“I will tell you of the wrestle I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.” (Enos 1:2)
I was reading in Enos (short, but packed full of the pathway leading back to God), and one phrase jumped out at me. The Lord has just forgiven Enos of his sins. His guilt is lifted and he asks the Lord how it was done. In response, the Lord tells him:
“Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Enos 1:8)
Thy faith hath made thee whole. These are the exact words that Jesus uses during three separate encounters in his mortal ministry.
Mark 5, Luke 8, and Matthew 9 all tell the story of the woman who was plagued with the issue of blood. She is healed when she touches the hem of Christ’s garment, and each account agrees that the Lord 1) addressed her as “daughter” and 2) said the words “thy faith hath made thee whole.”
“And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace and be whole of thy plague.” (Mark 5:34)
The second instance of this phrase being used is in Mark 10. A blind beggar hears that Christ is near and calls out to Him. People try to shush him, but he persists. Christ asks what he would have Him do, and when the man asks that his sight be restored, Christ answers:
“Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.” (Mark 10:52)
The third is in Luke 17. Ten lepers ask to be cleansed. The Lord tells them to go show themselves to the priests. On their way, they are all healed, but only one returns to thank Christ. Christ responds:
“Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.” (Luke 17:19)
What does it mean to be made whole? On the surface, when looking at the examples from the bible, it seems to refer to being physically whole. So then why use the same words in Enos?
While the healing of the leper, the blind man, and the woman were wonderful example of mercy and the miracles that Christ can perform, I don’t think that’s the most important part. The nine lepers who were healed but did not return were made just as physically fit as the one who did return. So then, what is the significance of the Lord’s words to that one leper?
What is the significance of the woman being called ‘daughter?’
What is the significance of the blind man using his sight to follow Jesus in the way?
The faith of these people didn’t just allow their infirmities to be healed. Their faith resulted in purification, because they saw beyond what Christ could do for them physically, and saw the value of following in his path.
They didn’t wait for Christ to come and offer them a miracle. They cried out to Him, touched His garment, thanked Him. Just as Enos cried out to the Lord in mighty prayer and received forgiveness, these others took action. They acted in faith.
It’s one thing to say we have faith, but acting on our faith brings power.
I believe the Lord recognized the sincerity of their faith. He knew their hearts, and in telling them that their faith had made them whole, he was forgiving their sins, offering purification, and pointing them in the direction they needed to go.
Our Lord is always there, eager to forgive us, to teach us, to bless us. But it will be a struggle. Enos tells us of the ‘wrestle’ he has before receiving a remission of his sins. In verse 11, he “prayed unto Him with many long strugglings.” The woman, the blind man, and the leper all struggled with serious physical ailments. What is your struggle? And how will you use it to cry out to the Lord in mighty prayer so that he can help you overcome it?
May our souls hunger, and may we cry out to Him who can save us so that we will one day be called blessed and be able to say, like Enos, “I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest.”