But Jesus answered and said, “Permit even this.” And He touched his ear and healed him. (Luke 22:51)
This verse describes Jesus’ response to Peter’s rash act of cutting off one of the Temple guard’s ears when he was trying to take Jesus into custody. This guard was just doing his job. He may have actually been a follower of Jesus, or he may have hated Jesus like the other religious Jews did. The Bible doesn’t tell us. But regardless of the feelings and beliefs this guard had about Him, Jesus immediately healed him. This demonstrates His great desire for all people to be well and whole, and it also shows one of the many ways He healed people.
Jesus often healed people by touching them, and others received their healing as they touched Jesus. You can transmit the power or the anointing of God through the laying on of hands [simple_tooltip content=’they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”’](Mark 16:18[/simple_tooltip]; [simple_tooltip content=’of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.’]Heb.6:2)[/simple_tooltip]. The virtue of God can even be transmitted to objects and then brought to the person who needs healing or deliverance [simple_tooltip content=’so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.’](Acts 19:12)[/simple_tooltip].
Healing has been purchased for us as part of the atonement of Christ. The Lord would no more refuse to heal us than He would refuse to forgive us. That does not mean we deserve healing—we don’t—but we don’t deserve to be forgiven either! They are both gifts from God [simple_tooltip content=’For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’](Rom. 6:23[/simple_tooltip]; [simple_tooltip content=’For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,’]Eph. 2:8)[/simple_tooltip].
Today you know you are saved by the redemptive work of Jesus, not your good deeds. You are also healed by the blood of Jesus, not your works. You cannot earn salvation or healing, but you can receive both by faith. When you doubt you are worthy of being healed, remember how Jesus healed the guard’s ear. If Jesus healed him without even thinking about it, He fervently desires that you receive your healing as well.
