Faith

The Healer Not The Healing

by Jeff Drinnan
11/05/20
For Sale
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

Jesus is not a genie who grants your wishes and that's the end of it. At one of the meetings of Conquering Addictions, a faith-based meeting run by lay people, the speaker said that the ministry is not just about, in my words, freeing yourself from the voluntary slavery of drug addiction, but about your relationship with the Lord.

"Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, 'Where did this man learn these things, and what is this wisdom that has been given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? Is this not the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are His sisters not here with us?' And they took offense at Him. Jesus said to them, 'A prophet is not dishonored except in his hometown and among his own relatives, and in his own household.' And He could not do any miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He was amazed at their unbelief.

And He was going around the villages, teaching." -Mark 6: 1-6

Jesus' healing was not just about the healing, but the character of God, who He is, the one who restores our relationship to Him and makes things right. Jesus makes broken people whole. We should not become mercenary, utilitarian about God and just go to Him for what we can get out of Him. This is like summer friends, who hang around a neighbor who has a swimming pool then, come fall, have nothing to do with them!

When Jesus calmed the sea during a storm when he was in the boat with his disciple fishermen, his disciples learned more about God's character. They realized that He was in control and learned to have faith in Christ. "Where is your faith?" he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him." -Luke 8:25

In the book of Job, satan tells God that Job only worships him for what He gives to him, and that if that the gifts God gave Job were taken away, then Job would no longer worship God. In essence, God told satan "you're on!" and took away earthly things from Job. Although Job didn't really like what was happening, he still worshipped God.

Drug addiction is one example of the sin of idolatry, where the creation is worshipped rather than the creator. A few centuries back, the Reverend George Herbert wrote a short poem about this:

The Pulley

BY GEORGE HERBERT

When God at first made man,
Having a glass of blessings standing by,
“Let us,” said he, “pour on him all we can.
Let the world’s riches, which dispersèd lie,
Contract into a span.”

So strength first made a way;
Then beauty flowed, then wisdom, honour, pleasure.
When almost all was out, God made a stay,
Perceiving that, alone of all his treasure,
Rest in the bottom lay.

“For if I should,” said he,
“Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
He would adore my gifts instead of me,
And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature;
So both should losers be.

“Yet let him keep the rest,
But keep them with repining restlessness;
Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
May toss him to my breast.”