According to some authors, the healing narratives in the New Testament have fuelled destructive attitudes toward disability among Christians. The purpose of this paper is to explore a subset of Jesus' miracle healings for more constructive messages, and for guidance about pastoral care for people with disabilities. Of twenty-nine miracle accounts found in the four gospels, five were selected for this study that deal with physical disability in individual persons. Using the socio-rhetorical interpretive method, the stories are mined for themes regarding spiritual aspects of healing, identity, faith, sin and touch.
References
1.
AscoughR.S. (2003). Miracles of Jesus. Ottawa, ON: Novalis Press.
2.
AscoughR.S. (1996). “Narrative technique and generic designation: Crowd scenes in Luke-Acts and in Chariton.”Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 58, 69–81.
3.
BogdanR. & TaylorS.J. (1993). Relationships with severely disabled persons: The social construction of humanness. In NadlerM. (Ed.) Perspectives on disability. Palo Alto, CA: Health Markets Research. p. 97–108.
4.
CotterW. (1999). Miracles in Greco-Roman antiquity. Abingdon, UK: Routlege.
5.
EhrmanB.D. (2000). The new testament: Historical introductions to the early Christian writings (2nd ed). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
6.
EieslandN. (1994). The disabled God: Toward a liberatory theology of disability. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
7.
EieslandN. & SaliersD.E. (1998). Human disability and the service of God. Nashville TN: Abingdon Press.
8.
FranceR. T. (2002). The Gospel of Mark. NIGTC. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans & Paternoster.
9.
FritzsonA. & KabueS. (2006). Interpreting disability: A church of all and for all. WCC Publications.
10.
GrantC. (1998). Reinterpreting the healing narratives. In EieslandN. & SaliersDE (Eds). Human Disability and the Service of God. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
11.
GreenJ.B. (1997). The Gospel of Luke. NIGTC. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans & Paternoster.
12.
HowardJ.K. (2001). Disease and healing in the new testament: An analysis and interpretation. New York: University Press of America Inc.
13.
KabueS. (2006). Disability and the healing mission of the church. International Review of Mission, 95(376), 112–116.
14.
KeenerC.S. (1999). A Commentary on the gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
15.
KeenerC.S. (2003). The Gospel of John: A commentary. Vol. 1. Peabody: Hendrickson.
LatourelleR. (1988). The miracles of Jesus and the theology of miracles. New York, NY: Paulist Press.
18.
LewisC.S. (1962). The problem of pain. New York: Macmillan.
19.
LuzU. (1995). The theology of the gospel of Matthew. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press.
20.
MacLachlanL. (1968). Miracles of healing: Studies of the healing miracles in the new testament. Evesham, UK: Arthur James Ltd.
21.
MairsN. (2002). Carnal acts. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside.
22.
MairsN. (1997). Waist-high in the world. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
23.
MalinaB.J. & RohrbaughR.L. (1992). Social science commentary on the synoptic gospels. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press.
24.
McCollM.A. & BickenbachJ. (1998). Introduction to disability. London: W.B. Saunders
25.
McCollM.A.BickenbachJ.JohnstonJ.NishihamaS.SchumakerM.SmithK.SmithM., & YeallandB. (2000a). Changes in spiritual beliefs after traumatic disability. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation81, 817–823
26.
McCollM.A.BickenbachJ.JohnstonJ.SchumakerM.SmithK.SmithM. & YeallandB. (2000b) Spiritual issues associated with traumatic-onset disability. Disability and Rehabilitaion, 22(12), 555–64.
27.
McCollM.A. (2003a). Spirituality and occupational therapy. Ottawa, ON: CAOT Publ.
28.
McCollM.A. (2003b). Spirituality & disability. In McColl (Ed). Spitituality and Occupational therapy. Ottawa: CAOT Publ. (p. 19–29).
29.
McCollM.A. & JongbloedL. (2006). Disability and social policy in Canada (2nd ed). Toronto: Captus Press.
30.
MichaelsW.B. (2006). The trouble with diversity: How we learned to love identity and ignore inequality. New York: Metropolitain Books.
31.
MiglioreD.L. (1991). Faith seeking understanding. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publ. Co.
32.
MitchellD.T. & SnyderS (1997). The body and physical difference: Discourses of disability in the humanities. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
33.
RemusH. (1997). Jesus as healer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
34.
RichardsonA. (1942). The miracle-stories of the gospels. London: Student Christian Movement Press.
35.
RobbinsV.K. (1996a). Exploring the texture of texts: A Guide to socio-rhetorical interpretation. Valley Forge: Trinity Press International.
36.
RobbinsV.K. (1996b). The tapestry of early Christian discourse: Rhetoric, society and ideology. London: Routledge.
37.
SanfordJ.A. (1992). Healing body and soul: The meaning of illness in the new testament and in psychotherapy. Louisville, KY: Westminster£John Knox Press.
38.
SontagS. (1977). Illness as metaphor. Toronto: McGraw-Hill-Ryerson Press.
39.
ThiessenG. (1983). The miracle stories in the early Christian tradition. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press.
40.
Von BendemannR. (2006). Many-coloured illnesses: On the significance of illnesses in new testament therapy narratives. In LabahnM. & PeerbolteBJL (Eds.) Wonders never cease: The purpose of narrating miracle stories in the new testament and its religious environment. London: T&T Clark Intl. (p. 100–124).
41.
WainwrightE. (2001). The Matthean Jesus and the healing of women. In AuneD. (Ed.) The gospel of Matthew in current study. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Publ Co (74–95).
42.
WalaskyP.W. (1983). Biblical and classical foundation of the healing ministries. Journal of Pastoral Care, 37(03), 195–206.
43.
WallaceR.S. (1960). The Gospel miracles. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd.
