February 16, 2025 

Today's Reading: Luke 6:17-26

Daily Lectionary: Job 12:1-6, 12-25; John 5:30-47

And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all. (Luke 6:17–19)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

What should we make of this strange event? Power coming out of Jesus and healing all who sought his help? Clearly, Jesus has compassion on his followers, and healing them is a way to both show his love for them and to show what following him will lead to: a kingdom of perfect health and life, free of pain, sin, illness, and death.

Admit it, though. You are a bit miffed that Jesus doesn’t heal you immediately when you call out in your time of sickness or injury. I mean, why did these people receive healing and you don’t?

Can’t Jesus see that you are worthy of his attention? Of course, he can see that you are worthy! He is the one who made you worthy in your Baptism. He is the one who washed and redeemed you! And that’s the thing most people miss about these healing miracles. They think Jesus only pays attention to those right in front of him, those who need help right now.

Even though these are effective healings, and these people walked away in much better shape than they arrived, they still died eventually. It wasn’t perfect healing after all. Death still came for them. Just as it will for all of us should Our Lord delay his return. 

These healings pointed to the eternal future Jesus would usher in with his own death and resurrection. They point to our future because we will be alive in that eternal kingdom of God, the life of the world to come, the presence of God with the angels, archangels, and all of the company of heaven.

As hard as it may be, don’t worry that Jesus may not heal you bodily right now; rejoice that he has already healed you for eternity in your Baptism when he raised you from the dead and placed his name upon you in water and Word, a miracle even more potent than any healing in the Gospels.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord, graciously hear the prayers of Your people that we who justly suffer the consequence of our sin may be mercifully delivered by Your goodness to the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. (Collect for the Sixth Sunday After the Epiphany)

-Rev. Duane Bamsch, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Grass Valley, CA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church "good?" Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.