The Ministry of Health and Healing

In the fisherman’s home at Capernaum, the mother of Peter’s wife was lying sick of “a high fever,” and “they told Him about her.” Jesus “touched her hand, and the fever left her,” and she arose and ministered to the Savior and His disciples. Luke 4:38; Mark 1:30; Matthew 8:15.

Rapidly the news spread. The miracle had been performed on the Sabbath, and for fear of the rabbis the people did not dare to come for healing until the sun had set. Then from the homes, the shops, the marketplaces, the inhabitants of the city pressed toward the humble dwelling that sheltered Jesus. The sick were brought on litters; they came leaning on staffs; or, supported by friends, they tottered feebly into the Savior’s presence.

Hour after hour they came and went, for nobody knew whether tomorrow would find the Healer still among them. Never before had Capernaum witnessed a day like this. The air was filled with the voice of triumph and shouts of deliverance.

Not until the last sufferer had been relieved did Jesus cease His work. It was far into the night when the multitude scattered and silence settled down upon the home of Simon. The long, exciting day was past, and Jesus sought rest. But while the city was wrapped in slumber, the Savior, “having risen a long while before daylight, ... went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35.

Early in the morning Peter and his companions came to Jesus saying that already the people of Capernaum were looking for Him. With surprise they heard Christ’s words, “‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.’” Luke 4:43.

In the excitement that then pervaded Capernaum, there was danger that the object of His mission would be lost sight of. Jesus was not satisfied to attract attention to Himself merely as a wonderworker or as a healer of physical disease. He was trying to draw people to Him as their Savior. They were eager to believe that He had come as a king to establish an earthly reign, but He wanted to turn their minds from the earthly to the spiritual. Mere worldly success would interfere with His work.

And the wonder of the careless crowd jarred upon His spirits. No self-assertion mingled with His life. The homage that the world gives to position, wealth, or talent was foreign to the Son of man. Jesus used none of the means that people employ to win allegiance or command homage. Centuries before His birth it had been prophesied of Him, “‘He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed He will not break, and the smoking flax He will not quench: He will bring forth justice for truth.’” Isaiah 42:2, 3.

The Pharisees tried to gain distinction by their exacting commitment to rituals, the showiness of their worship, and their charities. They thought to prove their devotion to religion by making it the theme of discussion. Disputes between opposing sects were loud and long, and it was not unusual to hear on the streets the voice of angry controversy from learned doctors of the law.

In marked contrast to all this was the life of Jesus. In His life there was no noisy disputation, no ostentatious worship, no act to gain applause. Christ was hid in God, and God was revealed in the character of His Son. To this revelation Jesus desired the minds of the people to be directed.

The Sun of Righteousness did not burst upon the world in splendor to dazzle the senses with His glory. It is written of Christ, “His going forth is established as the morning.” Hosea 6:3. Quietly and gently the daylight breaks upon the earth, dispelling the darkness and waking the world to life. So did the Sun of Righteousness arise, “‘with healing in His wings.’” Malachi 4:2.

“‘Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!’”
Isaiah 42:1. See also verses 5-7, 10-12.

“‘I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;
I will lead them in paths they have not known.
I will make darkness light before them,
And crooked places straight.
These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.’”
Isaiah 42:16.

“Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it!
Shout, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into singing, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
And glorified Himself in Israel.”
Isaiah 44:23.

Thus the day wore away, the disciples of John seeing and hearing everything. At last Jesus called them to Him and told them to go and tell John what they had seen and heard. Then He added, “‘Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.’” Matthew 11:6.

The disciples took the message to John, and it was enough. He remembered the prophecy concerning the Messiah, “‘The Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and ... to comfort all who mourn.’” Isaiah 61:1, 2. Jesus of Nazareth was the Promised One. The evidence of His divinity was seen in His ministry to the needs of suffering humanity. His glory was shown in His willingness to step down from His royal throne and be born into our low estate.

The Principles of Heaven

The kingdom of God comes not with outward show. It comes through the gentleness of the inspiration of His Word, through the inward working of His Spirit, the fellowship of the soul with Him who is its life. The greatest manifestation of its power is seen in human nature brought to the perfection of the character of Christ.

The followers of Christ are to be the light of the world, but God does not bid them make an effort to shine. He does not approve of any self-satisfied endeavor to display superior goodness. He desires that their souls shall be imbued with the principles of heaven; then, as they come into contact with the world, they will reveal the light that is in them. Their steadfast fidelity in every act of life will be a means of illumination.

Wealth or high position, costly equipment, architecture, or furnishings are not essential to the advancement of the work of God. Neither are achievements that win human applause and administer to vanity. Worldly display, however imposing, is of no value in God’s sight. Above the seen and temporal, He values the unseen and eternal. The former is of worth only as it expresses the latter. The choicest productions of art possess no beauty that can compare with beauty of character, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit’s working in the soul.

When God gave His Son to our world, He endowed human beings with imperishable riches—riches compared with which all the treasured wealth of the world since it began is nothingness. Christ came to this world and stood before His earthly children with the hoarded love of eternity, and this is the treasure that, through our connection with Him, we are to receive, to reveal, and to impart.

Human effort will be efficient in the work of God just according to the consecrated devotion of the worker, who reveals the power of the grace of Christ to transform the life. We are to be distinguished from the world because God has placed His seal upon us, because He manifests in us His own character of love. Our Redeemer covers us with His righteousness.

In choosing men and women for His service, God does not ask whether they possess worldly wealth, learning, or eloquence. He asks, “Do they walk in such humility that I can teach them My way? Can I put My words into their lips? Will they represent Me?” God can use every person just in proportion as He can put His Spirit into the soul temple. The work that He will accept is the work that reflects His image. His followers are to bear, as their credentials to the world, the never-changing characteristics of His immortal principles.

Ministry to Mothers and Children

Singling out one of the group, the Savior invites her confidence, saying, “What shall I do for you?” She sobs out her great want, “Master, that You would heal my child.” Christ takes the little one from her arms, and disease flees at His touch. The pallor of death is gone; the life-giving current flows through the veins; the muscles receive strength. Words of comfort and peace are spoken to the mother. And then another case, just as urgent, is presented. Again Christ exercises His life-giving power, and all give praise and honor to Him who does wonderful things.

We dwell much on the greatness of Christ’s life. We speak of the wonderful things that He accomplished, of the miracles that He performed. But His attention to things considered small is even higher proof of His greatness. Among the Jews it was customary for children to be brought to some rabbi that he might lay his hands on them in blessing, but the disciples thought the Savior’s work too important to be interrupted in this way. When the mothers came wanting Him to bless their little ones, the disciples looked on them with disfavor. They thought these children too young to be benefited by a visit to Jesus and concluded that He would be displeased at their presence. But the Savior understood the care and burden of the mothers who were trying to train their children according to the Word of God. He had heard their prayers. He Himself had drawn them into His presence.

One mother with her child had left her home to find Jesus. On the way she told a neighbor her errand, and the neighbor wished to have Jesus bless her children. Thus several mothers came together with their little ones. Some of the children had passed beyond the years of infancy to childhood and youth. When the mothers explained what they wanted, Jesus heard with sympathy the timid, tearful request. But He waited to see how the disciples would treat them. When He saw the disciples reproving the mothers and sending them away, thinking to do Him a favor, He showed them their error, saying, “‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.’” Mark 10:14. He took the children in His arms, laid His hands on them, and gave them the blessings for which they came.

The mothers were comforted. They returned to their homes strengthened and blessed by the words of Christ. They were encouraged to take up their burdens with new cheerfulness and to work hopefully for their children.

Could the afterlife of that little group be opened before us, we would see the mothers recalling to the minds of their children the scene of that day and repeating to them the loving words of the Savior. We would see, too, how often, in after years, the memory of these words kept the children from straying from the “straight and narrow” path.

Christ is today the same compassionate Savior as when He walked upon earth. He is as truly the helper of mothers now as when He gathered the little ones to His arms in Judea. The children in our homes are as much the purchase of His blood as were the children of long ago.

Jesus knows the burden of every mother’s heart. He who had a mother that struggled with poverty and privation sympathizes with every mother in her many cares. He who made a long journey in order to relieve the anxious heart of a Canaanite woman will do as much for the mothers of today. He who gave back to the widow of Nain her only son, and in His agony upon the cross remembered His own mother, is touched today by the mother’s sorrow. In every grief and every need, He will comfort and help.

As mothers come to Jesus with their perplexities, they will find grace sufficient to aid them in the care of their children. The gates are open for every mother who would lay her burdens at the Savior’s feet. He who said, “‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them’” (Mark 10:14), still invites mothers to bring their little ones to be blessed by Him.

In the children who were brought to Jesus, He saw men and women who would be heirs of His grace and subjects of His kingdom. Some of them would become martyrs for His sake. He knew that these children would listen to Him and accept Him as their Redeemer far more readily than would adults, many of whom were worldly-wise and hardhearted. In teaching, Jesus came down to their level. He, the Majesty of heaven, answered their questions and simplified His important lessons to meet their childish understanding. He planted in their minds the seeds of truth that in after years would spring up and bear fruit unto eternal life.

When Jesus told the disciples not to forbid the children to come to Him, He was speaking to His followers in all ages—to officers of the church, ministers, helpers, and all Christians. Jesus is drawing the children, and He bids us, “Let them come,” as if He would say, They will come if you do not hinder them. Let not your un-Christlike character misrepresent Jesus. Do not keep the little ones away from Him by your coldness and harshness. Never give them cause to feel that heaven would not be a pleasant place to them if you were there. Do not speak of religion as something that children cannot understand, or act as if they were not expected to accept Christ in their childhood. Do not give them the false impression that the religion of Christ is a religion of gloom, and that in coming to the Savior they must give up all that makes life joyful.

As the Holy Spirit moves upon the hearts of the children, cooperate with His work. Teach them that the Savior is calling them, that nothing can afford Him greater joy than for them to give themselves to Him in the bloom and freshness of their years.

The Savior regards with infinite tenderness the souls whom He has purchased with His blood. Because of His love, they are rightfully His. He looks upon them with unutterable longing. His heart is drawn out not only to the best-trained and most attractive children but to those who have objectionable traits of character by inheritance and through neglect. Many parents do not understand how much they are responsible for these traits in their children. They lack the tenderness and wisdom to deal with the erring ones whom they have made what they are. But Jesus looks upon these children with pity. He traces from cause to effect.

Christian workers may be Christ’s agents in drawing these faulty and erring ones to the Savior. By wisdom and tact they may bind them to their hearts. They may give courage and hope, and through the grace of Christ may see these children transformed in character, so that it may be said of them, “Of such is the kingdom of God.”

Five Small Barley Loaves Feed the Multitude

The sun was sinking in the west, and yet the people lingered. Finally the disciples came to Christ, urging that for their own sake the multitude should be sent away. Many had come from far and had eaten nothing since morning. In the surrounding towns and villages they might be able to obtain food. But Jesus said, “‘You give them something to eat.’” Matthew 14:16. Then, turning to Philip, He asked, “‘Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’” John 6:5.

Philip looked over the sea of heads and thought how impossible it would be to provide food for so great a company. He answered that two hundred pennyworth [the wages of two hundred days’ work] of bread would not be enough to divide among them so that each might have a little.

Jesus inquired how much food could be found among the company. “‘There is a lad here,’” said Andrew, “‘who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?’” Verse 9. Jesus directed that these be brought to Him. Then He told the disciples to seat the people on the grass. When this was accomplished, He took the food and, “looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.” Matthew 14:19, 20.

It was by a miracle of divine power that Christ fed the multitude, yet how humble was the fare provided—only fish and barley loaves, which were the daily fare of the fisher-folk of Galilee.

Christ could have given the people a rich meal, but food prepared merely to gratify the appetite would have conveyed no lesson for their good. Through this miracle Christ desired to teach a lesson of simplicity. If people today were simple in their habits, living in harmony with nature’s laws, as did Adam and Eve in the beginning, there would be an abundant supply for the needs of the human family. But selfishness and the indulgence of appetite have brought sin and misery, from excess on the one hand and from want on the other.

Jesus did not seek to attract the people to Him by gratifying the desire for luxury. To that great throng, weary and hungry after the long exciting day, the simple fare was an assurance both of His power and of His tender care for them in the common needs of life. The Savior has not promised His followers the luxuries of the world. They may even suffer poverty, but His word is pledged that their need shall be supplied. He has promised that which is better than earthly good—the abiding comfort of His own presence.

After the multitude had been fed, there was an abundance of food left. Jesus told His disciples, “‘Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.’” John 6:12. These words meant more than putting the food into baskets. The lesson was twofold. Nothing is to be wasted. We are to prize every temporal advantage. We should neglect nothing that would serve to benefit a human being. Let everything be gathered up that will relieve the necessities of earth’s hungry ones. With the same carefulness we are to treasure the bread from heaven to satisfy the needs of the soul. By every word of God we are to live. Nothing that God has spoken is to be lost. Not one word that concerns our eternal salvation are we to neglect. Not one word is to fall useless to the ground.

The miracle of the loaves teaches dependence upon God. When Christ fed the five thousand, food was not close at hand. Apparently He had no funds to draw on. There He was, with five thousand men, besides women and children, in the wilderness. He had not invited the multitude to follow Him to this place. Eager to be in His presence, they had come without invitation or command; but He knew that after listening all day to His instruction they were hungry and faint. They were far from home, and the night was at hand. Many of them were without money to purchase food. He who for their sake had fasted forty days in the wilderness would not consent for them to return fasting to their homes.

The providence of God had placed Jesus where He was, and He depended on His heavenly Father for means to meet the emergency. When we are brought into crisis situations, we are to depend on God. In every emergency we are to seek help from Him who has infinite resources at His command.

In this miracle, Christ received from the Father and imparted to the disciples. The disciples imparted to the people, and the people to one another. So all who are united to Christ will receive from Him the bread of life and impart it to others. His disciples are the appointed means of communication between Christ and the people.

When the disciples heard the Savior’s direction, “‘You give them something to eat,’” all the difficulties arose in their minds. They questioned, “‘Shall we go into the villages to buy food?’” But what did Christ say? “‘You give them something to eat.’” The disciples brought to Jesus all they had, but He did not invite them to eat. He told them to serve the people. The food multiplied in His hands, and the hands of the disciples, reaching out to Christ, were never empty. The little supply available was sufficient for all. When the multitude had been fed, the disciples ate with Jesus of the precious, heaven-supplied food.

As we see the needs of the poor, the ignorant, the afflicted, how often our hearts sink. We question, “What can our feeble strength and slender resources do to supply this terrible necessity? Shall we not wait for someone of greater ability to direct the work, or for some organization to undertake it?” Christ says, “You give them something to eat.” Use the means, the time, the ability, you have. Bring your barley loaves to Jesus.

Though your resources may not be sufficient to feed thousands, they may suffice to feed one. In the hand of Christ they may feed many. Like the disciples, give what you have. Christ will multiply the gift. He will reward honest, simple reliance upon Him. That which seemed but a meager supply will prove to be a rich feast.

“He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ... God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work. As it is written:

‘He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.’