Now consider how much money people are willing to spend for healthcare. The woman of Mark 5 had “suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had” (Mark 5:26). People today are the same; they will pay whatever it takes to regain their health and to extend life. Jesus and His apostles had real power over disease and even death. With such power they could have asked their price and received it, making them extremely rich men. Certainly such temptations existed (cf. 2 Kings 5:20-27; Acts 8:18; 16:16). Yet their genuinely powerful miracles were never associated with collections, requests for support or hints that the healer should be rewarded.
As we obey the command to test the spirits, what do we see today? Much of the picture is tragically different. Those who visit ‘miracle’ meetings, or who receive related literature, are familiar with how funds are constantly solicited. One appeal goes like this: “You must release your faith by giving something (usually money) to God (usually by sending it to the healer), then God will give you a miracle.” So eager are people to receive blessings, and so persuasive are miracle-evangelists, that they and their organizations accumulate fabulous wealth. One person gave up his job as a sewing machine salesman and began faith healing. He testified in court that after 5 years of healing campaigns he had built an empire valued at $800,000—a fortune in that time. Of course, there are frequent reminders that the “work of the Lord” will benefit. Certainly funding goes to the preacher’s organization, but any observer can see that the preacher himself shares handsomely in the wealth. Famous faithhealers, surrounded as they are by glamorous mansions, flashing diamonds and expensive cars, pose the most striking contrast with the humble Savior and His peasant followers, who were in fact the true miracle workers.