Beggars for Healing

Read Time: 5 Minutes

An Oriental custom, according to Bishop K. C. Pillai, regarding healing is to become a beggar. It is common to see beggars in Palestine, Egypt, or India. Americans tend to think these are all poor, but for many that is not the case. The philosophy in the East for Hindus, Mohammedans, or Jews is if a person is incurable and the doctors have given up on them, then they become a beggar. They are not seeking money, for money will be useless, they require healing. Poor beggars in the East looking for food come to the door of the house and tap on the floor by the door. The woman will come out and then give them something to eat.

When a person is reduced to begging he has no more self-respect and they lose all social standing. All that they have left is to humble themselves before God. You will see these beggars on the highway, at the temple gate, or at the banks of the holy rivers. Thousands of people pass these three places daily and their hope and prayer is that a holy man will pass by and the shadow of him will fall on them or they will reach out and touch him to be healed of their incurable disease.

An example of a beggar by a highway is Bartimaeus.

Mark 10
:46  And they came to Jericho:
    and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people,
        blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
:47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
    he began to cry out, and say,
        Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
:48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace:
    but he cried the more a great deal,
        Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
:49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called.
    And they call the blind man, saying unto him,
        Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
:50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
:51 And Jesus answered and said unto him,
        What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?
    The blind man said unto him,
        Lord, that I might receive my sight.
: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.

Bartimaeus was by the highway begging, begging for healing, waiting for a man of God to come by. He heard that Jesus was passing by and he was not going let this opportunity escape him. He knew Jesus could heal him that is why he persisted.

In Acts we see the custom of people being brought out into the streets so that even the shadow of a holy one passing by would heal them. They believed to receive healing, they came to be healed and God delivered, they were healed, everyone.

Acts 5
:12 And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people;
...
:15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets,
    and laid them on beds and couches,
    that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.
:16 There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem,
    bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits:
    and they were healed every one.

The people saw God delivering His people by hands of the apostles and came believing to be healed, and were all healed.

A record of a beggar at a temple is in Acts where Peter and John healed the man that was lame since he was born.

Acts 3
:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer,
    being the ninth hour.
:2 And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried,
    whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful,
    to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
:3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
:4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said,
        Look on us.
:5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
:6 Then Peter said,
        Silver and gold have I none;
        but such as I have give I thee:
        In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
:7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up:
    and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
:8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple,
        walking, and leaping, and praising God.

Bishop K.C. Pillai comments about the phrase "Silver and gold have I none"

Peter and John understood why this man was here; they could have given him a coin, but they did not. They used an old Eastern way of speaking when they said to him, "Silver and gold have I none." They meant, "For all the silver and gold in the world you cannot buy a new pair of legs. We don't have that kind of help for you; we have the help of Jesus Christ of Nazareth in whose name you shall walk!

Peter and John knew this man was seeking healing. They all knew that for all the money in world this man would not be able to walk. That is why he had humbled himself to beg for healing. They could offer him healing in the name of Jesus Christ.

It has been believed for thousands of years that a way to receive healing is to wait by the side of holy waters and when the water is troubled the first one to step in would get healed. This seldom leads to healing but it is the only remaining hope they have. We see an example of this in John 5.

John 5
:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool,
    which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
:3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered,
    waiting for the moving of the water.
:4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water:
    whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
:5 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
:6 When Jesus saw him lie,
    and knew that he had been now a long time in that case,
    he saith unto him,
        Wilt thou be made whole?
:7 The impotent man answered him,
        Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool:
        but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.
:8 Jesus saith unto him,
        Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.
:9 And immediately the man was made whole,
    and took up his bed, and walked:
    and on the same day was the sabbath.

Glory be to God in the highest that healing is available to us now through the name of Jesus Christ by the power of God that lives in born-again Believers. We don't need to be beggars and we certainly don't have to wait until the doctors have no more answers. We have the dominion and authority to command our bodies and minds to be healed. God is not the God of the last resort. Trust God first, believe in Him in the beginning. If you need healing command the affected part to be healed or seek out a Believer to minister to you. To hear audio testimonies of God's deliverance visit the Joint Heirs with Christ website.