Jesus gave His disciples authority over sickness and disease. This wasn’t just for the twelve apostles – it’s an authority that extends to every believer today.

In my last post, I talked about how to keep your faith strong in God’s healing promises. In this post, I want to explore the incredible truth that Jesus has given you authority over sickness.

As someone who lives with paralysis and legal blindness, I understand what it’s like to need healing. But I also understand the power we have as believers to pray for others and see God work through us.

Every day I pray for my own healing, but I also regularly pray for others who are suffering. Jesus gave His followers authority over sickness, and that authority is still available to us today.

Jesus Gave Authority over Sickness to the Twelve

The first group to receive healing authority from Jesus was the twelve disciples. Jesus sent them out with specific instructions and power (Mark 6:7-13).

Mark 6:13 tells us: “And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.” Notice that Jesus didn’t just give them authority over demons – He gave them authority to heal the sick.

This wasn’t a one-time event or a temporary gift. These disciples had been watching Jesus heal people throughout His ministry. They had seen Him cleanse lepers, open blind eyes, make the lame walk, and even raise the dead. When Jesus gave them authority over sickness, they expected it to work because they had seen His power.

There’s no indication in Scripture that Jesus ever took this authority away from the twelve. When He commissioned them to heal the sick, it was part of their ongoing ministry alongside Him. The authority He gave them was not just for a specific mission – it was part of their identity as His disciples.

Jesus Gave Authority over Sickness to the Seventy-Two

Jesus didn’t limit healing authority to the twelve apostles. In Luke 10:1-12, we see Him appointing seventy-two others and sending them out with the same power.

When the seventy-two returned from their mission, they were amazed at what had happened. Look at their excitement: “The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17)!

They were more impressed that demons obeyed them than that sick people were healed. This tells us something important – they had fully expected people to be healed when they prayed. They simply trusted they had authority over sickness.

This is the kind of faith we need when we pray for the sick. We shouldn’t be surprised when God heals people. We should expect it because Jesus has given us the same authority He gave to the seventy-two.

The Apostles Continued Healing in Acts

The book of Acts proves that the disciples didn’t lose their healing authority after Jesus ascended to heaven. Peter and John healed a man lame from birth at the temple gate (Acts 3:1-10). Peter healed Aeneas, who had been paralyzed for eight years (Acts 9:33-34). Paul healed a man lame from birth in Lystra (Acts 14:8-10).

People brought the sick into the streets hoping that Peter’s shadow might touch them, and they were all healed (Acts 5:15-16). God worked extraordinary miracles through Paul (Acts 19:11-12). God healed people extraordinarily through his handkerchiefs and aprons.

These weren’t rare happenings. The apostles regularly healed the sick as part of their ministry. The authority Jesus gave them in the Gospels continued to operate powerfully in the early church.

You Are a Disciple of Jesus

Here’s the truth that many Christians miss: people who follow Jesus are His disciples now. The same authority over sickness that Jesus gave to the twelve, to the seventy-two, and to the apostles is available to you.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8 ). He hasn’t changed His mind

about healing. He hasn’t withdrawn His authority from His disciples. He is still ministering to people through us today.

Listen to what Jesus says about you: “In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover” (Mark 16:17-18).

Notice that Jesus said these signs would accompany “those who believe” – not just the apostles or a special class of super-Christians. Every believer has been given authority over sickness in Jesus’s name.

Have Faith to Heal the Sick

Understanding your authority is only the beginning. You also need faith to exercise it. The same faith that brings salvation can bring healing to others.

When we pray for the sick, we should expect Jesus to heal them through us. We do not heal people – Jesus does. Here are some practical principles for healing:

• Pray with confidence in Jesus’s authority. You’re not begging God to do something He doesn’t want to do. You’re exercising the authority He has already given you.
• Pray specifically for the person’s condition. Speak directly to the sickness or disease, commanding it to leave in Jesus’s name.
• Pray with compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion when He healed people. Let your heart be filled with love for the person you’re praying for.
• Pray persistently. Don’t give up if you don’t see immediate results. Keep praying the persistent widow gain favor from an unjust judge and God is not unjust (Luke 18:1-8).
• Give God the glory when healing happens. Make sure everyone knows that Jesus healed the person, not you.

The Authority Is Yours

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have authority over sickness. This isn’t earned through special training or reserved for super-spiritual Christians. It’s part of your inheritance as a child of God.

Jesus gave this authority to ordinary fishermen, tax collectors, and everyday people who decided to follow Him. He’s giving the same authority to you. The question isn’t whether you have it – the question is whether you’ll use it.

People around you are suffering from diseases, chronic conditions, and various ailments. They need someone who will stand in the gap and exercise Jesus’s authority over their sickness. They need someone who will pray with faith and expectancy for their healing.

That someone could be you.

Praying for Your Healing

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving us authority over sickness and disease. Help us to understand the power You’ve placed in our hands and to use it for Your glory. Give us faith to pray boldly for the sick, expecting You to heal them through our prayers. Fill us with Your compassion for those who are suffering. Help us to see ourselves as Your disciples, equipped and empowered to continue Your healing ministry today. When we pray for others, let them experience Your healing touch through us. And as we exercise this authority, may many come to know You as their Savior and Healer. In Your powerful name, Amen.

Up Next

We’ve seen how Jesus gave authority over sickness to you. Next, I want to explore how Jesus healed an official’s son and what this teaches us about faith.

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