Dear Christian friends:

We often are perplexed by severe sicknesses that happen to us or to others near us. "Why does God permit this to happen?" we ask. "Why doesn't He hear my prayer and heal me? We complain, "If He is a God of love, why must some people suffer so much?" we argue.

I doubt if our text can answer all these questions, but it does give much Light on the subject of illness and God's healing ministry in Jesus Christ. Our text shows that Jesus is truly the great Healer.

Jesus healed many people during His ministry here on earth. In our text we read that Jesus and His disciples went to Simon Peter's house, where they found Peter's mother-in-law sick in bed with a fever. They told Jesus about her illness and He went to her bedside took her by the hand and helped her to sit up. Her fever immediately vanished and she arose and served Jesus and His disciples a meal.

Usually when someone has been sick with a high fever they remain weak and lie in bed another day after the fever breaks. But here Peter's mother-in- law arises immediately and prepares and serves a meal. Jesus restored her and the fever broke. Truly that was a great miracle.

By evening that same day people from the city brought many sick people to Peter's house, also those who were possessed by demons, and Jesus healed them.

The four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell about many other times and places when Jesus healed all various sick people. Jesus when He lived here on earth showed Himself to be the Great Healer.

Does Jesus still heal today? Some say He does; others say He doesn't. Jesus is still the Great Healer today. He mostly heals through natural means: physicians, drugs, modern healing machines and techniques are all gifts and blessings from Jesus who sits at God's right hand and blesses men. He gives men life, health, wisdom to think and do and heal. Sometimes He heals without our modern health care systems or in spite of them. Often it is the combination of miracle and natural means. I remember the case of one of our first Lutheran ministers to the deaf, Dr. John L Salvner, who served the deaf for 59 years, from 1901-1960. When he began his ministry in Minneapolis, Minn. He became ill with tubercolosis. T.B. He visited his physician who told him that he must give up preaching and go home to rest at his parents home in Saginaw, Michigan. The physician also told Dr. Salvner's brother that Rev. Salvner would die in six months time because of the T.B.

But Dr. Salvner refused to go home and rest. He said, "The Lord has called me to preach Jesus to the deaf and that is what I intend to do." He prayed earnestly to the Lord to heal him and help him so that he could continue his ministry to the deaf. The Lord heard his prayer. Dr. Salvner read on advertisement in a magazine from a German doctor in Milwaukee, who claimed he could heal T.B. through deep breathing exercises. Dr. Salyvner immediately wrote a letter to him and sent him the money for his instruction book. After he received the book Dr. Salvner began the deep breathing exercises and diet. In a few weeks his health improved and he was able to continue his ministry to the deaf. His physician in Minneapolis said he would die in 6 months, but he lived 59 more years and died at the ripe old age of 84.

As Jesus healed Dr. Salvner, so he heals many, many people today. Jesus is the Ruler and Healer. We who know him and believe in him call him "The Great Physician." Also many believing physicians in our modern world call Jesus that.

A well known surgeon here in America once said, "You know, if I am to be a good surgeon I must know three subjects, physiology, mental therapy and religion."

"Why religion," another doctor asked. He replied, "Because the circulatory processes in a guinea pig are the same as in human beings, and the respiratory processes in a horse are the same as in a man. The only difference between me and a veterinarian and God bless the veterinarian is that I am treating a human soul. When I enter an operating room, I must remember that sometimes the patient needs some comfort more than a pill; that I cannot cure the fever until I dissolve the fear that is causing the fever. We doctors today need something more in our medical kits than we can buy at the corner pharmacy - we need a grip on God!" (from the book, Life's Hidden Power)

Yes, Jesus is still the Great Physician today. Some people know it and some do not.

But unlike earthly doctors Jesus heals for eternity. Men healers can only prolong life a few more years. Eventually all men must die. Although God healed Dr. Salvner and permitted him to live 59 more years here on earth, Dr. Salvner finally died like everyone else. Jesus heals for eternity! How?

We read in our text, "The next morning, a long time before sunrise, Jesus got up and left the house. He went to a lonely place to pray. But Simon and his friends came looking for Jesus. When they found Him, they said, "Everyone is looking for you." But Jesus answered, "we must go to the other cities around here. I must preach to those people also, because that is why I came" (verses 35-38) What does Jesus mean? He means to say, "I did not come here only to heal the people's sick bodies and minds. I came to preach My Message."

And what is Jesus' message? His message is, "God's Kingdom is here now. Repent and believe the Gospel."(Mark 1:15) Jesus said to Nicodemus,"Unless you are born again, you can never enter into the Kingdom of God. Unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Men can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven ---- and as Moses in the wilderness lifted up the bronze image of a serpent on a pole, even so I must be lifted up upon a pole (cross), so that anyone who believes in Me will have eternal life. For God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:3-6,14-16)

Jesus is the Great Healer of both body and soul. One day our eternal souls shall be reunited with our raised, changed and glorious bodies. Our bodies will never die again or be ill, or blind, or deaf or crippled or retarded. Then we shall really be healed. Healed for eternity.

Praise and glory give to Jesus Christ, our Great Healer!

Amen.