Why didn’t Paul heal Trophimus or Epaphroditus?
Question:
Good day, sir,
May Almighty God continue to bless and strengthen you.
My question is: If the Apostle Paul still had the power to heal, why would he leave Trophimus sick, while Epaphroditus was also sick to the point of death in Philippians 2:27, and encouraged Timothy to use a little wine for his stomach and frequent ailments (I Timothy 5:23)?
Answer:
Because of Jesus' abundant healing, many get the impression that the gift of healing was given to wipe out all illnesses. However, miracles were done for a greater purpose than restoring someone to their health. The various miraculous gifts were used to confirm that the words spoken by God's servants were from God. "How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will" (Hebrews 2:3-4).
Jesus pointed out that everyone wasn't healed. "But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian" (Luke 4:25-27). There were always purposes behind the miracles that were done.
Even a lack of healing sometimes had a purpose. "Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me" (II Corinthians 12:7-9).
Thus, we should consider why God might have desired the outcome when something unexpected happens. Did Trophimus have more time to help in Miletus because he had to be left behind? Did he avoid being arrested with Paul because he wasn't there? Was there a lesson being taught through the example of Epaphroditus that we should learn? After all, though he was sick, his concern was focused on the brethren back in Philippi. Would we learn such a lesson if he was healed as soon as he started to get sick? Timothy's example also has a message for us because we learned that Timothy seriously avoided alcohol and had to be told to take some medicine. His case also tells us that treating illnesses is not wrong.
Response:
Thank you very much.
