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them,
2 I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
3 And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
4 And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
6 And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
7 And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them.
8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.
9 And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.
It seems that prior to this Jesus had fed the five thousand (likely many times that actually) so you would think the disciples would start to catch on to the ways of Jesus, the Father. We find in this account that there were seven loaves of bread and a few small fishes, in the natural there was not enough for forty people much less four thousand. Jesus gave thanks for the food, blessed it, and the four thousand ate, were filled, and there were seven baskets of left overs. Can you imagine cooking and sitting for a meal and when you take care of the food after the meal there is way more than when you started? As I finish for today I want point out a very important fact, Jesus gave thanks (to the Father) for the food however He did not ask the Father to bless the food, He blessed the food. Without exception when I listen to others say the “blessing” over food they ask the Lord or the Father to bless the food. Is not going to happen ladies and gentlemen. If you want something meaningful to happen with the food, you bless (empower it for your needs) it in faith. When you do that not only will the food be more nutritious but it will be safer (Mark 16:18). God does not have the authority in the earth to bless our food or anything else, once we release the authority in faith then His Power is loosed to do what is needed.
Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
Exodus 15:26 (KJV)
26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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