Taken, Healed, and Let Go

For my daily Bible reading I am going through the gospel of Luke. Today I read chapter 14, which opens with an account of our Lord healing a certain man, “which had the dropsy.” The dreadful disease of dropsy is characterized by the abnormal collection of fluids in the cavities or tissues of the body. This results in unsightly swelling and no doubt in great discomfort.

In other accounts of the healing miracles of Christ, we read of the sick coming to Him or calling out to Him themselves for healing. Or we read of others asking Christ to heal their sick. But in this incident there is no account that either the man with the dropsy or anyone else asked Christ to heal him. Rather, our Lord took the initiative and healed the man without being asked to do so. Here is the account of the healing:

Luke 14:4 And he took him, and healed him, and let him go.

Let us analyze each verb phrase in this passage. First consider the phrase “and he took him.” All of the miracles of Christ were miracles of salvation. In this case, the man was saved from dropsy. We can learn a great deal about the salvation of God by studying the miracles of Christ. Observe that this salvation occurred when the Lord “took him.” Salvation is more a matter of the Lord taking us to save us than of our taking the Lord as our Saviour.

Then consider the phrase “and healed him.” Whenever we are healed, whether it be by a miraculous intervention, as was the case here, or whether it be by means of nutrition, medicine, surgery, or rest, the Lord is the One Who heals us.

Exodus 15:26  …I am the LORD that healeth thee.

No means of healing sickness can be effective apart from the blessing of God. Although Hezekiah was recovered from his life-threatening sickness by means of a plaister of figs, Hezekiah praised the Lord for the healing (Isaiah 38:15-21). And this not only applies to the healing of the body. It also applies to the healing of the heart and soul.

Psalms 147:3  He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Psalms 41:4  I said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.

This brings us to the phrase “and let him go.” After the Lord took this man and healed him, He let him go. And that is what the Lord does when He heals you. He lets you go. Now the question is: Being let go by the Lord, where and how will you go? Has the Lord healed you from a sickness and restored your strength? Has your heart been broken by grief or loss, and has the Lord healed you by His comforting word? Has your soul been burdened with guilt over sin, and has the Lord healed you through His pardoning mercy and restoring grace? Has your heart been poisoned by anger and bitterness? Has the Lord enabled you to give up that anger and find instead the healing that comes through forgiveness, reconciliation, and acceptance of things you cannot change? Now that you are healed and let go, where and how will you go? Will you go back to sin and foolishness? Or will you go forward following Him? May it be your happy lot to do as blind Bartimæus did when the Lord Jesus healed him and let him go.

Mark 10:52  And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

I close with these sobering words addressed to those whom the Lord has saved and let go:

Psalms 85:7  Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
8  I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.