All who came were healed

Jesus was and is the best example of Man walking with God. God’s original intent was that Man would walk with Him in partnership and learn how to rule and reign with Him. God said in Genesis 1 and 2 that Man was to tend (take care of), dominate (be in charge of), rule (set limits), prosper (cause to increase), and multiply (repeatedly do it again) what was in the Garden in Eden and fill all the Earth. Man did not do what God said directly. Jesus did. Because Jesus walked with God as God intended Man should, Jesus was able to dominate as God intended: everything was under the dominion of Man in partnership with God. It became right and normal for Jesus to dominate everything that was around him. Sickness, malady, infirmity, disease, … even demonic oppression were dominated.

After being baptized by his cousin John, Jesus went into the desert. (Luke 4.1) There he stayed, was tempted of the devil, overcame by what was already written and established, then returned. (Luke 4.2-13) Jesus walked in what was given to him. Jesus became famous for what he was teaching and doing. (Luke 4.14-15) Then Jesus came home to Nazareth where he grew up where in synagogue he announced who he was and what he was here to do. (Luke 4.16-21) This news was received by some; not so well received by others. They tried to kill him, but he passed through their midst and left. (Luke 4.22-30)

What was so terrible that Jesus said that made everyone so angry; so angry as to want to kill him? Simply this, he was sent from God to heal and build up and it would not happen in Nazareth because of their unbelief, and that he was a prophet – which meant what he said was from God and going to come to pass. He was. It did. So Jesus went elsewhere.

Beware the visitation of God. God does not always use pretty packages. God uses normal looking people to do great things. Jesus was not pretty or above average in appearance. God told Israel through the prophet Isaiah that the messiah (Jesus) would have no form or beauty that we should desire him. (Isaiah 53.2) The messiah (Jesus) would not be a “King Saul” – strong and tall, nor a “King David” vigorous and attractive. The messiah outwardly would appear to be an average “Joe”. However, inwardly would be the full majesty of God because the messiah (Jesus) would be God and a son of Man walking with God. He would be perfect in relationship to the All Mighty (Elohim, in Hebrew).

Jesus went from his hometown synagogue to another in the region. There he taught, healed, and commanded out an unclean spirit (that’s a demon). And they all marveled, wondered, scratched their heads at his teaching and the authority of his words that even demons obeyed him. (Luke 4.31-37) They started talking about this man Jesus. He began to be famous around Capernaum of Galilee.

What you do as you walk with God in right relationship will get noticed, and they will talk about you. It will get “noised abroad”, echoed, that you walk with God.

Jesus went from the synagogue in Capernaum to the house of Simon. Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a fever. They asked Jesus to do something for her, so he did. He rebuked the fever. It left. She got up and started serving everybody. (Luke 4.38-39) She was probably very happy to be up and able to do something, again.

Toward the end of the day, anyone who had anyone that was sick brought them to Jesus at Simon’s house. Jesus did not see this as an inconvenience. He laid his hand on every one of them, and they were healed. (Luke 4.40) And there were demons there, too. All of the demons came out. Some crying out that Jesus was the “Son of God”, but Jesus rebuked them and would not let them speak. (Luke 4.41)

When you are walking with God, doing the things that God said do, the devil and his will try to take over your meeting or moment of ministry. They will try to puff you up to make you think you are more than what you are. They will try to get people to worship you rather than God. It happens, but be intolerant like Jesus. Shut them up and refuse to let them speak. Command them to go.

People will try to keep you there and will spend a lot of time talking about how “amazing” what God just did. You have to move on, follow God. Jesus left Simon’s the next day. They tried to convince him to stay. Jesus said, “I must announce the good news of the kingdom of God to other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” (Luke 4.43)

What was his purpose?

Isaiah prophesied it, Jesus repeated it and said it was fulfilled in the hearing of those in the synagogue that day, and Luke recorded it. (Isaiah 61.1-2a; Luke 4.18-19)

“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the Year of the Lord’s favor.”

And, that Jesus did. He proclaimed God’s kingdom all of the way through the Cross on Calvary, then he gave all of that to us to proclaim.

The poor are not poor anymore. They have all the fullness that is in God’s house. They are His children again because of what Jesus did from the garden to the cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grace to the right hand of God. Just as the prodigal son was poor and without, because of Jesus, the Father is able to come near to us, change our circumstances, dress us in clean clothes, put a ring on our finger saying we are family and all in the house is ours, and throw a party just because we showed up.

Liberty means to be set free; freedom. Those held captive to beliefs, captive to circumstances, captive to addictions … all are set free of all of that.

Recovery of sight to the blind means exactly that. Those who cannot see will. Whether physical, mental, or spiritual; wherever the blindness was, because of Jesus and what he did, God will bring sight.

Set at liberty those who are oppressed means to remove those who are bullying or oppressing people so that the people are free to live their lives at peace. There is a chance for the oppressors to repent and change their ways, but if not, God will remove them to set the people free. Read history. It bears this out.

To proclaim the Year of the Lord’s Favor is to proclaim the Jubilee gift God gave to Israel via Moses. In the fiftieth year, the people of Israel were to celebrate a Jubilee – take the whole year off as a vacation! But, it gets better. Every six years then land is worked. On the seventh, the land takes a Sabbath – the whole year off. So, in year forty-nine, Israel would have been off already for a year before year fifty starts. This means that in year forty-eight the harvests and produce of Israel would have been so large as to cover year forty-nine off, year fifty off, and year one as new seed is planted and new harvests grown. Only God would create such a system as to have three years of harvest in one year!! And, this is what Jesus proclaimed: the super-abundant harvest from God and rest from all your labors. What was enjoyed by Adam and Eve in the Garden in Eden is now everyday for those who walk with God as Jesus did and does.

Some will say: “Good for them! That was then. This is now.” “That is easier said than done.” “That was Jesus. Of course it’s easy for him.”

And, that was and is the point of the Cross: that all who come to the Cross of Christ will be healed and saved. Saved from the judgment God has for sin, and healed from all hurts, sin, sickness, disease, oppression.

Then, as if that was not enough right there, Jesus said more: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14.12)

Jesus did not just say that to the Twelve who were always with him, but there was a larger group that followed him everywhere. Jesus spoke to those around him, true, and he spoke to those beyond his disciples. It was always “anyone who will” and anyone who heard his teachings and believed. (John 17.20-24)

Paul, writing to the Ephesians, noted that God gave gifts to Man: apostles (delegates, messengers, ambassadors sent by God), prophets (those who speak God’s mind), evangelists (those who announce the good news of God), pastors (those who shepherd, tend, feed, care for God’s people), and teachers (doctor, master, teacher) to build up and equip the body of Christ for the work of the ministry. (Ephesians 4.11-12)

What is the work of the ministry, again? That which Jesus was anointed to do.

That which Jesus was anointed or commissioned to do is now the anointing or commissioning of the body of Christ to do. It is God raising up Jesus – a Man who walks wholly with God – in every generation. It is a given that Man cannot immediately go from where they are now to walking with God like Jesus. For this reason, God gave the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher to the Church, so that you (the Church) can be built up from where you are to where Jesus is.

Let us begin this journey together, in Jesus’ name.

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This is the first part in the series: The Works of the Ministry.
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