Lesson Seven
Miracles of Healing (Continued)

 The Paralytic Healed:
•	Mark 2:1-12.
1. Circumstances:
•	When Jesus returned to Capernaum, He entered into a house, which very likely was Peter's since He had been there shortly before on the previous visit to Capernaum. 
•	The news of His presence spread until a crowd gathered that packed out the house and the yard.
•	 The house was so packed that there was no access to the door. 
•	There were many that were there to satisfy their curiosity, but there were others who were there to find fault.
•	Suddenly four men approached carrying a stretcher. 
•	Upon the stretcher lay a man sick of the palsy, a paralytic, unable to move. 
•	Not only was he very ill but he was greatly distressed about the sinful life that he had lived. 
•	He knew that He was not ready to die and he was suffering under a great load of sin and guilt.
•	The four men unable to enter the door were determined to find another way. 
•	They carried the sick man to the roof and lifted the tiles of the roof. 
•	They now lowered the paralytic to the feet of Jesus.
2.Need:
•	The man needed both physical and spiritual healing. 
•	His greatest need was that of having his sins forgiven.
3. How Was the Miracle Performed?
•	This man was so sick that he could do nothing for himself. 
•	He could not even cry out for help.
•	Jesus saw two things: a) the spiritual and physical need of this man and b) the faith of the four men (Mark 2:5). 
•	He began with the more urgent need, that of forgiving his sins. 
•	His sickness might have been the result of living in dissipation and sin. 
•	He forgave his sins, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." 
•	Immediately He was accused of blasphemy for exercising a divine prerogative.
•	Jesus knew this and asked them the question, "Whether is it easier to say ... Thy sins be forgiven ... or ... take up thy bed and walk?" 
•	He now addresses the paralytic with a command, "Arise, and take up thy bed."
•	Immediately the man was healed and obeyed. 
•	He rolled up his bed and walked out. 
•	His critics were silenced and the crowd glorified the Lord.
4. Results and The Lesson Learned:
•	 Let us first look at the four men who brought the man to Jesus. 
•	They had a) Vision; b) Cooperation; c) Determination and d) Faith. 
•	It took all four to get healing and salvation for this poor man.
•	Jesus showed which was more important by forgiving the man first. 
•	He also showed just how a miracle can still opposition criticism.
•	The paralytic also had his part. 
•	He had to exercise bold, obedient faith. 
•	He was not healed lying prostrate. 
•	He had to rise, take up his bed, and walk. 
•	This called for faith and obedience.

 The Impotent Man Healed:
•	John 5:1-16.
1. Circumstances:
•	The name, "Bethesda" meant "House of Mercy." 
•	It was the name of a pool that had five porches. 
•	The pool bubbled regularly from some volcanic force and the popular belief was that some angel troubled the water. 
•	A great multitude of sick people surrounded the pool waiting for the troubling of the water.
•	Jesus deliberately went to Bethesda on the Sabbath Day for He was under attack concerning the Sabbath. 
•	Here Jesus found among the crowd a man who had been afflicted for thirty-eight years.
2. Need:
•	Here was a helpless cripple who had suffered for thirty-eight years.
3. How Was the Miracle Performed?
•	Jesus wanted this man to express his desire for healing. 
•	"Wilt thou be made whole?" 
•	To this question the man answered that he had no man to put him into the pool. 
•	This was a confession of his own lack of faith. 
•	He was looking for the help of others. 
•	Like thousands of others he was looking for "means" and to some other person's faith and prayers.
•	Jesus gave him the simple command, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk." 
•	The man immediately was healed, took up his bed and walked.
4. Results and The Lesson Learned:
•	We must not look to others for help in receiving healing. 
•	First of all there must be the will to be healed. 
•	We must believe and obey the command of God.
•	Healing comes that we might live for the Lord. 
•	"Sin no more lest a worse thing come upon thee" (John 5:14). 
•	The lesson here is simply that if a person is healed and goes back into a life of sin, there is the possibility of a worse sickness coming upon him.

The Man with the Withered Hand:
•	Matthew 12:6-13 & Luke 6:6-11.
1.  Circumstances:
•	This miracle took place on the Sabbath day. 
•	Jesus was under criticism because his disciples had plucked corn and ate on the Sabbath day. 
•	Here He made two very important statements:
•	"In this place is one greater than the temple" and "The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day."
2. Need:
•	A man had a hand that was deformed and crippled either hurt from an accident or crippled from disease, or he may have been born with this.
•	 At any rate his hand was completely helpless.
3. How Was the Miracle Performed?
•	Jesus was facing strong opposition but he did not hesitate. 
•	The man had been sitting on the floor like the rest of the congregation. 
•	Jesus said, "Rise up and stand forth in the midst!" 
•	The man stood up. 
•	"Stretch forth your hand." 
•	Immediately the man stretched forth his hand and it was made completely whole.
•	The miracle was performed by a command of Jesus and an act of obedience upon the part of the man.
4. Results and The Lesson Taught:
•	We might state the lessons taught here as:
•	A. Jesus was greater than the temple and He was greater than the infirmity of this man.
•	B. The miracle took place at the command of Jesus.
•	C. To stretch forth a withered hand was an impossible thing for this man to do, but nothing is impossible with the Lord.
•	D. We always can do what Jesus tells us, the will of God is always possible.

The Centurion's Servant Healed:
•	Matthew 8:5-13 & Luke 7:1-10.
1. Circumstances:
•	There lived at Capernaum a centurion. 
•	A centurion is an officer in the Roman army over one hundred soldiers. 
•	Very likely he would be Roman in nationality.
•	This centurion had been kind to the Jewish people and had built for them a synagogue. 
•	He had a servant who was very ill at the point of death.
•	When Jesus entered Capernaum some of the elders of the Jews met Him and requested that He heal the servant. 
•	Jesus started to go towards the centurion's home when the centurion met Him. 
•	He said that he was unworthy for Jesus to come into his home and that Jesus need to speak the word only.
2. Need: 
•	A servant was sick and at the point of death
3. How Was the Miracle Performed?
•	Jesus marveled at the faith of this Gentile and granted his request. 
•	"Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it unto thee."
•	The centurion said that he was a man who gave orders and was obeyed, and that Jesus need only do likewise. 
•	The Lord accepted this and did exactly as the man requested. 
•	The servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
•	4. Results And The Lesson Taught:
•	This Gentile had very little spiritual light but He believed that Jesus had absolute authority over the forces of the universe even as he had over his disciplined soldiers. 
•	With this faith he had beautiful humility. 
•	He felt that he was standing before One greater than his Emperor was.
•	We who have more light and knowledge than this Roman soldier should have greater faith and have greater humility. 
•	At the same time we can bid Jesus to enter not only our homes but also our very hearts. 
•	If we have this type of faith and humility, Jesus certainly will answer our prayers.

Lesson Seven
Self Help Test

A. What do we learn from the efforts of the four men who brought the paralytic to Jesus?
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B.	Why did Jesus marvel at the faith of the centurion?
C.	Why did Jesus ask the impotent man, "Wilt thou be made whole?"
D.	Describe fully how the man with the withered hand was healed.
E.	How did Jesus prove that He could forgive sin?