How Strong Would Your Faith Be?

There are many instances of Jesus performing miraculous healings, driving out demons and evil spirits, even raising the dead, but there are a few unforgettable instances in the New Testament gospels that are so incredible, that they required an especially rare and special gift of ‘grace’ to act on their personal belief in the healing power of Jesus.

Hebrews 11: 6
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who [diligently] seek Him.

Matthew 15: 21-28
Jesus went out from there [Gennesaret] and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A woman of Canaan came from the region and came crying to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” He answered her not a word. The disciples wanted Jesus to send her away, but He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” She came and worshipped Him, and said, “Lord, help me!” And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.

Mark 7: 32-35
And they brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they entreated Him to lay His hand upon him. And He [Jesus] took him aside from the multitude by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!”

Mark 8: 22-23
And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Him, and entreated Him [Jesus] to touch him. And taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting upon his eyes, and laying His hands upon him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?”

John 9: 1-3, 6-7
And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was in order that the works of God might be displayed in him. When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and [Jesus] said to him, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated; “Sent”). And so he went away and washed and came back seeing.

The aforementioned are memorable examples of the kind of unselfish ‘faith’as well as total surrender which results in efficacious and lasting healing. When self [ego] and unbelief are removed, then God’s work results in miraculous cures. On the other side of the coin, hardness of heart can limit the bestowal of grace as recorded in Mark 6: 5-6: Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.

Finally, there are some who are in need of healing but their ‘faith’ is predicated upon intellectual rationalization or ethnocentric pride as in the case of Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army who although was plagued with leprosy, thought in his own mind how he should have received healing (Cp. I Kings 5: 1-15).


Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
July 12, 2008
pbks@hotmail.com