John the Baptist is imprisoned and evidently begins to wonder if all is going as it should. He sends word to Jesus asking, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect another?” He asks if Christ is the Messiah, the one who will usher in the new age of God’s rule.

To answer, Jesus points to the fruit of his ministry: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk. He points in large part to his healing ministry as an answer to John’s question.

Jesus came to heal.

The world is broken—and broken bodies remind us of the flaws and wounds that exist everywhere in creation.

Creation is not good the way it is. And Christ comes to start the renewal and the restoring of creation.

Healing reminded people of the power of God and the goodness of God. When Jesus healed, people knew that God was breaking into life.

Of course, when we talk about the healing ministry of Jesus, we run into all sorts of questions. Does God still heal? And if so, why doesn’t God heal everyone right now?

My answers to the above questions will not satisfy everyone. But I believe God does call the church to pray for healing and to expect to see healings.