A Homily by Archdeacon Alexander Govorov on Healing from Illnesses #
We have now come to a very important and intriguing topic: the miracles of Christ. These miracles should not be a cause of doubt for anyone, for they were performed by the Lord Himself. And they were many. As the Apostle John the Theologian says, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written” (John 21:25). Nevertheless, some of these miracles were recorded in the Gospel, and not without purpose.
Why did Jesus Christ perform miracles? Why did He not teach about the Kingdom of Heaven using words alone? Because the nature of man is twofold: he consists of the visible—his body—and the invisible—his soul. And the sickness of original sin spread inseparably to both of these natures. If our soul is healthy—that is, if it is not enshrouded in the veil of sin—then our body, too, is healthy. It does happen that the Lord allows His righteous ones to endure bodily illness for the sake of their greater glorification. But for the most part, bodily illnesses are connected with the sickness of the soul.
When a person suffers from bodily ailments, he is forced—whether he wills it or not—to endure. And when one endures rightly, he draws nearer to God. However, very often people endure illness wrongly: they grumble against God, they complain, supposing themselves to be free of grave sins. In this way, they deprive themselves of any reward, only worsen their illness, and give place to the devil. For the devil always rejoices when people murmur against their Creator in their sufferings and sicknesses. But if a person, on the contrary, gives thanks to God for the sorrows allowed to him and accepts them with humility, then the devil is powerless to do anything to him and flees in shame.
Thus, both our body and our soul need healing. Of course, Christ gave primary attention to the soul, for it is like the root. If the root is good, the tree also will be sound. If the foundation is strong, the building will stand firm. And conversely: a tree with a diseased root will die, a building with an unstable foundation will collapse. Every time before working a miracle, Jesus tested a person’s faith. If He found faith in someone, He would heal them—even raise the dead.
In the Gospel we also see examples where the Lord healed people who showed no outward signs of faith. Their friends brought them, or relatives and rulers made supplication on their behalf. Thus, the centurion asked Jesus to heal his servant; a nobleman asked for his son’s healing. In these cases, we see the great faith of those who interceded for the sick. But it is also evident that the sick themselves were not opposed to someone going to Christ and asking healing for them. The paralytic, if he had not wanted to be brought to Jesus, would not have allowed his friends to lower him through the roof to His feet.
Many people lacked a proper understanding of who Christ was. They took Him for a prophet who worked wonders not by His own power but by the will of God. Even the apostles did not fully understand who Jesus Christ truly was. But He expected people to believe that He is the Son of God, the True God. That is why the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes did not receive healing, although they very much desired to see miracles. They were hypocrites, they tested Christ, and approached Him with deceitful hearts. This, of course, was known to the Lord.
At the same time, Christ healed those who were truly worn down by their illnesses. For example, the man who had suffered from paralysis for thirty-eight years at the Sheep Pool had no one even to lower him into the water when the angel descended into it. Another such person was the leper who waited for Christ while He was teaching the people during the Sermon on the Mount.
According to Jewish law, lepers were regarded as outcasts. Their lives were extremely hard; people were repulsed by them. St. Gregory the Theologian speaks about this in his homily On the Love for the Poor. The leper did not dare to ascend the mountain, so as not to interrupt Christ’s teaching. Being a sensible man, he did not place his own health above Christ’s teaching. Here is how the Evangelist Matthew describes the event: “When He was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Matthew 8:1–2). This was the first time a request for healing was expressed in such a form. The leper placed his entire hope in the will of God. Christ replied: “I will; be thou clean” (Matthew 8:3). In this, the Lord confirmed the correctness of the leper’s thoughts: the Lord desired his healing because the man’s faith was worthy of both bodily and spiritual health. For God, to accomplish anything, His will alone is sufficient.
We, for example, in order to make a table, need more than just desire. We need materials, strength, time, skill, and tools. But for God to create something, He only needs to will it. That is how the world was made, how man was created. And so too do sickness and death obey Him.
Let us recall the story of the raising of Lazarus. His sister believed that if Christ prayed, then God would raise Lazarus. But she did not understand who Christ truly was. She did not realize that Christ performed all things by His own will. And for this, He reproached her. But the leper, on the other hand, He approved.
In healing the leper, Christ touched him—though the law forbade it. In general, He never violated the Jewish law, but here He breaks it openly. He kept the law in order to restrain the beastly wrath of the Jews, so as not to provoke them before the appointed time. But in reality, Christ is above that law from the beginning, for He Himself is the giver of new, more perfect laws. Now grace has come; the Son of God has appeared; the Holy Ghost has descended upon the earth. Now man is saved not by the works of the law, but by faith in the Son of God and by keeping the commandments of the New Testament—that is, by good works. By touching the leper, He conveys this truth to those around Him.
After the healing, Jesus instructed the former leper to tell no one about it and to go show himself to the priest, offering the gifts prescribed by the Law of Moses. For according to the law, only a priest could testify that someone had been healed from leprosy. Only after the priest’s confirmation could the healed person reenter society. In practice, such a healing could occur only by miracle. If the priest confirmed it, no one could deny that the healing had truly happened.
Today’s Gospel reading concerned the healing of the Gadarene demoniac, from whom Jesus cast out a legion of demons. When the man was healed and came to his right mind, he asked to follow Christ. But the Lord did not permit him to go with Him, and instead commanded: “Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee” (Luke 8:39). Thus, in one instance, the Lord forbids telling others of a miracle He has performed, while in another, He commands it be told to all.
When Christ commands that a miracle be made known, He seeks to teach us that we must show gratitude when we receive blessings from God. In times of sorrow, we turn to Him with pleas for help. But when that help comes, we often forget Him and return to sin. The Lord desires that we never forget Him—neither in sickness nor in sorrow, and especially not in health.
How much benefit did the Lord bring by allowing the legion of demons to enter the herd of swine! He showed us the extent of the malice that demons are ready to unleash on mankind. If the Lord were to permit them to do as they please, they would destroy the entire world in an instant. We must not forget that demons, by their origin, are angels—and possess corresponding power. Why do demons hate man so? Because man is the highest, most beloved of God’s creations. And since Satan cannot oppose God openly, he has chosen a deceitful way to grieve Him—by waging war against His beloved creation. This unrelenting battle between man, aided by God, and the powers of darkness continues throughout the history of this world.
This Gospel passage shows that demons cannot even enter swine without God’s permission. Thus, even through a soulless creature, the Lord teaches us that He can both show mercy and mete out judgment. If God sees sincere repentance in our hearts, He forgives us. But if we are deceitful before Him—if we live like swine—God may permit demons to enter us and cast us down from the heights of virtue into the abyss. Therefore, people consumed by various passions—anger, greed, lust, and the like—are, like the Gadarene demoniac, as though they have lost their reason. We must pray for such people. Through our way of life, we can attract either the grace of God or the powers of darkness. The choice is ours.