How to read a Bible passage that contains a healing

HEALING STORIES

When reading a healing story, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Who is healed in the story?
2. What kind of illness or disability did he have?
3. Who asked for healing? The sick person or someone else? Or was the healing miracle given by God unasked?
4. Did Jesus or the healer say anything to the sick person or to anyone else before the healing took place? What was the answer from the sick person or the petitioner?
5. Was the sick person required to do anything? Why?
6. How did Jesus or the healer cause the healing? What methods were used? Why do you think this particular method was used?
7. What kind of sickness was this?
8. Did the healing appear immediately? How long did it take for the healing to manifest?
9. What did Jesus say after to the healed person after the healing? Why do you think he said this?
10. What was the response to the healing? By the sick person? The family or friends? The religious community? The bystanders?
11. What was the disciples’ response?
12. What does Jesus say to the disciples after the healing?

Exercises:
1) Before Jesus healed a blind man, he took the blind man very far out of the city. This city was Bethsaida, a city Jesus had rebuked because its inhabitants were so hard-hearted and faithless despite the many miracles done in them? Why do you think Jesus told the man not to enter into the city again?
2) What about Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth? He could not do many miracles there.