THE MISSION TO HEAL IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT

Abstract

STUART C. BATE [*] Introduction Health, faith and healing are aspects of Christianity that are clearly linked together. Healing was a central part of the way in which Jesus carried out his mission, and he mandated this mission his disciples. [1] In fact Jesus' ministry can be categorized into three basic activities: He preached good news, he healed the sick and he died on the cross. Clearly, Christian activity and praxis must take the issue of healing seriously. I would like focus on four main areas in this input. 1. The biblical notion of healing in the ministry of Jesus; 2. The nature of the mission passed on the church; 3. Developing a missiological model for praxis; 4. Commonalities in different cultural healing processes. I will also provide two examples of how the missiological model developed may be applied in practice. 1. The biblical notion of healing in the ministry of Jesus It is informative look at the terms used for healing in the scriptures and their meaning within the culture of the time. Five different Greek words are used refer the healing work of Jesus. These are iasthai [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] sozo [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] therapeuo [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] katharizomai [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] and apokathistemi [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. The first three are by far the most frequent, and we will concentrate on these. The first, iasthai [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], refers the kind of healing done by a physician (iatros: [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. It appears seventeen times in the gospels and is used of Jesus in all gospels (cf. Mark 2:17 and parallels) but especially in Luke (5:17; 6:19; Acts 10:38). The related word for a physical cure (jasis [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) is used both literally (cf. Luke 13:32) and figuratively in gospel texts (cf. Matt. 13:15, John 12:40).[2] However the use of this word is quite limited and, in fact, the main words used for the healings by both Jesus and the apostles are sozo [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] and therapeuo [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. Sozo also means save, rescue or maintain integrity, and always refers the whole person and not individual members of the body. [3] It is used 16 times for healing in the New Testament and 35 times in a less clinical sense for other forms of saving. Therapeuo is used in the New Testament in the sense of to heal, and always in such a way that the reference is not medical treatment which might fail but real healing. [4] This term is used 33 times for healing in the New Testament. When it comes the act whereby Jesus heals, the word that is primarily used is dunamis [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]. Dunamis is a powerful or marvellous force which originates in God. [5] We get our English word dynamic from the same Greek word. Unfortunately, dunamis has often been translated miracle in English translations and the current Western understanding of this word is of an event which is outside the normal rules of nature. This restrictive usage is not what the original text wishes communicate. Dunamis gives Jesus control of all powers and spirits, and in this way he is able work signs and wonders. However the term is really misunderstood when interpreted in the sense of miracle as this is understood in modern Western culture. In fact, the healings of Jesus and the casting out of demons are always about the saving, rescuing or restoring of human life for the person. Sometimes this power is impeded and Jesus and the apostles are unable heal. Such is the case in Mark 6 (Matt. 13) when Jesus cannot heal because of a lack of faith of the people of his hometown. On another occasion the apostles cannot heal (Matt. 17:16) as the people do not believe. …