So far I have suggested some ways that Jesus could have achieved apparent success at healing various afflictions and thus gained a reputation as a healer, and presented some evidence from the Gospels that there were limitations to Jesus’ ability to heal and that some people may have relapsed after their apparent healings. Now I would like to discuss both negative and positive aspects of Jesus’ reputation as a divine healer.
I doubt that Jesus knew the medical phrase, “primum non nocere,” roughly translated as “First, do no harm.” It a basic medical principle suggesting that even doing nothing is better than doing something that is likely to harm rather than help the patient. If Jesus could truly heal serious diseases then it seems unlikely that any harm would result, but only benefit. However, if Jesus’ actions only gave the appearance of healing then harm could definitely result. Consider the situation discussed in Part 1 from Mark 9, where the father had a son whose seizures were thought to be due to an evil spirit. Jesus claims to cast out the spirit, and the seizure stops (as most seizures do). What harm could there be in this? Suppose that a few days later Jesus has moved on to another village and the boy suffers a seizure. How discouraging would that be to him and his father? To have their joy dashed to pieces. Worse, people often feel guilty when something like this happens. What have we done that spoiled the exorcism? What sin have we committed that the demon has returned? Perhaps they would have to endure accusatory looks from family and friends who wonder what they’ve done to lose the healing and be re-possessed. I would argue this is real harm added to an already unfortunate situation.
What about the very idea that neurobioogcal conditions like seizures and psychiatric illness are caused by demon possession rather than medical disease? How terrible was it for people to endure such conditions AND also believe that they were possessed by evil spirits?! Talk about making a bad situation worse. If you believe a condition is caused by demons do you consult a priest or a physician? This was not just in Jesus’ time. Even today there are people who seek exorcism, prayer, holy ointments, faith healers, etc., in lieu of sound medical care. Amazingly, and sadly, there are 34 states that provide exemptions to child abuse statutes when medical treatment is refused due to the religious beliefs of the parents. Children die as a result. I would say this is real harm brought about by these ancient stories. If Jesus had the wisdom of a divine being then he might have anticipated this and encouraged future generations to seek out physicians for medical care, but he did not, and people down through the centuries have suffered as a result.[1] Particularly those with neurobiological disorders who have been labeled as possessed rather than ill.[2]
I had my own encounter with this problem. One of my patients had biopsy-proven lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system) but she refused to accept the diagnosis or treatment because a spiritual advisor told her it was not lymphoma, just allergies, because Jesus would not put this on her! Fortunately, her husband and friends eventually convinced her to accept the diagnosis and receive successful treatment, but I fear others like her have not been so lucky.
If you think about it, even if Jesus was the divine Son of God and could miraculously heal people, the examples of these miracles recorded in the Gospels would still have caused such harm. I think we saw evidence of this during the recent Covid-19 pandemic. I bet you saw or heard people say that they didn’t need to take precautions or get the vaccine because they had Jesus’ or God’s protection. I would point out that every Christian from the time of Jesus up until the present generation has died! EVERY ONE of them! And many of them died from infectious disease. It can’t be that they didn’t have enough faith, because surely there have been some faithful Christians over the past 2,000 years. Yet every single one has died. No exceptions. We are fortunate to have such good medical care available today, but it is sad that too many lose that advantage by allowing the miracle stories to misdirect them away from such care. And nowhere does the Bible say it is wrong to seek medical care even while you pray to God. I envision a devout Christian dying of Covid-19, and in heaven complaining to Jesus that he prayed for protection. Jesus answers, “That’s why I gave you a vaccine in record time!” Ironically, I think the Gospel might have been better served without the miracle healing stories. Jesus was trying to prepare people for the kingdom of God. Does the truth of Jesus’ teachings depend on miracle stories? Such stories only increase the skepticism of the skeptical and might mislead the faithful to dwell on physical health rather than purity of soul. Is that what Jesus was going for?
Still, when I read the miracle stories I find some worthwhile lessons, even as a medical doctor. I think of one of the earliest miracles recorded in Mark 1, where Jesus encounters a man with leprosy, and ‘Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him.’ Touched him! What a wonderful visual lesson: reaching out and touching the untouchable! It reminds me of the health care workers on the frontline of the Covid pandemic who put themselves in harm’s way to help others, as they do with many other diseases.
Consider the story discussed previously of the “demon-possessed” man called Legion. Everyone is afraid of him, but Jesus sits down and calmly talks with him. How long had it been since someone dared to sit and talk with this poor soul? How different would psychiatric care have been if physicians of old sat down and talked with such people rather than locking them up in madhouses or administering barbaric treatments like flogging or throwing them into a cold river as a form of shock treatment?
In Mark 5 Jesus deals with ‘a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years.’ It seems most likely that this refers to irregular menstrual bleeding. This was a major social problem, as this would have made her continually ritualistically unclean according to the Jewish law. Here she is in the middle of a crowd of people and yet Jesus blesses her rather than scolding her. In fact, a number of the healing stories involve Jesus violating religious taboos, such as healing on the Sabbath. Compassion is more important than legalism (strict enforcement of rules). I like that lesson.
To the faithful the stories of Jesus healing various afflictions is evidence that He was the divine Son of God. To the skeptics they are merely the stuff of legend. The truth may lie somewhere in between, as legend often has some basis in fact. Regardless of your perspective, I believe the stories of healing have merit to read and discuss. It is worth considering the potential harm if people allow such stories to turn them or their children away from sound medical care. Or they can be understood as tales of hope, that one day God will heal all our diseases. Or simply encouragement to look upon those afflicted with compassion and to reach out and help them. In a world in which too many die of preventable and treatable diseases, and even in our own affluent nation where many lack ready access to medical care, that may be the most important lesson of all.
If you are a devout Christian and love Jesus, feel free to skip the next post. It considers whether Jesus and his disciples may have deliberately deceived people with these “miracles.”
Thinking exercises:
1. If the gospels did not contain any miracle stories of Jesus would it change your opinion of him or his teachings? If faith in Jesus is dependent on the miracle stories, do you see any problems with that? What about the miracle stories associated with other religious leaders, even today?
2. How would you have felt to have a seizure disorder, which is distressing enough, but then were also told that you were possessed by evil spirits?
3. Why do you think God withheld information about disease, the Bible containing no hints of genetics or germs as sources of disease? Why blame evil spirits? Was it a scare tactic to make people dependent on the clergy rather than seeking medical treatment from a physician?
4. Would it have been better for the stories to simply show Jesus as treating the sick with compassion and concern rather than stories of miraculous healing that even now give people false hope of miracle cures?
[1] I realize that in Mark 2 (also found in Mathew and Luke) Jesus said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick,” but Jesus often attributed their problems to demonic possession or Satan (as in Luke 13:16), rather than a physical process.
[2] Neurobiological disorder: An illness of the nervous system caused by genetic, metabolic, or other biological factors. Many illnesses categorized as psychiatric disorders are now called neurobiological disorders.