To love others, to help them carry their burdens is to be like Jesus, who was never sick and yet, He carried our sins and sicknesses on His Body on the Cross. “When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matt 8:16,17). It is never easy to love or pray for others. The price for Love is greater than you think.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Ps 103:1-5).

This is a Psalm of David. It is a command to bless God, to praise the Lord Jesus, for our salvation (forgives sins and iniquities) and for the other benefits: healing of the body, acts of loving kindness and mercy to you, good things, and supernatural strength like a young man. For any sinner, salvation is the primary miracle. To have your sins forgiven is the greatest need of all. This is the Gospel: Jesus died and rose again for me. Salvation is by grace alone, thru faith alone, in Christ alone, by God’s Word alone, and to the glory of God alone. By faith, you are saved and have eternal life. Here we are commanded ‘not to forget all God’s benefits’ that accompany salvation. Trusting God only for your salvation and not trusting God for your daily bread, healing and wellbeing, is called ‘little faith’. You must repent of your ‘little faith’ before you can be granted ‘great faith’. To have great faith it means that you trust God for salvation, healing, and provision.

Read Mark 2:1-12. Here we see Jesus granting a double miracle to a young man who was paralyzed. His four friends carried him on a bed (stretcher) to see Jesus. Because of the crowd, they could not enter the house through the door. They went to the roof and made a space to lower their friend in front of Jesus. They had faith that if Jesus sees the sick man, He will heal him. Jesus “saw their faith”. He first spoke the word of forgiveness of sins. This is the invisible miracle of salvation. Sin was the root of his sickness. Therefore, the man’s soul must be healed before the body can be healed. The Pharisees who were there, spying on everything Jesus was doing, complained openly. They said that only God has the right to forgive sins. They totally rejected the claim of Jesus that He is God’s Son and the King of kings. Despite the opposition of the religious rulers, Jesus confirms His authority as God and King by declaring that the sick man’s sins are forgiven. Then to prove even more that He is God, Jesus heals the man with just a word. The paralyzed man stood on his feet, carried the mat he has been lying on, and in the presence of all people, he walks out thru the door. The door was blocked when he came to this house. The miracle has opened the door for him to have a new life. It seems that the sick man did not have faith to be healed. It was his four friends who had faith in his behalf. But once he was forgiven and healed, his faith in Jesus manifested. To prove his faith, he obeyed the Master’s Word and walked away.

This man received more than he expected. Jesus granted him a double miracle. He forgave his sins, healed his soul and healed his body. The miracle was instant and free of charge. It was done for the glory of God and for the good of man. This miracle of healing shows the Love and the Power of King Jesus towards sinners. Sin paralyzes and kills. Jesus died to give life to the lifeless soul. “While we were still helpless [powerless to provide for our salvation], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly” (Rom 5:6; AMP). Glory!

The religious rulers were angry and disappointed. The evil religious spirit active in many churches opposes the supernatural. Reject the religious spirits to make space for the Holy Spirit to take control. Always please God and not men! God rewards faith! Study God’s Word concerning salvation and healing. You need to know God’s promises to have faith to be healed. When a man says: ‘I have faith to be healed’, but he does not know the Word about healing, he is deceiving himself. He is like a farmer who says he trusts God for harvest, but he has not planted any seed in the ground. The Word of God is a seed (Lk 8:11). It must be planted in the heart to produce faith.

The four friends who brought the sick man to Jesus had great faith. King Jesus rewards faith in Him. When the door was blocked by the people, they did not give up. They went to the roof and found an original way to enter. Jesus was pleased by their bold creative faith. They displayed Agape Love towards their sick friend. They carried the burdens of another and fulfilled the Law of Christ (Gal 6:2).

These are some lessons: Jesus Christ is God, the Lord of all and King of kings. Jesus forgives and heals. He rewards faith and obedience. Spiritually, the four friends stand for Love, Faith, Holy Boldness and Intercession. This dynamite combination never fails to produce results. “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb 13:8). The faith that approaches Jesus: determined and desperate faith! The four men are determined to have a miracle of healing. You must know that there is no hope outside Jesus. We are helpless to forgive and heal others. Sin is the cause of all pains and sicknesses. Faith is also corporate. The Bible knows nothing about individualistic Christians. People help people in the Church. Do you have people who can carry you to Jesus? Please note that Jesus surprises us! He always goes deeper than the circumstances. He healed this man’s soul before He healed his body. For Jesus to heal the body and not heal the soul, that is hatred and not love! It is easier to say “your sins are forgiven” because there is no text or Xray to prove that. Jesus heals the body to prove that He has healed the soul. Get that man to Jesus! Parents, pray for your children! Things happen when God’s people truly care! Here we see the Mercy and Power of King Jesus! Forgiveness of sins and miracles always lead people to praise God! “All were amazed and glorified God, saying: We never saw anything like this!” (Mk 2:12). God does miracles even today. He forgives our sins and heals our bodies. Faith 100%! Doubt 0%! Worship the Lord!!!