HIV and AIDS:
The Cure

JAIRUS' DAUGHTER

Mark 5:35-36,38,41-42  [35] While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?" [36] Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe." [38] When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. [41] He took her by the hand and said to her, . . . "Little girl, I say to you, get up!". [42] Immediately the girl stood up and walked around . . . . At this they were completely astonished.

THE CENTURION'S SERVANT

Matthew 8:8, 13  [8] The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed."  [13] Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.

THE LEPER

Mark 8:2-3 [2] A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."  [3] Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy.

The diseases collectively referred to as "leprosy" in the Bible are not the disease called "leprosy" today.  They were contagious slow, wasting diseases.

LAZARUS

John 11:3-44 (excerpted) [3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." [6] Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. [7] Then he said to his disciples, . . . [11] . . . "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."   [14] So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead," [17] . . . Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. [34] "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," [the mourners] replied. [37] But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?" [40] Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" [41b] Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." [43] When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" [44] The dead man came out, . . .  Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."

PETER AND THE CRIPPLED BEGGAR

Acts 3:2, 6-8 [2] Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate . . . . [6] Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." [7] Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. [8] He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

MOSES, AARON AND THE PLAGUE

Numbers 16:46-48 [46] Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started." [47] So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. [48] He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped.

TEN LEPERS

Luke 17:12-19 [12] As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance [13] and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" [14] When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. [15] One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. [16] He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. [17] Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? [18] Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" [19] Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

NAAMAN

2 Kings 5:1-14 (excerpted) [1] Now Naaman . . . had leprosy. [2] . . . a young girl from Israel, . . . served Naaman's wife. [3] She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." [5] . . . So Naaman left, taking [a lot of money] [6] The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy." [7] . . . the king of Israel . . . said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? . . ." [8] . . . Elisha the man of God . . .  sent him this message: ". . . Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel." [9] So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. [10] Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed." [11] But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. [12] Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. [13] Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, `Wash and be cleansed'!" [14] So he went . . . as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

TABITHA a/k/a DORCAS

Acts 9:36-37, 40-41 [36] In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor. [37] About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. [40] Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. [41] He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented her to them alive.

EUTYCHUS

Acts 20:9-12 [9] Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. [10] Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him [i.e., while praying]. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" [12] The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

ELIJAH AND THE WIDOW'S SON

1 Kings 17:17-18, 21-22 [17] Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse, and finally stopped breathing. [18] She said to Elijah, "What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?" [21] Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!" [22] The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived.

Matthew 10:1, 8 [1] He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority . . . to heal every disease and sickness. [He told them] [8] "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, . . ."

James 4:2-3 [2] You want something but don't get it . . . You do not have, because you do not ask God. [3] When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

James 5:14-16 [14] Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. [15] And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. [16] Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Matthew 7:7, 9-11 [7] "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [9] "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? [11] If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Note: "have" is past tense, and "will" is future. This makes it clear that we should not pray for God to do something in the future. We should let Him know what we need and believe that He already has provided it -- we just haven't seen it yet.

Matthew 18:19-20 [19] "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. [20] For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."