An interesting case in point is that of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked what he could do to inherit eternal life. In addition to telling this young man that he would need to dispose of his wealth, using it for the benefit of others, Jesus told him to take up his cross and follow him into death. He promised the young man that upon this condition he would have treasure in heaven. Jesus said not a word about physical healing. The only assurance he gave this young man was that if he laid down his life in sacrifice he would receive a heavenly reward in the resurrection.—Matt. 19:16-26; Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-27.
Thus is brought before us the divine program for this present Gospel Age. It is not a program of healing physical ailments, but rather, the sacrifice of human life by following in the footsteps of Jesus. Jesus asked two of his disciples, “Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” (Matt. 20:22; Mark 10:35-40) To the church at Rome Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”—Rom. 12:1.
There is no way to lay up treasures in heaven except by sacrificing treasures on earth, and some of the earthly treasures which Christians are called upon to sacrifice in the service of the Lord might well be physical health and strength. We do not mean by this that a Christian is to throw his life away recklessly, yet physical health and strength are not to be his chief consideration.
It should be freely acknowledged by all Christians that God has the power to heal diseases, and that he does restore the sick to health when it is his will to do so. God is abundantly able to perform miracles now, through whatever agencies he may choose, even as he was able to perform miracles through his beloved Son Jesus nearly two thousand years ago. The point we are stressing is that the main objective of God’s program for the present age is not that of physical healing.
In this connection some interesting facts come to our attention in the New Testament. Take the case of the Apostle Paul. At the time of his conversion he lost his eyesight as a result of the blinding light which shone from heaven—above the brightness of the sun at noonday. At first he was apparently totally blind, but partial vision was restored a few days later.
However, after his conversion Paul was never able to see well. He spoke of his affliction as “a thorn in the flesh.” (II Cor. 12:7) Apparently he reasoned that if this “thorn” could be removed—if he could enjoy normal eyesight—he could accomplish a great deal more in the Lord’s service. So he prayed to God to remove his affliction. In fact, he made it a matter of special prayer on three different occasions. Finally God answered his petition, not by restoring his sight, but by explaining that his grace would be sufficient for him. In other words, so far as a miraculous restoration of Paul’s physical sight was concerned, the Lord’s answer to Paul was, “No.”
We cannot suppose that Paul’s failure to have his sight restored by divine power was in any sense due to a lack of faith, nor to inability to present the matter properly to the Lord. Nor was the apostle disheartened over the fact that the Lord did not restore his sight, as he certainly would have been had he understood that physical healing was the divine program for this age; for it would have proven his own unworthiness of the blessings God had promised.
Paul knew that God had not promised to give physical health to the followers of Jesus during this age. He knew that it was his privilege to suffer and to die with Jesus. He did not expect to be favored above his Master and Lord. As he saw it, he thought he might be able to render more efficient service if he had better physical vision, and he therefore made it a matter of prayer. But when the Lord ruled otherwise, Paul was contented and explained that since it was the divine will for him to continue being handicapped by this “thorn in the flesh,” he would glory in his infirmities.
From this standpoint, it is proper for every Christian to leave the matter of his physical health in the Lord’s hands, even as he looks to him for guidance and blessing along all other lines. There have doubtless been many cases when the Lord used his power to give physical health and strength to his sacrificing people. In many instances the Lord designs certain work for individual followers of the Master to accomplish, and he gives them strength until that job is done. But in all such instances the work to be accomplished is the important consideration, not the physical health of those whom the Lord may call to do it.