It is Jesus

DEVOTION

THE BOOK OF ACTS

IT IS JESUS

Acts 19:11-12

11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

NIV

This has been taken to a whole new level at one point in this modern age, but it does have a biblical based truth. What are we to do with this idea of handkerchiefs and aprons being used to heal the sick and drive out evil spirits? First we have to acknowledge these were items that Paul had touched and he was Paul, a man called by God for a very special task. The charlatans of today who have tried this merely are looking for fame and fortune. We will see in the verses that follow when others tried to do what Paul was doing an evil spirit told them he knew Jesus and he knew Paul but who the heck are you and beat them fiercely. Yet there is some truth here in the sense of those who were healed. They did not have the opportunity to see Paul or have him actually pray and lay hands on them, but the sick knew of the faith of Paul and these items were a point of contact for them. They believed if they were touched by that which was touched by Paul they would be healed. Even in the case of these modern day charlatans there are people who have been healed because they believed they would be if they were touched by that handkerchief, or if that reached out and touched the television while this person prayed. There is a truth that we do need some point of contact, some belief that we can be healed. Now for most of us that point of contact is our faith in Christ. That is all we need, we simply believe. But for some it may take something like what happened in Paul’s time and has happened in ours. When it comes down to the truth of it, no man heals another, no faith in a person or an item can bring about a healing, but it is our faith in Christ and his divine power which heals us. We need to always be aware that it is by the name of Jesus and none other. We cannot allow any deception to occur. We need to be clear about who it is who heals. Yes it happened then, but I am sure Paul made sure people knew it was Jesus and not him. Today it is still Jesus who heals.