Healing Faith - What It is & How to Possess It
"Daughter," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction." -Mark 5:34
Wow, this verse from the Gospel of Mark is powerful! It contains some pretty awesome truths regarding healing faith. In this blog post, we are going to take a closer look at what exactly healing faith is and how you can possess it in your life.
✨📖 Bible Study Tip: When you begin to study a passage of Scripture, you always want to remember: context is king. Let's take a moment to examine the greater context of Mark 5:34.
As Jesus stepped off the boat that carried Him away from the shore of Gadara, He was immediately bombarded by a large group of people begging for His attention. A man named Jairus, a leader of a nearby synagogue, fell before Jesus and pleaded with Him to come at once to his deathly-ill daughter's bedside. Jairus demonstrated healing faith when he declared, "Please come and place Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live" (verse 23). He had absolute confidence that if Jesus would come with him, his daughter would live. As Jesus went with Jairus, a large crowd followed after them bumping, colliding, and knocking into one another as they all vied to get closer to Jesus.
{As an introvert, this definitely would not be my scene!} 😬
Next, we encounter an unknown woman and are given some valuable information about her...
Unknown Woman:
-She has suffered from a disease for 12 years
-She endured great pain under the care of physicians who tried to cure her bleeding
-She spent all of her money on doctors and 'cures'
-Nothing has helped; instead her condition grew worse
-She heard about Jesus and was convinced He would heal her
The Bible doesn't specifically tell us what disease or condition this woman suffered from, but it does give us some clues by describing it as "an issue of blood." In today's medical terms, the condition could have been menorrhagia, meaning 'prolonged menstrual bleeding,' which could be caused by a clotting disorder. We don't know for certain that this is what she suffered from, but it could be a likely explanation. What we do know is that she had experienced excruciating, debilitating pain from undergoing whatever procedures that the physicians recommended in an attempt to cure her condition.
Because menstrual bleeding is defined as 'unclean' under the Mosaic Law, this woman was separated {cut off} from her family, friends, and community in the exact same way a leper would be. If anyone or anything 'clean' came in contact with her or something she had touched, sat on, etc., they would also be deemed 'unclean.' Therefore, she not only endured physical pain from her condition, but also extreme emotional distress from isolation.
This unknown woman suffered immense physical and emotional pain for 12 years, but her story isn't over just yet.
The number 12 in the Bible represents God's power & authority. It is a number of completeness and wholeness. The woman with the issue of blood had been afflicted by a disease for 12 long years, but its time was up. Jesus was on the scene and when He is present, no spirit of infirmity can stay in His Presence. 🙌🏻
Take a moment to reflect on your life. Is there a condition in your life that has plagued you for far too long? It may be a physical condition in your body or it could be a mental or emotional condition. Disease, trauma from your upbringing, familial strain, depression, chemical imbalance, infertility, guilt, shame, anxiety, addictions...all of these conditions have to bow the knee to Jesus. They have to flee from His Presence. These 'unclean' things cannot endure His perfect holiness. You can see this evidenced time after time throughout the Gospels. When a person possessed by an unclean spirit is brought before Jesus, the spirit begs Jesus not to judge them prematurely, and flees as soon as the command "Go!" is spoken from His mouth. The power and authority of Jesus, the Son of God, makes the enemy run and flee. If you're a believer, that same power lives inside of you through His Spirit. Did you know that? Your body is called a "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19).
"And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you." (Romans 8:11)
What is healing faith?
To answer this question, we will look at the original language this verse was written in to find some clues that aren't as transparent in the English translation.
"Daughter," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be free of your affliction." -Mark 5:34
When Jesus felt power leave His Body, He knew someone had reached out in faith for healing. It didn't matter that countless bodies from the large crowd were banging into Him. A demand had been placed upon Him and He could feel healing power leave His body to heal that specific person.
There is an interesting principle found here on how to receive from God's Kingdom. It is the people who take God at His word and forcefully (in eager pursuit) take hold of God's promises that receive their breakthrough or miracle. Many Bibles translate Matthew 11:12 from Greek into English to say something like, "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it." You might be wondering what in the world does that mean?? Violence? Well, when we examine the original Greek language, a complete picture emerges.
This verse reveals that something began to transpire at the start of John the Baptist's ministry. The Kingdom of God, ushered in by the Messiah, began to advance. John the Baptist fulfilled the Messianic prophecies of the messenger, likened to Elijah, who would come before the Messiah and prepare the way for His ministry (Matthew 3:3-17, Isaiah 40:1-5,9). John fulfilled this by calling the people of Israel to repent of their sins and be baptized in water as a symbol of their pure, wholehearted commitment to the Lord. So, if that's the case, why does this verse talk about violence? The Greek word used for violence is biazó which is best translated as force (instead of violence). The extended meaning is to 'lay hold of something with positive aggressiveness.'
A modern-day example of this occurs at most weddings. After the bride and groom have exchanged their vows and are happily celebrating with family and friends, a longstanding tradition of 'catching the bride's flower bouquet' usually takes place during the reception.
The tradition goes that the woman who catches the bouquet will be the next to get married. With so much at stake, the ladies participating can get a little competitive. 😉 Elbows might be thrown, pushing may occur, and jumping is fairly common - all in good fun of course! These single ladies are laying hold of the bouquet with positive aggressiveness. It is something they want to possess, so they use 'force' to acquire it.
Now, if we take the concept of that silly example and, instead, apply it to the glorious Kingdom of God, we can see the principle of "eagerly pursuing" it. The verb, biazó, is only found twice in the New Testament and both times it is used in a positive way, even though the English translation makes it appear negative. In fact, the root word, bia, means 'strength' in Greek. The one who 'violently' takes hold of the Kingdom of God is one who is 'in eager pursuit of it.' The unknown woman suffering from an issue of blood used 'positive aggressiveness' to take hold of God's promise of healing contained within the Kingdom of God. All of her hope, trust, and confidence was in Jesus Christ, the King of this Kingdom. As she pressed into the crowd "to just touch His garment," she was in eager pursuit of the Kingdom.
Jesus responded to her faith and eagerness by calling her "daughter." Using daughter as a term of endearment reflects the tenderhearted love and care Jesus had for her. We don't know her name or who she is, but Jesus identified and defined her as "daughter." She is known to Him and cared for as His beloved child.
He continues on, "your faith has healed you." Simply, your faith {in My name} has made you healthy {saved you; delivered you from danger; made you whole}.
"Go in peace {rest}." Let your thoughts be quieted. Rest in your healing. Be undisturbed from anxiety or worry about your condition.
"...be free of your affliction." When I looked up the Greek word used for affliction, I was blown away!!! 🤯
> affliction: mastix - meaning a whip or scourge
Wait, what?! Is anyone else connecting the dots here? What do we know about scourging? Or better yet, WHO was severely scourged?!
If you answered, Jesus Christ, then you're correct!
So, what's going on here? Well, the Greek word used here, mastix, refers to literal whipping. The Romans used this as a form of severe punishment for slaves and criminals. It was also almost always utilized before a criminal was sentenced to crucifixion. Mastix is also used to refer to a disease that is oppressive, highly painful, and debilitating.
I don't think it's a coincidence that Jesus used this word to refer to the woman's suffering. We can see a hint, a preview, of His ultimate sacrifice that Isaiah so eloquently lays out in chapter 53 of his writings.
"Yet it was our griefs He carried;
it was our sorrows that weighed Him down.
And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God,
a punishment for His own sins!
But He was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed."
~Isaiah 53:4-5
It isn't a stretch to say that Isaiah was prophesying that the Messiah would take and carry our sicknesses & diseases. We have two witnesses to this fact. One is the Hebrew language (which is the language Isaiah 53:4-5 is written in) which agrees with griefs actually being defined as sicknesses (Hebrew noun: choli) and sorrows being pains (Hebrew noun: makob). The other witness is the Gospel of Matthew where he translates Isaiah's 53:4 prophecy as "infirmities" and "diseases" as he describes Jesus healing all the sick brought to Him.
"This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took on our infirmities and carried our diseases.” ~Matthew 8:17
"He was whipped so we could be healed." -Isaiah 53:5
-OR-
"By His stripes, we are healed." -Isaiah 53:5
Sickness, infirmity, and disease are consequences of sin and fallen creation. The Bible says "for the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23). Every human being is born into a state of sinfulness because of Adam's transgression. Disease in the human body will eventually result in death, if left untreated. However, Jesus Christ, the new Adam, opened a new and life-giving way to the Father through His Body (on the cross; Hebrews 10:20).
This is the "great exchange." Jesus received the scourging and the stripes we deserved.
Roman scourging was extremely gruesome and barbaric. It was a form of humiliating public punishment. The criminal would be stripped naked and tied to a pillar in a bending posture. The whip used for the scourging would have leather thongs with weighted pieces of sharp bone or lead which would "quickly remove flesh from the body of the victim." The scourging would leave "deep lacerations, torn flesh, exposed muscles, and excessive bleeding." The victim would be left "half dead." This is the cruel whipping that Christ endured prior to His crucifixion for our healing and wholeness. 🥺😭
He took the punishment on our behalf so that we could be made whole. He was stripped naked, beaten beyond recognition, whipped cruelly, crucified, and crushed under the weight of God's wrath for our sins and rebellion. He, being the Son of God, experienced death and separation from His Father, so that He could bring to us eternal life which is "a gift from God through Jesus Christ" (Romans 6:23). He has authority over all the power of the enemy. At His command, unclean spirits (including the spirit of infirmity) must leave. He has power over creation, over evil, over sickness, over death...He has power over all things.
"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.'"
In essence, healing faith is birthed from a firm understanding and trust {confidence} in the power & authority of Jesus Christ, the Son of God!
Moreover, Jesus tells us, "Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me for anything in My name, I will do it."
What were some of the works Jesus was doing during His earthly ministry? Luke 7:22 tells us,
"...the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the Gospel preached to them..."
Jesus did healing miracles! He also promised that we, His disciples, can do even greater works than these because He has sent to us the power of the Holy Spirit who indwells us. He wants us to ask Him for healing in His name and He promises that He will do it. He wants it to bring glory to His Father!
This brings to my memory another amazing verse you should memorize!
"For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God." ~2 Corinthians 1:20
Did Jesus use a substantial amount of His ministry time to heal people? YES!
Is healing just as much a part of salvation as forgiveness of sins? Yes!
Did Jesus cry out on the cross, "It is finished!" or "It is fully paid!"? Yes!
Then, if God's promises in Christ for healing are "Yes," then our "Amen" (our declaration of belief, "Let it be done!") brings glory to God!
How do you possess healing faith?
Here are three simple steps...
1. Hear about Jesus - The woman with the issue of blood heard about Jesus and it stirred up hope within her. She most likely heard about the miraculous healings that were occurring and it gave her hope and comfort that she, too, could be healed.
"Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And He healed every kind of disease and illness. News about Him spread as far as Syria, and people soon began bringing to Him all who were sick. And whatever {no matter} their sickness or disease, or if they were demon-possessed or epileptic or paralyzed - He healed them all."
2. Stand on Scripture - The woman with the issue of blood stood firmly on a prophetic Scripture from the book of Malachi that the Messiah would be "the Sun of Righteousness who rises with healing in His wings" (Malachi 4:2). She kept telling herself that if she could just touch the "corner of His garment" she would be healed. This is most likely referring to the tassels that would have adorned Jesus' outer garment. They were referred to as "wings" in the Hebraic culture. She confidently believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His "wings."
3. Understand the Authority of Jesus - The woman with the issue of blood knew that Jesus had the final say and authority over her condition. If she could just get close enough to Him, there was no doubt in her mind that she would walk away a healed woman.
In fact, immediately upon touching His garment, her bleeding ceased and she knew that she knew that she knew that she was healed! She could have been stoned for being 'unclean' and contaminating all of the 'clean people' she pressed into with her 'uncleanness.' That is why she came trembling and fearful before Jesus when He questioned, "Who touched Me?" But, nothing can contaminate the holiness of God. She became clean when she came into contact with His holiness.
Jesus extends the same healing faith to you. Can you reach out and touch Him? In reply, His response is the same...
"Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be free from your affliction!"
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