“Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”  Matthew 10:1

Jesus was preparing His disciples for their ministry. He sent them out to go to the people. One of His instructions was “to heal.”  It is clear that Healing was a part of their ministry, as you can see in the scripture above. 

In Mark 16:15-20, right before Jesus ascended, Mark records the Great Commission a little differently than what we know of in Matthew 28:18 (the Go Make Disciples passage): “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation…these signs will accompany those who believe:  In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well…Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His Word by the signs that accompanied it.”

Jesus told His disciples to go and proclaim the gospel to everyone. They should not focus only on the Jews but reach out to all kinds of people. This is a very important task because God wants everyone to know Him and for His kingdom to advance. God’s kingdom is not about a specific place.

In fact, His kingdom is among all those who recognize Jesus as King, put their trust in Him, and obey Him. This means that His righteousness, peace, and joy is seen in everything we do. When you look at your school, office, or community, there are many people who still need to hear the gospel. Today, God is partnering with us, His people—you and me—to do this work. Just as Jesus did not leave the disciples empty handed, His promise still stands today. The Holy Spirit is still at work, and signs and wonders will follow wherever His word is preached. May this make us bold as we continue with this task.

Jesus assures His followers that supernatural signs and healing will follow those who have faith in Him. It demonstrates the authority and power that believers gain through their relationship with God.

It seems the instruction to heal was as clear as the instruction to make disciples. This was not “just” for the original 12. In Luke 10:1-8, we read about Jesus sending out 72 people, 2 by 2. He told them: “When you enter a town, eat what is offered to you.  Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” Luke 10:8-9

You probably believe, as I do, that we should be Jesus’ Disciples today. In this modern-day world, we are meant to follow His teachings. If that is so, shouldn’t we expect to do the same things they did?  As a matter of fact, Jesus says we can do even greater things: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in Me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  John 14:12

We are God’s partners in this mission. Jesus gave the command to go and make disciples before He went back to heaven. This command was for the church—us—to carry out. Will you do your part in carrying out God’s plan?

Health is not valued till sickness comes. – Thomas Fuller