What Jesus Demands From the World by John Piper

Author:John Piper
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, azw3, pdf
Tags: New Testament, Religion, Christian Theology, Biblical Studies, Christology, Biblical Criticism & Interpretation
ISBN: 9781581348453
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2006-09-20T22:00:00+00:00

How Shall We Obey the Command to Heal?

From this, the question rises about our responsibility today to con-

tinue the healing ministry of Jesus as a witness to the arrival of the

kingdom in his life and work. There are those who say that we

should indeed continue the ministry of Jesus today, preaching and

performing miraculous healings in the same way he did. Others

argue that such miraculous gifts and authority ceased with the dis-

appearance of the apostles and the first generation of believers.

My own view lies between these two positions. I think the first

group needs to come to terms with the role that miraculous heal-

ings had in bearing witness to the unique person and work of Jesus.

In other words, it does seem that the astonishing ministry of mirac-

ulous healing that Jesus and some of his first followers had was

236 Demand #30

part of the extraordinary events surrounding the incarnation of

God’s Son. The consistency and completeness with which Jesus

healed was unparalleled in human history. Every ministry of mirac-

ulous healing after the events of those first days falls far short of what

Jesus actually did. I don’t think this is owing to unbelief but to the

intended uniqueness of Jesus and those foundational days. What

Jesus did in healing and raising the dead was to reveal and antici-

pate the kind of thing that would happen fully in the age to come.

On the other hand, I do not see any reason to deny that some

measure of miraculous healing should accompany the ministry of the

gospel today. I suspect there will always be differing judgments as

to how prominent that ministry should be. The best way forward,

it seems to me, is to have an appreciation both for the reality of

miraculous healing as a witness to God’s compassion and power and

for the centrality of the word of God in saving sinners and the sov-

ereignty of God in healing as he pleases. Therefore, obedience to

Jesus today will for some groups mean a return to the centrality of

the word, and for other groups a discovery of the freedom and mer-

ciful power of God in healing.

Doing Good When Hated

The miracles of Jesus did not always result in saving faith. Some were

more impressed with his power than his person. At one point Jesus’

own brothers were more enamored by the public acclaim Jesus was

getting than by the spiritual beauty revealed through his miracles.

They tried to get him to be more public with his miracles in

Jerusalem: “No one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly.

If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” To which John

adds, “For not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:4-5).

And one must ponder with grief the stunning fact that Judas proba-

bly did miracles of healing along with the other apostles, but in the

end he betrayed Jesus.

Therefore, even the ministry of healing can fall within the com-

mand, “Do good to those who hate you.” We should pause and let

this sink in. Hate is a very strong word. Think of what it might

Do Good to Those Who Hate You 237

look like and feel like to be hated.

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