When did Jesus’ healing ministry begin?

Jesus’ miracles and healings are not always in chronological order throughout the Gospels.  In fact, none of the healings and miracles is found in all four of the Gospels with the exception of the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:15, Mark 6:35, Luke 9:12, and John 6:1).  In order to determine when Jesus’ healing ministry began, we have to find out when His first healing took place.  We used the Book of Luke because the Gospel of Luke is the most chronologically accurate.  He states in Luke 1:3, “Since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write and orderly account for you.”   

Following the account of Luke we learn:  

After Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, forty days in the desert and the temptation by Satan, Jesus returned to Nazareth where he was rejected (Luke 4:14-30).  

He then went to Capernaum and began to teach the people (Luke 4:31). 

In the synagogue there was a man with an evil spirit.  Jesus drove out the evil spirit (Luke 4:35).  

Jesus then left the synagogue and went to the house of Simon Peter.  Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering with a high fever.  Those in the house asked Jesus to help her and he bent over her and rebuked the fever.  She got up at once and began to wait on them (Luke 4:38-39). 

“When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.” Luke 4:40  

We believe the above account marks the beginning of Jesus’ healings, starting with the healing of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law.  (Disclaimer: You may find that not all biblical scholars are in agreement with this conclusion.  However, they do place the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law very close to the beginning.)  

To learn more about healing today listen to, “Is Christianity a Healing Religion?”