Matthew 10:1 Jesus gave his disciples the same authority to heal as He had.
* * * * *
"Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave (1) them authority (2) to drive out (3) impure spirits (4) and to heal (5) every (6) disease (7) and sickness (8)."
1) didómi (DEE'-do-mee) - the giving of gifts and blessings; the granting of authority
2) exousia (ex-oo-SEE'-ah) - authority, power, rights, jurisdiction, dominion, rule, the right to act, command or control, to exercise power over.
3) ekballó - to expel; to drive, cast or send away.
4) akathartos (ah-KAH'-thar-tos) + pneuma (PNYOO'-mah) - a wrong spirit, impure tainted by sin; a demon;
5) therapeúō (ther-ap-YOO'-o) – to heal, reversing a physical condition, to restore a person having an illness (disease, infirmity) to health as a physician prescribes and applies healing therapy.
6) pas - all; every; the whole of; the entire; total; complete; all-encompassing;
7) nosos (NOH'-sos)- disease; sickness; malady - a chronic, persisting, incurable ailment.
8) malakía (mah-lah-KEE'-ah) - weakness; illness; sickness - a disease or condition that weakens (softens) the victim. An ailment that disables; a lack of strength; "a debilitating infirmity" causing the body to lose muscle fiber, etc.
Notes and thoughts:
This is a very important verse for the believer today who walks in the whole council of God's word. This was pre-resurrection and pre-Pentecost. It was a preview of what all believers could receive and do after Jesus' death, resurrection, and the empowering of believers by the infilling of Jesus' Holy Spirit. We must view this verse as a directive and revelation to ourselves.
First, Jesus "called" his disciples "to" Himself. I love the thought of Jesus maybe yelling out, "Hey guys, come here. I've got something for you." We must see the gifts as part of our calling in our walk with Him. This is not just a time of waiting for the taking up of our spirits or for our transition through death to the Kingdom. We are here to serve Him by sharing the Good News of the Gospel and an eternity with God to all who will listen. That is a critical time in a person's life. Jesus said it all comes down to accepting or rejecting Him. That's it. And the gifts of the Spirit not only help us fulfill that calling, but help us survive in a hostile and evil world.
Jesus gave his followers (which includes us) the same authority He operated in and for specific uses. As we've seen previously in Matthew, that authority can be used to free people from demonic influence. I always like to insert my belief here that the person who is demonized wants to be free of those spirits. I've personally seen people who did not want to be free and that is when you just have to say "Be gone" or "Go away" and then leave them to their misery. Plus if you are in a region where everyone is demonized, such as in parts of the middle east, Asia or Africa or parts of India (I've been in all of those places), your safety is of concern and that would be a one on one sharing of God's word as He arranges.
There were times when we were traveling in Central America or Russia and see an outside stage or a park or even a wedding reception and asked if we could play our music there and, with permission, did so and saw many people come to the Lord. This was by the guidance and leading of the Holy Spirit. There were other times, like in Africa, that the meetings had to be in secret because of threats by Muslims who controlled the area, or rebel gangs who controlled the areas at night.
The authority Jesus gives the believer is what He operated in while on Earth and continues to operate through us. I've listed the definitions of each word above. It's very specific. And plain. "To heal every disease and sickness." Jesus' authority is a spiritual power which transfers to earthly power through His word spoken and acted upon by His body by faith.