“And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Luke 19:9-10 (RSV)
Luke, who was a physician, wrote in his gospel that Jesus was healing and delivering everyone, from all kinds of diseases and disorders.
Being fully divine, Jesus could look at any person and see what their pathology was, in their body, mind or soul, and He knew exactly what was needed to make someone whole.
Scripture tells us that God has the hairs of our head numbered, so I believe He probably knows the status of every cell within our bodies, as well.
Jesus is still the great physician today, who sees within us, and has the power to heal each one of us. He may do it miraculously and immediately, or He may work it out over time. Sometimes He does it through medical science, giving a doctor the wisdom to see what is needed.
God’s knowledge is far above man’s, and no medical breakthrough could be known without God making it knowable to medical professionals. I’m thankful that He guides every research scientist, enables every medical discovery, and gives the wisdom to physicians to make a correct diagnosis, and suggest the right treatment.
Last week I wrote about the patience Jesus has for us who say, “Help me in my unbelief.” There is a special word, used throughout the New Testament, with a meaning that can expand our understanding, and increase our faith. That word is “Soteria.”
Soteria is the Greek word used about 120 times in the New Testament. It’s the word for salvation, which in Greek, includes complete wholeness, healing, and deliverance. When Jesus used the term to “save” saying, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost,” the word save is translated as soteria, meaning a salvation that is all inclusive, of healing and deliverance of mind and body.
Here is how commentaries describe this Greek word:
”……Soteria includes restoration to a state of safety, soundness, health and well being, as well as preservation from danger of destruction.”
Salvation is a broader term in the Greek translation, than how we understand it in English. It not only refers to the saving of the soul, but the healing and deliverance of body, mind and spirit. It’s a word that encompasses all aspects of being made whole.
Jesus said to the people who He physically healed, “Go in peace, your faith has saved you.” He spoke as if salvation and healing went together.
Soteria, when translated into Hebrew, is the word “Yeshua”, and Yeshua, when translated into English, is the name of Jesus.
Therefore, Soteria is literally the meaning of Jesus’ name. Maybe that’s why He told us,
“If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14)
The name of Jesus was given by God, to all of us, “for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
Even in this verse of scripture, the Greek word “Soteria” was used.
Jesus encouraged our persistence when we knock, seek and ask, like the woman who constantly bothered a judge for the justice she needed. Jesus said about her, “And will not God grant justice to His chosen ones who cry to him day and night?”
(Luke 18:7)
He called all of us who believe in Him, His chosen ones.
Jesus encouraged us through this parable, to never give up in asking for justice, wholeness, healing and deliverance. He told us to ask with persistence, crying out day and night, and God will answer.
I believe we should also conclude any prayer or petition, with “Thy will be done,” since Jesus taught us to do so in the Lord’s prayer.
Thank God for medical professionals who can cure us and save our lives. Whether we go to church or to the medical clinic, what matters most is that our faith is in Jesus, knowing He is our Soteria, the source for ultimate wholeness.
I pray each reader finds a new perspective of faith to believe for their own miracle of wholeness, healing and deliverance. May it change our perspective and let us arise with a new confidence of faith.
Lord, we cry out to you and ask you to touch every aspect of our lives, which is truly possible through the holy name of Jesus. Let your will be done and complete in us, the wholeness of soteria healing and deliverance of our body, mind, soul and spirit. Amen.