Tuesday January 21
Healing the Children
Read the following passages:
Matthew 9:18-26
9:18 While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
9:19 And Jesus arose, and followed him, and [so did] his disciples.
9:20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind [him], and touched the hem of his garment:
9:21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
9:23 And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise,
9:24 He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn.
9:25 But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.
9:26 And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land.
Mark 7:24-30
7:24 And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know [it]: but he could not be hid.
7:25 For a [certain] woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:
7:26 The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
7:27 But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast [it] unto the dogs.
7:28 And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
7:29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
7:30 And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
Luke 9:37-43
9:37 And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him.
9:38 And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child.
9:39 And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him.
9:40 And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.
9:41 And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.
9:42 And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare [him]. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father.
9:43 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples,
John 4:46-54
4:46 So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
4:47 When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
4:48 Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
4:49 The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
4:50 Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
4:51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told [him], saying, Thy son liveth.
4:52 Then inquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
4:53 So the father knew that [it was] at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
4:54 This [is] again the second miracle [that] Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
Whose children were restored in these stories? How are these children’s backgrounds similar? What differences might you detect? What lessons can we learn from these texts that can help us today?
In all of these stories, one overwhelming similarity is that, in each case, a desperate parent came to Jesus, seeking help for a child. What parent cannot relate? What parent hasn’t felt pain, anguish, fear, and outright horror when a child was very sick, or even dying? For those who have been there, there’s nothing worse.
And though Jesus Himself had not been a parent, He related enough to them in His humanity that He healed their children.
Jesus has many children. He even referred to us as His little children. "Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you." John 13:33.
In each case the healing came. He turned no one away. Thus, His love not just for the parents but for the children came through clearly.
Of course, this leads to a whole host of questions regarding cases when praying and pleading parents call out to Jesus and, yet, their children are not healed. There is, perhaps, no sadder experience than burying children. Death should be reserved for older generations. The unnatural order of parents mourning their children’s death makes the heart revolt. During these funerals nearly every parent asks, "Shouldn’t it have been me?"
The number one disease that kills children under age 15 is cancer. The most common form of cancer that kills children is leukemia. It does not just happen, it is caused. Much dairy is infected with leukemia virus. Do you know that a virus can cause cancer? Prevention is worth 1000 pounds of cure. It is left with parents to prevent disease in their children.
Mourning physical death and observing spiritual decay may be equally painful. How many parents have agonized about children overwhelmed by drug addiction, by pornography, or adolescent indifference? Whatever the affliction, we must learn to trust in the Lord and His goodness and love, even when things do not turn out so happily, as they did in the biblical stories listed above. Ellen G. White, a prophet, buried two children. Our world is a rough place; our God, though, is a loving God, and that truth is what we must cling to, no matter what.
God places some in the ground to save their souls. What a loving god!