I want to tell you, Jesus commanded us to both preach the Gospel AND heal the sick (Luke 9&10). These two are inseparable. The healing of the sick is the demonstration of the Gospel – see Matthew 9:6 where Jesus said to the onlookers, ‘But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins.’ He said to the sick of the palsy, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk.’
Q. Isn’t sickness part of the cross we must carry?
A. The cross that Jesus carried was not sickness but rejection, torture and death! The cross He asked us to carry is not sickness, but the persecution, hardship, rejection and even death that follow being His disciples and preaching His Gospel (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; 14:27). Will you carry that cross? Then get rid of your sickness or you will never be fit to carry it! Jesus was no sick feeble Man, but the strongest, fittest Man who has ever lived! That must be your ideal.
Matthew 8:16-17 tells us that Jesus healed all that were sick, to fulfil that which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, ‘Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.’ So even at the time of the actual ministry of Jesus, the Bible says that Christ’s atonement for our sin is also His atonement for sickness and disease.
The Inseparable Mandate: Preaching the Gospel and Healing the Sick
Jesus Christ explicitly commanded His disciples to both preach the Gospel and heal the sick (Luke 9; Luke 10). These two mandates are scripturally inseparable. Healing is not a secondary ministry; it is the physical demonstration of the Gospel's power.
As recorded in Matthew 9:6, Jesus directly linked spiritual authority with physical healing:
“But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins... Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
Physical healing serves as the undeniable, earthly proof of the spiritual reality of the forgiveness of sins.
Q. Is sickness part of the cross that Christians must carry?
A. Absolutely not. The cross Jesus carried – and the cross He commands believers to carry – is never sickness or disease.
What Jesus Carried: Christ's cross consisted of rejection, betrayal, physical torture, and sacrificial death.
What Believers Carry: The cross we are called to bear represents persecution, hardship, societal rejection, and the willingness to face death for the sake of preaching His Gospel (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27).
Sickness does not qualify you to carry the cross; it hinders you. Scripturally, Jesus was not a sick, feeble man, but the strongest, healthiest, and most vibrant Man who ever lived – and He is the believer's ultimate ideal. To effectively bear the cross of discipleship and endure the hardships of the ministry, you must be physically fit. Therefore, you should reject sickness, not embrace it as a divine burden.
The Divine Exchange: Atonement for Sin and Sickness
The scriptural foundation for physical healing is legally secured in the Atonement. Matthew 8:16-17 records that Jesus healed all who were sick to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah:
“He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” (Isaiah 53:4)
This proves that even during His earthly ministry, Christ’s sacrificial work was dual-purpose. The Bible explicitly teaches that Christ’s atonement does not just cover human sin – it simultaneously provides total atonement and deliverance from physical sickness and disease.