Why Doesn't Jesus Heal Everyone?

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. ~2 Corinthians 12:7-9

Paul states that he had an unnamed affliction that would not disappear, but he comes to understand that it's more to God's glory that he persists in his weakness.

If God only wants the best for us, then why doesn't He heal everyone? Jesus certainly seemed to heal everyone who demonstrated faith in the New Testament. Aren't we more faithful since we can't see Him and yet still believe?

God DOES want only the best for us, and we don't always know what that is exactly. You can't lean on your own understanding of good and bad. He wants for us to eventually be beyond a world that causes death, disease, pain, and infirmities, yes. However, He uses the bad that occurs in our corrupt world to bring out the good, either for ourselves or others.

Let's not forget Job who suffered from a skin disease (not to mention losing his entire family and all his possessions). In the most beautiful passage in the Bible, God explains everything and nothing when He responds to Job's moans. He told him and his faithful friends that Job certainly didn't suffer due to lacking faith.

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! ~Job 38:4-5

People, many times good people, suffer because of reasons unknown to us. We should trust that God is in control and He is good.

Your purpose here on Earth is bigger than living in comfort. It's to show others the Light and the joy of His Love. Sometimes, that comes from miraculous healing. Sometimes, that comes from a believer withstanding through hardship and serving as a guide to others who must suffer the same. Sometimes, the circumstances call for a bit of both.

You may see all the healing Jesus did during His ministry here, and see that He healed everyone who asked for healing and had faith He would. He was also here for a purpose bigger than living in comfort. Part of His mission was to show that He cares and loves us.

There's no possible way to list all the times God healed in the Bible from Old through New Testaments (or God was referred to as a healer or God was asked to heal) without just linking to the entire Bible. He is the ultimate Healer. However, He doesn't heal everyone all the time. With the exception of those faithless who reject His healing, why would He not heal His children?

Jesus healed everyone who had faith and pursued Him in the new Testament, but that can't be said to be true before nor after. He was here on Earth for the express purpose of proving that He was God (only God can heal, forgive, etc.) and to serve as a sacrifice for our sins to eliminate the forces of darkness for His disciples' souls. His healing had a dual purpose: Healing is symbolic of His spiritual healing and salvation. Notice this though: Jesus still died.

Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke this message quite frankly, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But Jesus, turning and looking at His disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” ~Mark 8:31-33

They say courage is not the absence of fear but rather the knowledge that there is something bigger than it. This is exemplified by Jesus.

Death, serious injury, and disease are products of an evil world. Notice that evil still exists, even for us believers. We still live in a fallen world, and God has not yet eliminated it all. Though we are Children of God, we must suffer a little while just as Jesus did.

Yet, this evil is not forever.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ~ Revelations 21:4

God is bigger than anything you may ever face. Keep your eyes on Him and not the storm.

God bless!


~Dedicated to my mama who is facing great unknowns right now. Our Healer is in control, and your suffering is not without purpose.~

Sources other than Bible:
https://www.learnreligions.com/why-doesnt-god-heal-everyone-701958
https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/why-didnt-jesus-christ-heal-the-gentile-womans
https://www.ligonier.org/blog/why-jesus-heal/
https://www.biblestudytools.com/blogs/chris-russell/why-doesn-t-god-heal-every-sickness-disease-and-illness.html

Trees of Life & Knowledge

And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:9

Tree of Life imagery is prevalent throughout the world.

The Tree of Life shows up in ancient Mesopotamian tales about a man named Gilgamesh. He realized he was growing old and one day would die, so he searched for the only person who survived the world-wide flood, Utnapishtim, as he was the only immortal man he knows. Utnapishtim told him there's a tree under the seas that, while it won't grant eternal life, it has powers of rejuvenation. He explained that his own immortality was a privilege given by god alone. Gilgamesh was unsuccessful in obtaining this tree.

Ancient Egypt also had a tale about the Tree of Life, which stood for the "hierarchical chain of events that brought everything into existence (sivana)." The first couple, earth and sky, came from an acacia tree, which holds both life and death as two sides of a coin.

By their plentiful artwork, the ancient Assyrians held the Tree of Life to be very important. Although depictions usually show beings taking good care of it and has symbols which many theorize to mean creation, no one knows for certain what place exactly it held in their society or beliefs.

In Hinduism, a Tree of Life was a banyan tree. When the whole world was covered by a flood, this tree was the only one unaffected. It symbolized a part of ourselves that stays pure as long as we're rooted in spirituality.

In Mayan, Viking, and Celtic mythology, there is a massive, mystic tree which connects the whole of the universe (even invisible worlds) and the heavens, and it plays a large part in creation. This tree can be both Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge simultaneously in its portrayal as a source of wisdom.

In Genesis, we are presented with humanity's first moral dilemma: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. Trees generally symbolize a connection between the earth and the heavens, namely God. The Tree of Life, in the Bible, is a symbol of God's salvation, and Jesus' death on the cross. He died so that we may have life.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. - John 10:10

So, what is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?

Let's look at a few verses:

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.' - Genesis 2:16-17

Then the Lord God said, ‘. . . Now, lest [the man] reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. - Genesis 3:22b-24

So, someone who eats of the tree of knowledge will die, and once someone is dead, they no longer have free access to salvation. They can't save themselves.

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. -Genesis 3:22

This knowledge is forbidden to humans but something that God and angels already have.

And your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you! 2 Samuel 14:17

However, people aren't born with this knowledge nor the ability to utilize it for good.

And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it. -Deuteronomy 1:39

He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. -Isaiah 7:15

God didn't originally wants kings to rule His people, but only someone who has this knowledge would rule effectively. So, King Solomon asked for this, and God gave it to him along with wisdom (the ability to utilize that knowledge).

Give your servant (Solomon) therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people? - 1 Kings 3:9

It appears this wasn't a Good Tree/Bad Tree dynamic. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was neither evil nor poisoned. The more I study about it, the more it appears that it was a forbidden tree because the ability to determine good and evil was more knowledge than we could morally handle. Although they were both ways to connect us with God, only one was the right way. It reminds me of the Tower of Babel as they used their knowledge and skills to try to reach into the heavens (and save themselves from the judgement of God through another flood), and God scattered them to stall progress for a time (Genesis 11:1-9).

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. -Genesis 3:4-7

Here, they realize they're naked, as if that were a thing they could only know once they obtained knowledge of good and evil. Nakedness is not evil. God said everything was good as of yet in the garden. No, the fact they disobeyed God was evil. The fact that we thought we could know better than God what was good or delightful for us was evil. The fact that we know good and evil, but don't know what how to handle that knowledge, spreads evil like a cancer. For comparison, think about the technology we've developed and knowledge we've gained through the years that ended up in atomic bombs and warfare. Adam and Eve desired to hide their shame, but their method of covering up wasn't adequate.

The fruit of the Tree of Knowledge was a delight to the eyes because they were prideful of how good they would appear to have such knowledge. The tree was not wisdom itself, but the knowledge of knowing the difference between good and evil is needed in order to be wise (utilize the knowledge).

Later, when Jesus returns to walk among humans in the New Testament, came to spread the wisdom needed to utilize this influx of knowledge released by Adam and Eve.

The book of Revelation says that all is not hopeless. The Tree of Life is a river of rest and cleansing from our shame of mishandling the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We will wash our clothes clean in it's waters, quench our thirst (unlike the Tree of Knowledge which brings a consuming hunger), heal from its leaves, and eat the fruit of everlasting life. We are invited back to the Eden of fruits and trees described in Genesis.

To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. - Revelation 2:7b

On either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. -Revelation 22:2

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. -Revelation 22:14

If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. -Revelation 22:19

Out of the ground the LORD God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. - Genesis 2:9

Eden, itself, is a symbol of our first sacred place of worship, like a temple or church, where God and humanity walk together. In the very center of this garden, was placed both the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In Jewish temples, there was a place called the Holy of Holies, an area where only the priests could go. In this place, God resided, and it was separated from the rest of the temple by a thick veil. In a Jewish text, Midrash Tanhuma, explaining the temple and the holy of holies, it states:

Just as a navel is set in the middle of a person, so the land of Israel is the navel of the world [cf. Ezekiel 38:12; see also Ezekiel 5:5]. . . . The land of Israel sits at the center of the world; Jerusalem is in the center of the land of Israel; the sanctuary is in the center of Jerusalem; the Temple building is in the center of the sanctuary; the ark is in the center of the Temple building; and the foundation stone, out of which the world was founded, is before the Temple building.

The center of this first temple, Eden, was the holy of holiest places, where resided the trees. Some theories, both in Jewish and Christian traditions, hold the Tree to Knowledge was a veil of sorts before the Tree of Life. We all know this veil was torn when Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross.

In a way, Adam and Eve were seduced into thinking they could obtain knowledge of good and evil and gain wisdom, like God and the angels had, in order to save themselves and connect them with heaven. However, as we know, we're utterly incapable of saving ourselves (the angels failed in this too!) or of being truly like God.

We now all have access to the Tree of Life through Jesus.

God bless!


Sources other than Bible:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/the-tree-of-life-and-the-tree-of-the-knowledge-of-god-and-evil/
https://www.biblicaltraining.org/blog/curious-christian/4-3-2012/what-tree-knowledge-good-and-evil

https://metode.org/issues/article-revistes/the-symbolism-of-trees.html
https://blog.sivanaspirit.com/sp-gn-what-is-the-tree-of-life/
https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/ascending-mountain-lord-temple-praise-and-worship-old-testament/tree-knowledge-veil

Why Does God Let Evil Exist?

God is good, all-powerful, all-knowing, creator of all; yet, evil does exist in this reality God created. So, did God create evil? Why does He allow it to exist? How can He be good and yet allow innocent people and animals to suffer and die, even as children?

God gives people over to what they want. Problem is, we all live in this world, including those who only want good and those who don't know the difference. What gives?

First, what is evil? Evil is the absence of God just like darkness is the absence of light. The Philosopher Augustine surmised something similar. He said that evil is not a thing in and of itself but rather a lacking of something. Just as a hole in a sweater is not a thing in and of itself but rather the lacking of fabric. Because evil is a lacking of God, His truth, and love, it always causes pain in the end. You may not see it immediately, but somewhere down the line, it will always unravel the fabric of some piece of this world and cause a void. Sin and evil cause harm.

You can dive deep into the details of theodicy (theocracy on evil), but honestly, it all boils down to the fact that evil = harm/pain and evil = lacking God.

Please consider reading Job. Job was a Godly man, yet the devil threw down all sorts of evil upon his life. At first he was faithful.

"The Lord gave, and Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 1:21

Yet, after all of his children died, his wealth was ripped away, and he contracted a deadly disease, his will was worn down. Most of his acquaintances forsook him because, to the ancient Jews, suffering meant you had sinned and probably deserved it.

As an aside, Jesus corrected those who erroneously believed this about a man born blind:

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.' John 9:1-5

Back to Job, he was living in misery for months when three of his only friends left in the world came to visit him. They sat with him for a full week without even a word, simply being there for him. Then, after this time, they started to discuss everything you might ever hear if you or someone you know are struggling with meshing both the reality that innocent people suffer and the faith in an omniscient and omnipotent God. Job wrestles with depression and longing for death.

His friends respond by reasoning that no human is perfect before God, so everyone is subject to suffering. They state that if Job hadn't sinned, maybe his children had.

"Can mortal man be righteous before God... Behold, happy is the man whom God reproves; therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty." Job 4:17

"Does God pervert justice?... If your children have sinned against Him, He has delivered them into he power of their transgression." Job 8:3-4

They are trying and failing to comfort Job by taking up the popular stance that Job's suffering was... his own fault. Hmmm, no wonder this didn't go over well. Job protests his own innocence. He points out that they're really just trying to twist the circumstances in order to confirm their own beliefs.

"It is all one; therefore I say, God destroys both the blameless and the wicked.... Thou dost seek out my iniquity and search for my sin, although thou knowest that I am not guilty." Job 9:22-24 & 10:6-7

He brings up the statement that many say when an innocent has died, that they are now in a better place.

"For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last He will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then apart from my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side and my eyes shall behold, and not another." Job 19:25-27

This is true, but it doesn't answer the primary question. Why do innocent people suffer? Even Jesus suffers at the hands of His own people, experiencing death though he did no wrong.

God shows up to speak to Job and his friends, shaming them all. This is but a piece of what he had to say:

"Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:

“Who is this that obscures my plans
with words without knowledge?
Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone—
while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels[a] shouted for joy?

“Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb,
when I made the clouds its garment
and wrapped it in thick darkness,
when I fixed limits for it
and set its doors and bars in place,
when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
here is where your proud waves halt’? ..." Job 38-41

From my understanding, God was basically saying that, if you truly believe in Him and the fact that He is omniscient and omnipotent, then you must concede that He knows more than you. So, if you believe He is also good, then He must be working for our best interests in ways that we don't know and for reasons we may never understand.

Right now, the world is under evil's command.

"We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." 1 John 5:19

We should know though, that weeds and wheat are separated at the harvest, not before.

"Jesus presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At the proper time I will tell the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.'" Matthew 13:24-29

This is my own reading of this verse. If God were to take out all the evil, that would harm those who still hope of salvation. Not all evil in the world is permanent and God wishes for everyone to turn from their sins and become one of His children.

"Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be dissolved in the fire, and the earth and its works will not be found..." 2 Peter 3:8:10

It's little consolation to state that God always has a reason for everything that happens, especially if we've hit rock bottom and are living in misery. Yet, it's a fact. No, God doesn't wish for evil to happen, and He will eventually eradicate it for good. He has begged for evil to never enter our lives and world, yet that's what humans chose starting with Adam and Eve. Since then, he's been waiting with arms wide open for everyone to come to Him. Every soul is important to Him; every person He wants to take part in the joy of His kingdom.

Although there's nothing that will take away all of your suffering right now in this life, let's take some comfort in His promises.


1)http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/evil/
2)

Noone is Good

The dichotomy of good vs. evil: It's an ancient idea, but you'll hear many twists. The eastern world has the imagery of the yin yang. There's no real good or evil but negative and positive forces which complement and complete the other. The modern, western world hates a simple good and bad; you may hear a lot about gray areas and how there's good and bad in everyone. Question here is: What does the Bible actually say about good and evil? First, let's start with a definition of good and evil, not from the dictionary but from the Bible.

What is goodness?

"And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." Mark 10:18
*Good = Greek agathon = intrinsically good, whether it is seen to be so or not, the widest & most colorless of all words with this meaning.

"As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one." Romans 3:10/Psalm 14:1-4
*Righteous = Greek dikahyos = equitable/innocent/holy

"And do not enter into judgment with your servant, For in your sight no man living is righteous." Psalm 143:2
*Righteous = Hebrew tsadeq = to be right/clean/just/righteous/lawful/justified

"Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins." Ecclesiastes 7:20
*Good = Hebrew towb = beautiful, pleasant, agreeable to the sight, taste, smell etc.

The Hebrew and Greek translations of the words used vary little. The translations seem to point to fairness, innocence, clean, lawful, and pleasant beauty. However, if you look at the commandments and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, explaining the spirit of the laws, you can get a better taste of what it means to be good.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40

So, goodness, holiness, and righteousness are summed up as love. If you love unconditionally, that is good; however, no one acts and speaks out of love unconditionally, perfectly for all of their life. Therefore, no one, including Christians, is good. "No one is good except God alone." Mark10:18 What is love? Everyone knows the verse spoken at nearly every wedding:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love selflessly seeks the well-being, success, and ultimate joy of others. Sometimes, it's not nice (read the New Testament to see Jesus wasn't always nice!). However, it's always KIND, and kindness is about what is best for the other person.

Now, what is evil?

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:21
*Evil=Greek kakos= bad/evil/inwardly foul/rotten

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12
*Evil=Greek poneria= iniquity/pain-ridden evil/toil

"He went on: 'What comes of out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come - sexual immortality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person." Mark 7:20-23
*Evil=Greek kakos & Evils=Greek poneria (See Above)

"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it." Psalm 34:14
*Evil=Greek ra'= adversity/bad/disagreeable/misery

It appears to be the opposite of good, and that means evil is the opposite of love. That's hatred, right? Not always. Sometimes, that's apathy. If you seek constantly for the well-being of others, you can't be also apathetic toward them.

This world is so full of bad news about evil, and our current technology and social media makes it possible to stream this bad news 24/7. Just this alone can make a person apathetic as we become deadened to the evil just for the sake of our own sanity. I think this verse says it best:

"Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9

Furthermore, as we can tell from the translations, evil tends to indicate adversity, pain, toil, misery, and rottenness. Evil is basically the absence of love; it is like the vacuum of space in which nothing can thrive.

Don't buy into worldly definitions of our most basic beliefs. Let's not muddy the waters and add confusion. God is quite clear on right and wrong, good and evil.

"For God is not the author of confusion but of peace..." 1 Corinthians 14:33

That is why He is known as a light in the darkness, He shines clarity on a chaotic world. His spirit brings health to our soul so our fruits (the product of our actions) will be good.

The dichotomy of good and evil is real. There is a real battle every day for your soul. Everyone doesn't have good and bad in them; we are all bad without God. Holding onto Him as to a buoy in a storm, we hold onto His goodness and try to live life as He would, bringing hope to the world.



(Definitions are from Strong's Concordance)