Gilead is a beautiful place in Israel that stretches from the southern end of the Sea of Galilee to the northern end of the Dead Sea and from the eastern Jordan to the desert. A mountainous country east of the Jordan river. Abundant rains in winter; a lot of snow in summer! Gilead is adorned with many cascading streams. The sky-high palm, trees like cedar, fig, jaggery, oak, teak, ashoka and pine create a cool woodland atmosphere.
Lush vineyards perfect for any wine; The perfumed oil of Gilead was famous. The plateau here is used for cattle rearing and pulse cultivation. In short, Gilead is a place of peace for mind and body. In the Old Testament in the Song of Songs, the beloved says to his beloved girl: “How beautiful you are, my darling! … Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from the hills of Gilead..”
“The harvest is past,
Jeremiah 8:20-22
The summer is ended,
And we are not saved!”
For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt.
I am mourning;
Astonishment has taken hold of me.
Is there no balm in Gilead,
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no recovery
For the health of the daughter of my people?
This is a very touching scripture in the book of Jeremiah. The medicinal ointment of Gilead was used to cure many diseases. The prophet is asking why the people of Israel could not get rid of their ‘disease’ even though there was a medicinal ointment in their own country.
The New Testament (Covenant) points to the physician who came to heal the disease. The New Testament biographers present Jesus as a wonderful person who walked along the shores of Galilee, discipled fishermen on the seashore, and ate with “tax collectors and sinners”. We get the biography of Jesus through the four gospels of the New Testament. One of the four gospel writers is a young doctor! Luke is the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament who did not see Jesus’ healing ministry as a mere miracle. Luke portrayed the doctor in Jesus as the healer.
In the first Gospel, Matthew wrote: ‘And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.’ (Matt. 4:23-25).
If we examine the works of Jesus, we can see that he was providing four types of healing: physical, mental, financial and spiritual. Jesus did not send away any sick person. He often sought patients. The very words of the ‘Physician of Gilead’ were the balm that healed the sick. This healing continued from the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry to the end. Healing was part of the preaching of God’s Word. Jesus highlighted God’s love for man through healing. He was able to bring people who were afflicted with diseased bodies and minds closer to God through healing. No reward was taken for it.
Jesus made the dumb speak. The ears of the deaf were opened. The retina of the blind man’s eyes was healed. He gave wisdom to the unsteady. The legs of the paralytic were strengthened. The leper’s skin and body were restored to normal. The crippled woman got up and walked away. The bleeding woman stopped bleeding. He healed the epileptic and raised the dead. It did not require a syringe or a stethoscope. No other person has ever lived in the world who knew and touched the human body and mind so much.
“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick”
Matthew 8:16
Exorcism was part of Jesus’ ministry along with healing. The epileptic healed by Jesus (Luke 9:37-43) was demon-possessed. The Gospels have recorded the release and healing of the demoniac who lived in the graves of Gadarenes and walked naked. The healing of the demon-possessed in Capernaum is also highlighted. Besides these, many exorcisms are recorded as having taken place with healings, without being recorded as a separate subject. Jesus is still the most trusted doctor in the world. Desperate patients who were judged by the doctors to not be saved are healed through Jesus.