Can We Really Heal?

Can we really heal? One would ponder Jesus’ command,

“Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons”

to find out what that means for us. He follows by saying

“He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works shall he do because I go unto my Father”.

I think many have pondered this and, of course, want and desire to do these same healing works. His disciples and other followers continued doing these things for several years after he ascended. And he said to them in essence to love one another and that people would know they were his disciples by the way they loved. And it seemed that healing is the natural effect of this love. John states that

"God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)

And Jesus said something similar:

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself."

So it seems that he that dwelleth in Love is dwelling in divine Love and divine Love is dwelling in that person which is perhaps why this has healing results. Mary Baker Eddy who followed and studied Jesus’ teaching closely says in her textbook on Christian healing

“If the Scientist reaches his patient through divine Love, the healing work will be accomplished at one visit, and the disease will vanish into its native nothingness like dew before the morning sunshine.” (S&H 365:15)

Why don’t we do the healing works that Jesus did? Well perhaps we don’t think that we know how, or that we can. Another statement Jesus said was

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”

Therefore it seems that if we believe that we can and understand that the power comes from God and not ourselves than we should be able to. There is a story in the Bible which illustrates this point. It is when Jesus cured a boy of epilepsy which the boy had had most of his life. The father brought the son to Jesus and said his disciples were unable to heal him. Jesus did heal him and when his disciples came to ask him why he couldn’t he replied,

“Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Mat 17:20)

But Mrs. Eddy makes the clear distinction between blind faith and scientific spiritual understanding. She termed it scientific because it has repeatable results just as Jesus’ work always had the same outcome which was health and healing. Jesus was a teacher and disciple is another name for student. So there must have been rules and laws that he was teaching them as well as the nature of God and our relationship with Him. It seems as though he wanted this work to continue and he demonstrated that we could do it and taught it to others so that it could be continued on.

Isn’t this completing and following Jesus mission? The salvation from sickness as well as sin? Jesus didn’t rely on doctors or material medicine. His works were entirely spiritual. If he didn’t consult or use these methods than why do we? Is it really Christianity to not have healing by God?

People have learned how to heal in this way and continue to study, practice and demonstrate this. But so often we must have faith that it can be done. And through our study of Jesus words and works, we can also solve this problem of being. Mary Baker Eddy was healed by reading an account of Jesus’ healings from the Bible in the late 1800’s. She then devoted her life to discovering how this was done and seeing if it was repeatable. A book was recently published with over 300 accounts of documented healings that she did (and these were just the documented ones). She opened up the Massachusetts Metaphysical College and taught others how to this and started the Christian Science Movement which was to be modern-day disciples following Jesus’ work. But so often doubt still plagues are work. Why is this? Why do we doubt that God is present here and now and knows of every one of our needs? Why do we doubt that God never created sin, disease, sickness, or matter and therefore we aren’t subject to any of the errors of these? The truth is right in front of us here and now, and it always has been. Will we let doubt and disbelief continue to overshadow our work and allow Jesus’ work to be lost for another 2,000 years? Jesus said,

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing by any means shall hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven”.

So now is the time to rejoice! That we are the children of God – the beloved, pure image & likeness of God. “Now is the day of salvation!” And we can rejoice and rise up together, supporting one another in our endeavors and supporting all humanity in the victory of spirit of matter.

God is Love.