Miracle in Capernaum
The city of Capernaum stands on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. It is not surprising that fresh fish are sold at its market every day. Their scales shine like dull silver in the sun. Traders from time to time spray water on the fish and cover it from the scorching rays with tufts of grass, otherwise the fish will lose its marketable appearance.
And not far from the market there is a customs office through which caravans from Syria go to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Huge, shaggy camels wait patiently while guards inspect the bales of goods hung on their sides between their humps. And only sometimes they snort and turn their big heads when flies tickle their nostrils. But then midday comes. The sun is getting very hot. Traders at the market are in a hurry to sell the goods at least at half price and go home with the proceeds: in such hot sun, the fish can quickly spoil. The caravan leaders take their camels to an inn, where they can lie down in the shade to gain strength before the long journey. At this time of day, the streets of Capernaum are empty. All living things are hiding from the heat.
But on this day, for some reason, there was a commotion on one of the streets of the city. Individuals and small groups of people converge on an unremarkable house, where a large noisy crowd has already gathered. They say that today a wandering teacher of the law, preacher and healer named Jesus, who is able to cure the most serious illnesses, stopped here. And people from all over the city are rushing to see this amazing Man, to hear His words, and if they are lucky, to receive healing. After all, almost everyone has some kind of disease. There was also a rumor that among His disciples were local fishermen Andrei and Peter, John and Jacob. What luck! Perhaps it will be possible to ask one of them to be taken to Jesus without waiting in line. But alas... So many people are already crowding in front of the entrance to the house that there is no hope of even approaching the gate, much less going inside.
Suddenly some screams are heard, people turn around indignantly, not understanding what is happening. And they see four men with a stretcher pushing the crowd apart, sometimes with requests to move, and sometimes with just a powerful push of the shoulder. An emaciated man with half-closed eyes lies on a stretcher. The people are angry: there’s no room for an apple to fall, and now they’ve brought in some cripple! The men do not respond to the scolding and humbly explain that this unfortunate man is their best friend. He has been lying motionless for many years, although he sees, hears and understands everything. Not a single doctor could help him. So maybe at least this Teacher will heal the poor fellow?
The crowd, grumbling with displeasure, moves aside and makes room for the four to carry their friend to the house. All the same, they will not be able to get inside: the narrow entrance from the very doors is so crowded with people that it is impossible to squeeze even a hand between those who want to receive healing.
And inside the house it is cool and quiet. No one dares to interrupt the Teacher even with a casual sigh.
Suddenly a strange noise is heard from somewhere above. People raise their heads in bewilderment, shaking off the lime dust falling from the whitewashed ceiling. Only the Teacher, bowing his head, is silent, as if he knows in advance what is about to happen. And the unthinkable happens. There are cracks along the ceiling, first one board is removed from it, then another. A ray of sunlight bursts into the room through the dismantled roof. People close their eyes against the bright light. And now, through a hole in the ceiling, a stretcher with a patient, whom they had just seen near the house, is lowered on ropes. It was his friends who climbed onto the roof and dismantled the ceiling. Unheard of impudence! After all, the best people of Capernaum—the venerable scribes and Pharisees—gathered here. Now indignant cries are heard inside the house: “What is this? How dare they! Throw them out immediately!”
But then the Teacher rises from His place and says to the sick man:
- Your sins are forgiven.
Everyone was quiet for a moment. The scribes and Pharisees began to quietly reason, saying: Who is this that blasphemes? Who can forgive sins except God alone? But the Teacher, knowing what they were talking about among themselves, said to them in response:
“What are you thinking in your hearts?” What is easier to say: your sins are forgiven you, or to say: get up and walk? But so that you know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” Christ said and turned to the sick man: “I say to you: get up and go to your house.”
And the sick man immediately got up, took the mat on which he had spent so many years without moving, and went home, loudly saying prayers of gratitude to God. Horror seized everyone, the people who saw the miracle also praised God and said: we have seen wonderful things today.
Only four friends of the healed man stood bewildered before the Teacher and could not find words of gratitude. And He looked at them silently. And from this look, the light of some new joy unknown to them flared up in the soul of each of the four.
“Oh, this mother!” - or live mommy, together we will defeat stage 4 cancer!
Victory over stage 4 cancer
My friend’s mother, Tatyana Vasilievna, has always been an active person. Even too much. Quite often Seryozha complained that she was interfering in places where, to put it mildly, she shouldn’t interfere. Despite his son’s adult age, he is constantly present nearby, giving seemingly “unnecessary” advice, and is interested in everything that happens in his life. “Oh, this mother!” - Seryoga lamented again and again.
But such is her nature: even at 70 years old, she did not sit with other grandmothers at the entrance, but tried to be significant and important for her son and grandchildren who were vainly resisting.
Health has deteriorated.
Imagine our surprise when Tatyana Vasilievna suddenly became more infantile, loyal and even apathetic. It was as if the person had been replaced. It all started with banal complaints of nausea. But it should be noted that the grandmother did not trust doctors, so she responded with a categorical refusal to offers to undergo a medical examination to establish the cause of her poor health.
The disease, naturally, progressed. We tried in vain to treat her with improvised means. Based on the symptoms, suspicions of cancer began to arise. Tatyana Vasilievna was rapidly losing weight, refusing to eat, but still, she flatly did not want to go to the hospital.
She gave up only when she felt that the delay was like death. Our guesses were confirmed: stage 4 stomach cancer. It is impossible to convey all the torment that a person close to us felt every day. God forbid that anyone should experience this!
“I’ll go to surgery, and that’s it!”
After IVs and chemotherapy, the opinions of doctors were divided: some argued that at this age the treatment would not do anything, we should just accept it, because the tumor was advanced. Others advised taking a risk: in fact, there was nothing to lose anyway, and life was worth fighting for, because it was given only once.
The outcome of the case was decided by the grandmother’s habitual obstinacy: just recently, she shouted: “I won’t go to the doctors for anything! They can only take money!” Now Tatyana Vasilievna stood her ground: “I’ll go for the operation and that’s it!”
We were lucky - despite the late stage, the medications smoothed out the situation, and when the condition of the tumor improved a little, Serezha’s mother was operated on. After the operation, my son was constantly nearby and said: “Live, mommy, together we will defeat cancer!”
Goodbye parents.
About a year has passed since then. Tatyana Vasilievna is not only alive, but also actively attends entertainment events like theater and cinema - moreover, she also interferes in her son’s adult life. Only he stopped scolding her for it. It’s better to endure an intrusive and pestering mother than to say goodbye to her forever.
Blind man's sight
Getting sick is always unpleasant. Even if you have a regular sore throat or flu, you have to lie in bed with a high fever for several days. But sooner or later such illnesses end, and you can again run down the street, play with friends and enjoy life. It is much worse when the disease is incurable. For example, when a person loses his sight. More recently, he, like everyone else, saw the world around him, admired the flowering trees and the sunset colors of the sky, could draw and read books. And suddenly he became blind. The whole huge world for him fell into complete blackness, as if he had been blindfolded or left in a dark room. It would seem that what could be more terrible than such a loss, when a disease takes away from you all the beauty and diversity of the life around you? But it also happens that a person not only loses his sight, but is born blind. From the very moment of his birth, he does not see anything and can form an idea of the world around him only by hearing and by touch, touching objects with his hands. He also hears smells and tastes. Can smell a flower, but won't know what it looks like. He may taste a delicious apple, but will never know whether it was green, red or yellow with pink specks.
This poor man, blind from birth, was sitting on one of the narrow streets of Jerusalem not far from the temple. This was already an adult man. As a child, he learned to walk independently, feeling the road in front of him with a long cane. But what kind of work can a blind person do? In order not to be a burden to his elderly parents, the blind man came to this street every day and asked people for alms. At that time the Jews had a great holiday. The streets of the city were full of visitors - people came to Jerusalem from all over the land of Israel. And of course, they generously gave alms to the poor, because this pleases God. The man who was blind from birth also expected that he would be able to collect more alms than usual. But he could not even imagine what kind of alms awaited him on these holidays.
This time the holiday in Jerusalem was not the same as always. From distant Galilee, a preacher named Jesus came to the city, calling himself the Son of God. There were amazing rumors about Him among the people - that He was a real prophet and could heal any disease. He taught the people in the temple, and His words were not at all like the usual preaching of priests and rabbis. Thus, Jesus said that sick people can be healed on Saturday, a holy day for the Jews, when the law prohibited doing any work. These words of His caused a storm of indignation among the zealots of the law; several times they tried to seize Jesus right in the temple and kill him. But even his enemies admitted with admiration: “No one has ever spoken like this man!”
It so happened that after preaching in the temple, Jesus, surrounded by disciples, walked along the very street where the man born blind was begging for alms. He, of course, could not see Jesus. But Jesus Himself stopped next to him. The students decided that their teacher wanted to tell them another sermon. And, as if excellent students at school were asking for praise, they began to ask “smart” questions:
- Teacher, who sinned, himself or his parents, that he was born blind?
But Jesus was in no hurry to answer. He looked at the blind man and seemed to see in him the entire human race, which had fallen away from God after the fall of Adam. After all, physical blindness is only a prototype of spiritual blindness, when a person lives without knowing God, does not seek His will, and does not know the joy of communication with his Creator. And so were all the people around...
Finally Jesus began to speak. But He said something completely different from what the disciples expected to hear:
“Neither he nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might be revealed in him.” And I will do these things, because this is why God sent Me into the world. I am the light of the world.
Having said this, He spat on the ground, mixed the saliva with road dust, anointed the eyes of the blind man with it, and said to him:
“Go and wash in the pool of Siloam.”
This was the name of a large pool in Jerusalem, the water of which, as people believed, had healing powers. The blind man obediently stood up, took his cane and went to the font. He had been to this pool before and knew the way well. True, then he had no idea that bathing could restore his sight, which he had not had since birth. But the people said such amazing things about Jesus that the blind man began to hope that this Galilean teacher might be able to heal his illness. The wet dust on the blind man's closed eyelids had already dried in the sun, so he raised his head slightly so that it would not fall to the ground before he reached the font - so he wanted to exactly fulfill the words of Jesus.
But finally here comes Siloam. The blind man felt the low marble edge of the pool with his cane and sat down on it. He froze for a moment because he was very scared: what if nothing worked out? But he immediately overcame his fear, bent down and began to wash his face. When he stood up, drops of water trembled on his eyelashes. And around him was a world flooded with sunlight. People were hurrying somewhere about their business, donkeys were carrying luggage in colorful bales to the market. The veins on the white marble of the columns around the Pool of Siloam darkened with a noble blue. The withered grass was yellow underfoot, and slender green cypress trees stood nearby. This was the first thing the man born blind saw in his life. He still had a lot to see - the faces of his parents, blooming gardens on the slope of the Mount of Olives, the night sky strewn with stars... But most of all at this hour he wanted to see the One who opened this whole world to him. And who said such amazing words about Himself: “I am the light of the world .
Sports or a miracle cure for stage 4 cancer
Sport helped against stage 4 cancer
Nikolai fell ill when he was only 10 years old. Unexpected weakness, lack of appetite, decreased concentration - the local pediatrician prescribed vitamins and iron-boosting drugs, but nothing helped. It was only when the child lost consciousness during class at school that the decision was made to do a full examination. The doctor's verdict was terrible: acute leukemia.
The nightmare of a sick person and his relatives.
Numerous treatment procedures began. Due to his age, Kolya had to stay alone in the hemato-oncology center. There was no mother nearby, who always tried in every possible way to support her son. This depressed the boy even more.
Chemotherapy courses did not bring relief, the confinement in the ward was closed: visits from relatives were not allowed, and it was forbidden to leave the hospital building. It was hard not only for mother and son, but also for their loved ones. Due to his age, Kolya did not realize the tragedy that happened to him.
Hope for recovery.
After six months of treatment, the boy was discharged from the hospital with improvement, and the mother was warned that a relapse should be expected. And so it happened. Another eight months in the hospital, numerous examinations, treatment and sessions with a child psychologist gave hope for recovery.
Kolya started going to school. After intensive lessons with teachers in basic subjects, I managed to master the school curriculum and catch up with my peers in studies.
Sport and victory.
The biggest surprise for Kolya’s mother and doctor, who observed the progress of his recovery, was the teenager’s passion for weightlifting. Starting with regular training, Nikolai took prizes in competitions in his age group over the next few years.
Kolya underwent tests regularly. Examinations, trips to the doctor - all this happened, but not for the purpose of treatment, but for the purpose of checking the state of health. The teenager felt good, sports gave him strength and self-confidence.
Now he is an adult twenty-year-old guy, a student working after his studies. Kolya doesn’t like to remember the time spent in the hospital, but he believes that it was his persistent passion for sports that helped him believe in himself and not give up.
Healing a Guard
Jesus performed the very last healing of his earthly life under unusual circumstances. Previously, He helped people whom He saw at a meeting of believers in the synagogue - that is why he was scolded by adherents of the Jewish law: after all, the meetings were held on Saturday, and no work could be done on that day. Sometimes the afflicted approached him asking for healing along the way, as he walked through city streets or along the dusty roads of Israel from village to village. And it also happened that He Himself approached sick people, came to their house and restored lost health. But the last healing was different.
The hour for which Jesus came to earth was approaching. In the darkness of the Garden of Gethsemane, a crowd of armed people with lanterns was already walking to seize the Son of God and take him to the lawless trial to those who had long wished Him death. Now they have already approached the place where Jesus and the disciples spent the night. The traitor Judas had already kissed the Teacher, and the guards surrounded Him in a semi-ring. But then the most ardent of the disciples, Peter, suddenly rushes forward, pushes away the guard, who had already extended his hand to Jesus, and snatches the sword. The sharp steel of the blade sparkles in the dim light of the guard's lanterns. One blow and the guard's severed ear falls onto the grass. The rest of the disciples stand next to Peter, another sword is taken out of its sheath. The guards did not expect such a rebuff. Seeing that the students were ready to fight to the death to protect their beloved Teacher, they froze. Another moment - and a bloody battle will begin among the olive trees of the Garden of Gethsemane, in which many will die and be maimed on both sides. But then Jesus turns to the disciples and addresses Peter, holding a bloody weapon in his hands:
“Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.” Or do you think that I cannot now beg My Father, and He will send thousands of Angels to protect Me?
And turning back to those who came for Him, he says:
“It’s as if you came out against a robber with swords and stakes to take Me.” Although I sat with you every day, teaching in the temple, and you did not take Me...
Then he bent down, picked up the severed ear from the grass, walked up to the guard, who was huddled in pain, and carefully put the ear back in place. And when he took his hand away, everyone was amazed to see that the guard’s wound was no longer bleeding, and it was as if his ear had never just been cut off.
The last thing Jesus healed was the man who came to seize Him and give Him to a painful death.
***
We are so accustomed to the word “heal” today that rarely does anyone remember its original meaning. But it means to restore the whole, to return man to his original state, as God intended him to be.
And when Jesus gave sick people the ability to walk, see, hear, when he reattached a guard’s severed ear, He did just that—he made people whole, restoring their lost parts and abilities. But the main work of the Son of God was not just the healing of bodily infirmities. The most terrible disease of all humanity after the Fall was the loss of man’s connection with his Creator. This is the disease that Jesus came to heal, descending from Heaven to people and becoming one of us. The price of this healing was high: Jesus had to die on the cross for the sins of all the people who have ever lived on earth. But death had no power over Him - Jesus was resurrected on the third day after His death. And now to everyone who is ready to believe in Him and live according to His commandments, He gives not only recovery from illnesses, but also a firm hope of resurrection after death: “... everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Illustrations by Galina Voronetskaya
Return to life or stage 4 cancer is not a death sentence!
Stage 4 cancer is not a death sentence!
Irina's life was no different from other people. After work, she rushed to a spacious apartment, where a loving husband and a black cat were waiting for her. However, 2 years ago, the woman received a disappointing diagnosis from doctors - stage 4 ovarian cancer.
It was too late to seek treatment. Life has lost its bright colors. One morning Irina began bleeding heavily. The husband called an ambulance, which took her to the hospital. She was placed in a special ward for the dying. When the woman asked the doctor why she was placed here, he replied: “Time was lost. The disease is at its final stage and it is impossible to get rid of it.”
Big expenses.
To get out into the world of the living we had to spend a huge amount of money. We went to private clinics. Not a single good doctor would undertake an examination without payment. After an appointment with the doctor, Irina was prescribed chemotherapy. After the procedure, the woman felt unwell; she had difficulty speaking and moving. Every day was like torture.
Hope for a miracle.
Having lost hope in the hospital, Irina called a healer in Bashkiria and went to see her. The healer met the woman and began to perform the ritual and read prayers. After these procedures it became much easier. Together with her husband, Irina lived there for more than a month, where she rested, ate well and restored her psychological state.
Returning home and to life.
After treatment in Bashkiria, in the city of Irina, several courses of chemotherapy were again prescribed and surgery was performed. The tumor decreased significantly and the dynamics were positive. Her strength was running low, so Irina called a psychologist. The specialist advised me to call Women's Health, a program for women who have overcome cancer.
During the course, the woman was offered to sign up for art therapy. It is creativity that helps fight cancer and one’s own emotions. Every day the depression disappeared, Irina began to feel better, and most importantly, she overcame fear. All this became possible thanks to the Women's Health program. Cancer is not a death sentence, and support groups like these help fight it.
Test yourself! Take the test:
In what city did the healing of a man who had been lying motionless for many years take place?
The healing of a man who lay motionless for many years, although he “saw, heard and understood everything,” took place in Capernaum. In this city, Christ was in one of the houses, but because of the many people listening to him, they could not bring a certain sick person to him. The unfortunate man's friends opened the roof of the house and lowered the stretcher with the patient down. Jesus said to the paralytic: “Son! Your sins are forgiven you." The Pharisees who heard this considered these words blasphemy, but, knowing their thoughts, he said: “... which is easier to say: your sins are forgiven you, or to say: get up and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins, I say to you (He turned to the paralytic): get up, take up your bed and go to your house.” And the sick man immediately got up and went home, filled with gratitude.
Which of Christ's miracles happened in Jerusalem?
The miraculous sight of a blind man occurred after Christ preached in the Jerusalem Temple. Nearby, Jesus noticed a blind man begging for alms. The disciples asked Him: “Who sinned, he or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered: “Neither he nor his parents sinned, but this was so that the works of God might be revealed in him.” Soon after these words, the patient received healing.
What action did Christ perform in healing the blind man?
Approaching the man born blind, Jesus spat on the ground, made clay (dirt), anointed the eyes of the sick man and said to him: Go, wash in the pool of Siloam. The water in it was considered healing. The man born blind went to the pool of Siloam, washed himself and began to see.
What was the last healing Jesus performed in His earthly life?
Jesus healed the guard (high priest's servant) in the Garden of Gethsemane, where a crowd of armed men came to seize Christ and take him to the judgment seat to those who wanted Him to die. One of the Savior’s disciples pushed the villain away, pulled out a sword and cut off his ear. However, the Savior picked him up, went up to the guard, and put his ear in place. And the wound healed immediately.
Which of Christ's disciples rushed to the guard threatening the Teacher and cut off his ear?
It was Peter who “struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. Then Jesus said: Leave it, enough. And touching his ear, he healed him."
Test: How well do you know the history of evangelical miraculous healings? Be careful!
It looks like you should take a closer look at the article about the miraculous healings performed by Christ. Today, reading these stories, we can again come into contact with biblical events, see the fate of ordinary people in whose lives a real miracle happened.
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Test: How well do you know the history of evangelical miraculous healings? A little bit lacking in attentiveness!
In the article about miracles of healing, you learned about how Jesus Christ showed His omnipotence out of love and compassion for people suffering from illnesses. The Savior was attentive to every sick, blind, lame, and leper person. But you were a little lacking in attentiveness! But that's okay: next time you'll score the maximum number of points!
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Test: How well do you know the history of evangelical miraculous healings? The most attentive reader!
Every miraculous healing performed by Christ carries deep meaning and makes you think. By healing, the Savior made it clear why people get sick, how illness is connected with sin, and what happiness it is to receive a miraculous recovery by meeting God. You have mastered the material of the article wonderfully! Congratulations!
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