The Natural and the Spiritual

“As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went away and washed, and came back seeing.” ‭‭John‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭‬‬

I was listening to a teaching by Dr. Curt Thompson in regards to this passage. He was teaching about how in the medical realm we can often separate the spiritual and the natural. However, in mental health people often spiritualize the problem and struggle with accepting natural help.

It is clear from the disciples question that this blindness they felt was caused by sin, making it a spiritual matter, not one in the natural. Jesus let them know that sin had not caused the blindness, but that it was there for the works of God to be displayed.

Jonathan Cahn teaches in the Book of Mysteries Devotional something that was also confirmed during a trip to Israel. In the Jewish tradition, it is believed that the first born son of a father has healing properties in his saliva.

In this miracle, Jesus literally takes their question of it being spiritual, and tells them they’re wrong. And yet attaches the sickness to another spiritual meaning, to display God‘s work, which would also occur in the natural. Then, in His healing of this man, Jesus combines the natural, the mud and His spittle, the supernatural together to bring about healing.

This is the only healing that I remember where Jesus used something natural to bring about healing. Although there are other healings where supernatural healing occurred through natural means. My mind immediately goes to the story of being held from leprosy in the Jordan River, where Jesus was later baptized.

“Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’ Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.” ‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭5‬:‭10‬-‭14‬ ‭‬‬

Naaman, was looking for a spiritual miracle. He made this clear as he became offended that Elisha didn’t even come out to meet him. Instead, Elisha told Naaman to go do something in the natural. And yet the miracle took place.

Then I thought how Paul uses the example of something natural, to explain really what is going on in the spiritual realm. 

“For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬-‭27‬ ‭‬‬

I believe that the Lord has to take from what we know in order to help us understand His ways. After all, His ways are higher than our ways. We wouldn’t understand things if He tried to show it to us any other way because we don’t have that knowledge or understanding. We are all one body, and individual members of it. He takes that natural we can understand and shows us how it applies in the spiritual structure of His Church.

God formed Adam in the same way. He took the dust of the Earth and He breathed into it, yet said we were made in His image. He took something natural and added His spirit through breath. Our natural reflects His spiritual.

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭27‬ ‭‬‬

“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭‬‬

We do often try to separate the natural from the spiritual. I can’t tell you how many times clients have told me they don’t want to be dependent upon medication; all the while, they are taking medications for things like diabetes, heart failure, or other physical illnesses. I’ve also heard clients say ”If I only had more faith,…” or “If I only had a closer walk with God…” that they would not suffer from the depression and anxiety that plagues them. Or similar to the disciples questions, they say somehow the illness is related to some sin of the past, be it theirs or the families.

God takes the natural we understand and can bring healing in the natural or through spiritual means; this is evidence through the healing of the blind man and Naaman. He takes what we can understand and tries to help us gain deeper understanding of His ways, this is evidence in Paul’s description of the functioning of the church. God sent Jesus in the natural to atone for our spiritual needs the ultimate example of how He brings the natural and the spiritual together.