Spiritually Sick

Spiritually Sick (by David Peterson of The Rock Of Jesus Church)

Jesus was in the district of Tyre and Sidon when He was confronted by a Gentile, Canaanite woman with a demon-possessed daughter. She asked for mercy from Him, on behalf of her daughter, and in Matthew 15:24-26 it says; “But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” Yet He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

At this point in Jesus’ ministry He focused “on the lost sheep of Israel” to spread His gospel for the “spiritually sick”. While His words to this women may seem harsh, Jesus used a word for dog that is warm and compassionate and even allowed her to make an expression of her faith.

Theologian C. Sam Storms once wrote: “Scripture does not portray people as merely sick or even confined to intensive care. They are spiritually dead. They are religious and moral cadavers! Yes, people are very much alive physically and mentally and emotionally. But they are dead spiritually. This is not to say that faith and repentance are unnecessary. If a man is to be saved it will be through faith, or not at all. But because he is spiritually lifeless (Eph. 2:1-2), he must first be made alive by the power of God’s grace before he is able to repent and believe.” The woman in the scripture above had faith and Jesus recognized her faith. Through their interaction, Jesus showed us His love and compassion for all people, both Jew and Gentile, who need a cure for spiritual sickness.

Thomas Gallaudet wrote the hymn “Jesus, In Sickness and in Pain” in 1845. The first verse reads:

Jesus, in sickness and in pain,

Be near to succor me,

My sinking spirit still sustain;

To Thee I turn, to Thee.

Gallaudet addresses our need for Jesus as our cure for sickness and pain. It is through Him that we have strength to prevail in all circumstances.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, we are all spiritually sick until you reach us and lead us away from earthly, carnal lives. With you, we are remade and transformed into the children you want us to be. Amen.