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The Healer's Art: Reflections on the Healing Power of Jesus Christ
The beloved painting Christ Healing at the Well of Bethesda provides the inspiration for this exploration of the vital link between our faith and Christ’s healing power. The authors use various scenes from the painting to symbolize our different spiritual challenges on the path to healing. Are we like the distracted bystanders, too busy to notice the healing touch of the Savior? Or are we like the man in the red cap, waiting for a miracle but not fully ready to turn our pain over to the Master Healer? Perhaps we are among the crowd behind the pillar, separated by a barrier that stands between us and the Source of salvation. But whatever our need and circumstance, true healing requires spiritual preparation. Learn how the healing hand of the Master touches each of us in a personalized way and discover the healing agents you can apply in your own life.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published August 15, 2006
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August 6, 2023
There were many places where I wanted to copy out quotations that were meaningful to me. But instead I chose to humbly feel the feelings as I read through the book.
“A physician who has spent much of her medical career counseling the chronically ill, Rachel Naomi Remen has learned that acknowledging pain is a prerequisite for healing: ‘Many of us repress our losses and Cary our own pain ungrieved often for years. ...’ “ (Page 38-39)
“Forgiveness is perhaps the most potent soul-medicine available. What greater release from the pains of life can be found then to forgive another?” (Page 41–42)
Contents
1. Jesus Christ the Master Healer
1. The miracle at the pool
2. New world healings
3. Modern miracles of healing
4. The power of the lord is conveyed through his spirit
5. Each healing is unique
6. When healing hopes are unmet
2. The Crowd at the Pool
1. The distractions of the world
2. The Savior will heal you
3. Small and simple things
3. The Man in the Red Cap
1. Pain precedes healing
2. Letting go of pride
3. Forgiveness
4. Humility
5. Knowledge
6. Charity
7. Become alive in Christ
4. The Women Come for Water
1. Polluted or living water
2. Mother’s vital role in healing
3. There is healing in closeness
5. Christ and the Healing Moment
1. The Lord is the great healer
2. Faith to be healed
3. Healing at the water’s edge
6. The Healer’s Art
1. We all need healing
2. The lessons of pain
3. Healing and gratitude
4. He knows us
Appendix
1. Some Ways to Facilitate Personal Healing
2. Scriptural Ansers to Some Questions about Healing
“A physician who has spent much of her medical career counseling the chronically ill, Rachel Naomi Remen has learned that acknowledging pain is a prerequisite for healing: ‘Many of us repress our losses and Cary our own pain ungrieved often for years. ...’ “ (Page 38-39)
“Forgiveness is perhaps the most potent soul-medicine available. What greater release from the pains of life can be found then to forgive another?” (Page 41–42)
Contents
1. Jesus Christ the Master Healer
1. The miracle at the pool
2. New world healings
3. Modern miracles of healing
4. The power of the lord is conveyed through his spirit
5. Each healing is unique
6. When healing hopes are unmet
2. The Crowd at the Pool
1. The distractions of the world
2. The Savior will heal you
3. Small and simple things
3. The Man in the Red Cap
1. Pain precedes healing
2. Letting go of pride
3. Forgiveness
4. Humility
5. Knowledge
6. Charity
7. Become alive in Christ
4. The Women Come for Water
1. Polluted or living water
2. Mother’s vital role in healing
3. There is healing in closeness
5. Christ and the Healing Moment
1. The Lord is the great healer
2. Faith to be healed
3. Healing at the water’s edge
6. The Healer’s Art
1. We all need healing
2. The lessons of pain
3. Healing and gratitude
4. He knows us
Appendix
1. Some Ways to Facilitate Personal Healing
2. Scriptural Ansers to Some Questions about Healing
December 18, 2023
4.5 stars
This book was fascinating to me. The authors were inspired by Carl Bloch’s painting “Christ Healing at the Well of Bethesda” and in their book, they take the readers on a journey to consider all the people in the painting. I was able to see aspects of myself in each of those people. I have been contemplating a lot on suffering and healing and this book gave me some valuable insights. My gratitude for Christ, the Master Healer grew and I came to understand some new aspects of healing. I also appreciated the list at the end of the book of ways to facilitate personal healing. Great book!
Quotes to remember:
When the Spirit of the Lord enters into our lives, it is as though He were there Himself to take our hand or dry our tears. By His Spirit we will be comforted and can be healed of all manner of afflictions, whether physical, emotional or spiritual.
One person spoke of a particularly spiritual event in his life. He had been laboring under some difficulty and sought the blessings of the Spirit of the Lord. When that Spirit came into his heart, it brought a calm feeling and soothing relief. Though his circumstances were not immediately changed, he had hope that they might be, and he felt energized to do all he could to make things better. He rejoiced in “the healing peace of that experience.”
The healing hand of the Master touches each person in a manner suited to the individual in need and according to the personal plan of salvation prepared for each of us even before we came to the earth.
What he experienced in Gethsemane and on the cross caused, in His word, “exquisite” suffering (D&C 19:15) and as a consequence, there is no pain or difficulty that we might experience that He has not already experience and endured. There is no extremity He has not visited, no sense of desperation He has not felt. Because His experience is intimate in nature and infinie in depth, His ability to heal us is also infinite.
In reality, death is a form of healing. All bodily grief and pain is removed in the transition from mortalities to the paradise of God, where we shall be in “ a state of rest, a state of peace, where [we] shall rest from all [our] troubles and from all care, and sorrow” (Alma 40:12).
The Savior will heal according to His divine mind and heart and will. The very suffering from which we pray for relief may ultimately be a healing in disguise. For in our suffering, we can learn and come to special understanding, which might not be achieved through any other means.
Yet with everything going on that would rob the setting of purity and peace, there enters the majestic personage of the Messiah, and around Him is an aura of quiet holiness. The marketplace is transformed into a temple for the period of His presence.
The men of the market are oblivious to the fact that within their grasp is the One who has been sent to the earth to redeem them from the bonds of earthly frustration and chaos. All of the fear and concern of their lives could be wiped away in the peace of His Spirit, if they only knew how to apply its healing balm.
We run so fast from task to task, from pillar to post in the barren sheep markets of the world, trying desperately to find our way, to fit in, and to feel good. Yet we often fail to grant the most important things of life the attention they deserve, to give notice to the healing touch of the Savior of mankind and to the restorative beauty of His glorious creations. We do not lift our eyes to see what really matters, to pause and allow time for the true joys of life to distill upon our souls.
They all seem, however, to be kept from seeing the works of the Master by a thick wall of preoccupation with the things of the world. Like a barrier of earthly cares, the pillar stands between them and the source of their salvation.
Sometimes our tiredness and hopelessness can cause us to become overly concerned with what is going on around us and to hang our heads in despair. If we can lift our eyes in faith, we might feel the Spirit of comfort and relief.
Simple faith, plain prayer, and the administration of a humble priesthood bearer can bring to pass great things.
“Many of us repress our losses and carry our own pain ungrieved, often for years. We have become numb, not because we don’t care but because we don’t grieve. Grief is the way that loss heals.” - Rachel Naomi Remen
In fact, the gospel of Jesus Christ is a comprehensive plan for wellness. Christ is the Master Healer. And His gospel is healing. Among the healing agents that the scriptures repeatedly emphasize are forgiveness, humility, knowledge, and charity.
The love of God gives us the desire, and faith in the Atonement gives us the strength to unlock prison doors of bitterness. Sincere and regular prayer helps transform resentful hearts into forgiving hearts and skeptical hearts into believing hearts. If we begin to exercise even a particle of faith, that faith can take root, flourish, and blossom into a harvest of steadfast and immovable confidence in the Lord. (Alma 32)
Pride engenders bitterness, discord, and recrimination; in other words, pride keeps us from forgiving and, thereby, from being healed.
A broken heart is open to receive wisdom, love and divine guidance. A broken heart seeks for divine succor from Him who “healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). If we can hold on to the humility we feel in the midst of a trial, we can find healing, growth, and newness of life.
“We need strength beyond ourselves to keep the commandments in whatever circumstance life brings to us.” - Elder Henry B. Eyring
Peace cannot be bought or bartered or falsely created. We cannot psych ourselves into peace of mind or conscience with a pep talk or motivational mantra. Peace of mind and heart comes from living truthfully, from having integrity, from congruence with true principles. To live according to the foolish whims and wisdom of the world, without the illuminating truths of the restored gospel, is to be forever wary and worried. To seek healing without seeking truth is to wander in darkness when the light of noonday sun is available (see D&C 95:6).
The more we submit and consecrate, the more our trials and suffering are “swallowed up in the joy of Christ” (Alma 31:38). … When we exercise faith in the Lord and seek righteousness, we have hope in future and power in the present.
To all who come to the pool of Bethesda, wary and fearful of disappointment, wondering if healing and joy are possible, the Lord’s promise is sure: He can heal us.
Why such emphasis on a family performing a routine task in a painting about healing? Because there is healing in family routines and rituals. The things we are used to doing, the things we do almost every day or which are part of the tradition in our family celebrations, bring peace and a sense of belonging.
The healing influence of the Lord comes to those who free themselves from the pollutions of the world and make their dwelling with Him.
Perhaps the message of the artist is that righteous mothers are as saviors to their families. They bring a power of love and healing that is second only to that of the Master Himself. From the nourishing hand of a loving mother, joined with the beckoning hand of the Lord, comes a healing element that can soften the difficult experiences of life and lead us to peace in this life and eternal joy in the life to come. … Their influence never ceases to bear the fruit of love, faith, and hope, all of which bring healing to the heart.
In loving relationships there is an almost miraculous healing quality that soothes the troubled heart and heals the soul. When we feel loved, much of the fear associated with our daily experience can be overcome. Anxieties and insecurities can be healed if we have faith and trust in the love of those who are close to us. This is particularly true if we include the Lord in our circle of intimate friends. The love of the Savior can heal the wounds that come when other loving relationships are strained.
Jesus can discern when our hearts are humble and healable, doing all we can on our own and in a position to receive the gift of healing.
The Lord wants to help and heal us. His greatest desire is to bless us with strength and joy for the journey of life, with happiness in our hearts and homes, with that comforting peace “which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7)
If we come unto Him, the Lord will not leave us comfortless. Our physical pains and disabilities may not be alleviated, but our spirits can be healed of anger, disappointment, and bitterness. Sometimes, when we feel alone in our suffering, we can find comfort in remembering that loved ones on the other side of the veil watch over us.
“In the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help from both sides of the veil, and you must never forget that.” - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Each time we make a decision to obey the Lord by obeying His latter-day prophets, we move along the path to healing—and happiness. We will always be blessed as we heed the counsel of apostles and prophets. “The pleasing word of God . . . healeth the wounded soul” (Jacob 2:8)
The pathway to healing is paved with faith—vibrant, active, life-changing faith. Possessing such faith is prerequisite to spiritual healing.
We become “healable” as we become “submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19). Meekness is strength; it is confidence in the Lord and His purposes.
The “why” questions “detract from our spirituality and can destroy our faith. We need to spend our time and energy building our faith by turning to the Lord and asking for strength to overcome the pains and trials of this world and to endure to the end for greater understanding.” - Elder Robert D. Hales
Oftentimes the spiritual healing precedes or accompanies the physical healing—as our hearts are softened through submission to the Lord, healing becomes possible. Indeed, the spiritual healing—a softened and submissive heart—may be the most important healing of all.
Humility, empathy, and kindness are healing ointments. Heartfelt meditation can sooth the worried soul. Even the beauties of nature can lift our spirits and help us look to a higher source for healing. The Lord’s promise is sure: “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee” (2 Kings 20:5).
It seems no accident that Bloch painted the man who was healed as waiting at the water’s edge. As if to signify that the man had gone as far as he could on his own and was now dependent on the Lord’s saving grace, the painting shows how we must endure in faith in order to be healed.
We may be suffering the bondage of pain and heartache, the burden of sin and temptation, the oppression of strained relationships, grudges, and regret. We are released from such bondage—even healed—by turning to the Lord, by believing and trusting Him, by obeying Him with all our heart.
It takes courage to believe in the divine gift of healing when our soul may be crippled with pain. It takes faith not to be distracted by the temporal trappings or quick fixes the world offers. It takes strength to endure the suffering that precedes and often accompanies healing. To be healed requires careful spiritual preparation.
Truly, to be filled with profound gratefulness for the Lord, his healing balm, and comforting love, is part of the healing process.
Then, after we are healed, our feeling of indebtedness to God impels us to help others find healing. Our hearts are drawn to the welfare of others, and like Jesus, we want to go about “doing good” (Acts 10:38). We want to practice the healer’s art and encourage, forgive and lift others. We want to reach out with tenderness to the lonely, the downtrodden, and the forgotten.
This book was fascinating to me. The authors were inspired by Carl Bloch’s painting “Christ Healing at the Well of Bethesda” and in their book, they take the readers on a journey to consider all the people in the painting. I was able to see aspects of myself in each of those people. I have been contemplating a lot on suffering and healing and this book gave me some valuable insights. My gratitude for Christ, the Master Healer grew and I came to understand some new aspects of healing. I also appreciated the list at the end of the book of ways to facilitate personal healing. Great book!
Quotes to remember:
When the Spirit of the Lord enters into our lives, it is as though He were there Himself to take our hand or dry our tears. By His Spirit we will be comforted and can be healed of all manner of afflictions, whether physical, emotional or spiritual.
One person spoke of a particularly spiritual event in his life. He had been laboring under some difficulty and sought the blessings of the Spirit of the Lord. When that Spirit came into his heart, it brought a calm feeling and soothing relief. Though his circumstances were not immediately changed, he had hope that they might be, and he felt energized to do all he could to make things better. He rejoiced in “the healing peace of that experience.”
The healing hand of the Master touches each person in a manner suited to the individual in need and according to the personal plan of salvation prepared for each of us even before we came to the earth.
What he experienced in Gethsemane and on the cross caused, in His word, “exquisite” suffering (D&C 19:15) and as a consequence, there is no pain or difficulty that we might experience that He has not already experience and endured. There is no extremity He has not visited, no sense of desperation He has not felt. Because His experience is intimate in nature and infinie in depth, His ability to heal us is also infinite.
In reality, death is a form of healing. All bodily grief and pain is removed in the transition from mortalities to the paradise of God, where we shall be in “ a state of rest, a state of peace, where [we] shall rest from all [our] troubles and from all care, and sorrow” (Alma 40:12).
The Savior will heal according to His divine mind and heart and will. The very suffering from which we pray for relief may ultimately be a healing in disguise. For in our suffering, we can learn and come to special understanding, which might not be achieved through any other means.
Yet with everything going on that would rob the setting of purity and peace, there enters the majestic personage of the Messiah, and around Him is an aura of quiet holiness. The marketplace is transformed into a temple for the period of His presence.
The men of the market are oblivious to the fact that within their grasp is the One who has been sent to the earth to redeem them from the bonds of earthly frustration and chaos. All of the fear and concern of their lives could be wiped away in the peace of His Spirit, if they only knew how to apply its healing balm.
We run so fast from task to task, from pillar to post in the barren sheep markets of the world, trying desperately to find our way, to fit in, and to feel good. Yet we often fail to grant the most important things of life the attention they deserve, to give notice to the healing touch of the Savior of mankind and to the restorative beauty of His glorious creations. We do not lift our eyes to see what really matters, to pause and allow time for the true joys of life to distill upon our souls.
They all seem, however, to be kept from seeing the works of the Master by a thick wall of preoccupation with the things of the world. Like a barrier of earthly cares, the pillar stands between them and the source of their salvation.
Sometimes our tiredness and hopelessness can cause us to become overly concerned with what is going on around us and to hang our heads in despair. If we can lift our eyes in faith, we might feel the Spirit of comfort and relief.
Simple faith, plain prayer, and the administration of a humble priesthood bearer can bring to pass great things.
“Many of us repress our losses and carry our own pain ungrieved, often for years. We have become numb, not because we don’t care but because we don’t grieve. Grief is the way that loss heals.” - Rachel Naomi Remen
In fact, the gospel of Jesus Christ is a comprehensive plan for wellness. Christ is the Master Healer. And His gospel is healing. Among the healing agents that the scriptures repeatedly emphasize are forgiveness, humility, knowledge, and charity.
The love of God gives us the desire, and faith in the Atonement gives us the strength to unlock prison doors of bitterness. Sincere and regular prayer helps transform resentful hearts into forgiving hearts and skeptical hearts into believing hearts. If we begin to exercise even a particle of faith, that faith can take root, flourish, and blossom into a harvest of steadfast and immovable confidence in the Lord. (Alma 32)
Pride engenders bitterness, discord, and recrimination; in other words, pride keeps us from forgiving and, thereby, from being healed.
A broken heart is open to receive wisdom, love and divine guidance. A broken heart seeks for divine succor from Him who “healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). If we can hold on to the humility we feel in the midst of a trial, we can find healing, growth, and newness of life.
“We need strength beyond ourselves to keep the commandments in whatever circumstance life brings to us.” - Elder Henry B. Eyring
Peace cannot be bought or bartered or falsely created. We cannot psych ourselves into peace of mind or conscience with a pep talk or motivational mantra. Peace of mind and heart comes from living truthfully, from having integrity, from congruence with true principles. To live according to the foolish whims and wisdom of the world, without the illuminating truths of the restored gospel, is to be forever wary and worried. To seek healing without seeking truth is to wander in darkness when the light of noonday sun is available (see D&C 95:6).
The more we submit and consecrate, the more our trials and suffering are “swallowed up in the joy of Christ” (Alma 31:38). … When we exercise faith in the Lord and seek righteousness, we have hope in future and power in the present.
To all who come to the pool of Bethesda, wary and fearful of disappointment, wondering if healing and joy are possible, the Lord’s promise is sure: He can heal us.
Why such emphasis on a family performing a routine task in a painting about healing? Because there is healing in family routines and rituals. The things we are used to doing, the things we do almost every day or which are part of the tradition in our family celebrations, bring peace and a sense of belonging.
The healing influence of the Lord comes to those who free themselves from the pollutions of the world and make their dwelling with Him.
Perhaps the message of the artist is that righteous mothers are as saviors to their families. They bring a power of love and healing that is second only to that of the Master Himself. From the nourishing hand of a loving mother, joined with the beckoning hand of the Lord, comes a healing element that can soften the difficult experiences of life and lead us to peace in this life and eternal joy in the life to come. … Their influence never ceases to bear the fruit of love, faith, and hope, all of which bring healing to the heart.
In loving relationships there is an almost miraculous healing quality that soothes the troubled heart and heals the soul. When we feel loved, much of the fear associated with our daily experience can be overcome. Anxieties and insecurities can be healed if we have faith and trust in the love of those who are close to us. This is particularly true if we include the Lord in our circle of intimate friends. The love of the Savior can heal the wounds that come when other loving relationships are strained.
Jesus can discern when our hearts are humble and healable, doing all we can on our own and in a position to receive the gift of healing.
The Lord wants to help and heal us. His greatest desire is to bless us with strength and joy for the journey of life, with happiness in our hearts and homes, with that comforting peace “which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7)
If we come unto Him, the Lord will not leave us comfortless. Our physical pains and disabilities may not be alleviated, but our spirits can be healed of anger, disappointment, and bitterness. Sometimes, when we feel alone in our suffering, we can find comfort in remembering that loved ones on the other side of the veil watch over us.
“In the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help from both sides of the veil, and you must never forget that.” - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
Each time we make a decision to obey the Lord by obeying His latter-day prophets, we move along the path to healing—and happiness. We will always be blessed as we heed the counsel of apostles and prophets. “The pleasing word of God . . . healeth the wounded soul” (Jacob 2:8)
The pathway to healing is paved with faith—vibrant, active, life-changing faith. Possessing such faith is prerequisite to spiritual healing.
We become “healable” as we become “submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19). Meekness is strength; it is confidence in the Lord and His purposes.
The “why” questions “detract from our spirituality and can destroy our faith. We need to spend our time and energy building our faith by turning to the Lord and asking for strength to overcome the pains and trials of this world and to endure to the end for greater understanding.” - Elder Robert D. Hales
Oftentimes the spiritual healing precedes or accompanies the physical healing—as our hearts are softened through submission to the Lord, healing becomes possible. Indeed, the spiritual healing—a softened and submissive heart—may be the most important healing of all.
Humility, empathy, and kindness are healing ointments. Heartfelt meditation can sooth the worried soul. Even the beauties of nature can lift our spirits and help us look to a higher source for healing. The Lord’s promise is sure: “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee” (2 Kings 20:5).
It seems no accident that Bloch painted the man who was healed as waiting at the water’s edge. As if to signify that the man had gone as far as he could on his own and was now dependent on the Lord’s saving grace, the painting shows how we must endure in faith in order to be healed.
We may be suffering the bondage of pain and heartache, the burden of sin and temptation, the oppression of strained relationships, grudges, and regret. We are released from such bondage—even healed—by turning to the Lord, by believing and trusting Him, by obeying Him with all our heart.
It takes courage to believe in the divine gift of healing when our soul may be crippled with pain. It takes faith not to be distracted by the temporal trappings or quick fixes the world offers. It takes strength to endure the suffering that precedes and often accompanies healing. To be healed requires careful spiritual preparation.
Truly, to be filled with profound gratefulness for the Lord, his healing balm, and comforting love, is part of the healing process.
Then, after we are healed, our feeling of indebtedness to God impels us to help others find healing. Our hearts are drawn to the welfare of others, and like Jesus, we want to go about “doing good” (Acts 10:38). We want to practice the healer’s art and encourage, forgive and lift others. We want to reach out with tenderness to the lonely, the downtrodden, and the forgotten.
November 3, 2018
Oh this was lovely. Just lovely. I'm rather picky about my religious non-fiction (and doubly so about my religious fiction) so this was a one shot sort of deal from browsing at the library. And I was sold. A lovely little commentary on healing structured by Carl Bloch's piece on the front cover. Ambitious and, for the most part, successful.
Read
March 21, 2017We read this and were given it as a gift when Eric had cancer. It was actually given to us by Coach Dave Rose (BYU Basketball head coach), he had read it when he was going through his pancreatic cancer.
August 25, 2011
What is unique about this book is that the authors, Lloyd D. Newell ( a former professor of mine) and Don H. Staheli use the famous Carl Bloch painting Christ Healing at the Well of Bethesda as an allegory of Christ's healing power at time of his ministry and in modern times. Each chapter heading highlights a different figure or group of figures in the painting as uses it as a representation of how our faith to be healed is strengthened or challenged in today's world. I just loved the fusing of visual art with doctrinal writing. The book discusses healing in all of its forms, physical, spiritual, emotional, etc and how Christ is ultimately the only source for true and complete healing. A true key to being healed is faith, which is simple in principle but so complex when applied to our individual lives. The chapter I best related to was the one about the "man in the red cap," who sits by the pool, and although witnesses Christ healing the lame man and knows such miracles occur, seems skeptical that he would be worthy of such healing himself.
April 8, 2008
Lovely discussion of beloved Carl Bloch painting, and how it helps us to apply truths about the Master Healer in our own lives
August 3, 2009
This was our Relief Society summer reading book for 2009.
For some reason I feel bad giving a church book anything less than 4 stars. It makes me think that I should have liked the book better because of the subject... So here is my explanation: I thought that the book was a quick, easy read, but it just didn't do anything for me. I did enjoy learning a little more about this famous painting and the authors did a good job of discussing the topic of healing through Christ, I just didn't come away from the book thinking, "WOW! - I learned so much and was so inspired by reading it!" I didn't feel that I learned anything new from the topic other than learning more about this painting. I also had a hard time with some of the authors' interpretation of details in the painting. For some reason I don't like it when people overanalyze things and put meaning into books or works of art that the author or artist didn't intend. Unless I read firsthand from the creator that that was their intent, I don't necessarily believe it. It reminds me too much of instances such as the release of the Harry Potter books and how there was a whole group of people speaking out in opposition to the books saying that they were from the devil because they talked about witches and witchcraft - which I don't think was ever the author's intent. I think that when we overanalyze things we can end up taking offense where none was intended and take the joy out of something that we should be able to take joy out of. Anyways, I don't think that the authors in this book did a disservice to Carl Bloch's painting or the interpretation behind it, I just have a hard time in general with people putting words into someone else's mouth.
So, while I didn't dislike the book, it also wasn't my favorite gospel message book that I have read.
For some reason I feel bad giving a church book anything less than 4 stars. It makes me think that I should have liked the book better because of the subject... So here is my explanation: I thought that the book was a quick, easy read, but it just didn't do anything for me. I did enjoy learning a little more about this famous painting and the authors did a good job of discussing the topic of healing through Christ, I just didn't come away from the book thinking, "WOW! - I learned so much and was so inspired by reading it!" I didn't feel that I learned anything new from the topic other than learning more about this painting. I also had a hard time with some of the authors' interpretation of details in the painting. For some reason I don't like it when people overanalyze things and put meaning into books or works of art that the author or artist didn't intend. Unless I read firsthand from the creator that that was their intent, I don't necessarily believe it. It reminds me too much of instances such as the release of the Harry Potter books and how there was a whole group of people speaking out in opposition to the books saying that they were from the devil because they talked about witches and witchcraft - which I don't think was ever the author's intent. I think that when we overanalyze things we can end up taking offense where none was intended and take the joy out of something that we should be able to take joy out of. Anyways, I don't think that the authors in this book did a disservice to Carl Bloch's painting or the interpretation behind it, I just have a hard time in general with people putting words into someone else's mouth.
So, while I didn't dislike the book, it also wasn't my favorite gospel message book that I have read.
March 22, 2016
The Lord's promise is sure: 'I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee.'
His eyes reveal his heart. They are the pleading, weary eyes of a sincere believer.
The makeshift canopy seems to have been his cover for a long time. Though it provides some shelter and comfort, it also appears to be a hide-out of sorts. It shields the man from light - and perhaps from further heartache and dissapointment. Who of us hasn't hidden beneath such a cover at some point in our lives, wanting to be healed but also not wanting to expose ourselves to further injury?
The love of the Savior can heal the wounds that come when other... relationships are strained.
Sincere and regular prayer helps transform resentful hearts into forgiving hearts and skeptical hearts into believing hearts.
... seek His blessing.
... much fatigued, with their clothes tattered and feet swollen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus standing in their midst, ... they did not behold Him. The Savior looked upon them and wept... If we can lift our eyes in faith, we might feel the Spirit of comfort and relief.
He can respond to our pleadings with more than just a generalized empathy, but with a genuine understanding of the depth of our suffering.
The healing hand of the Master touches each person in a manner suited to the individual in need and according to the personal plan of salvation prepared for each of us even before we came to the earth.
... the remittance of sins which attends divine forgiveness heals the spirit.
Christ's healing power is more than physical. He has the power to make a person whole, to heal the soul as well as the body.
His eyes reveal his heart. They are the pleading, weary eyes of a sincere believer.
The makeshift canopy seems to have been his cover for a long time. Though it provides some shelter and comfort, it also appears to be a hide-out of sorts. It shields the man from light - and perhaps from further heartache and dissapointment. Who of us hasn't hidden beneath such a cover at some point in our lives, wanting to be healed but also not wanting to expose ourselves to further injury?
The love of the Savior can heal the wounds that come when other... relationships are strained.
Sincere and regular prayer helps transform resentful hearts into forgiving hearts and skeptical hearts into believing hearts.
... seek His blessing.
... much fatigued, with their clothes tattered and feet swollen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus standing in their midst, ... they did not behold Him. The Savior looked upon them and wept... If we can lift our eyes in faith, we might feel the Spirit of comfort and relief.
He can respond to our pleadings with more than just a generalized empathy, but with a genuine understanding of the depth of our suffering.
The healing hand of the Master touches each person in a manner suited to the individual in need and according to the personal plan of salvation prepared for each of us even before we came to the earth.
... the remittance of sins which attends divine forgiveness heals the spirit.
Christ's healing power is more than physical. He has the power to make a person whole, to heal the soul as well as the body.
April 2, 2010
The Carl Bloch painting "Christ Healing at the Well of Bethesda" is the inspiration behind the beautiful truths taught in this book.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"..in time, our grief will melt away in the warmth of our faith in Him who can make sweet even the most bitter of experiences."
"The Savior will heal according to His divine mind and heart and will"
"We run so fast from task to task, from pillar to post in the barren sheep markets of the world, trying desperately to find our way, to fit in, and to feel good. Yet we often fail to grant the most important things of life the attention they deserve, to give notice to the healing touch of the Savior of mankind and to the restorative beauty of His glorious creations. We do not lift our eyes to see what really matters, to pause and allow time for the true joys of life to distill upon our souls."
"Peace cannot be bought or bartered or falsely created."
"More than anything, the enemy of righteousness wants us to believe that Christ is powerless to save, unable to help and heal. But the devil has been "a liar from the beginning", in him is no hope, no help, no healing."
"Trials and tragedies are a part of life--an important part. ...pain schools us and prepares our souls for eternity. And pain can bring us to the source of all healing, Jesus Christ."
I highly recommend this book.
Some of my favorite quotes:
"..in time, our grief will melt away in the warmth of our faith in Him who can make sweet even the most bitter of experiences."
"The Savior will heal according to His divine mind and heart and will"
"We run so fast from task to task, from pillar to post in the barren sheep markets of the world, trying desperately to find our way, to fit in, and to feel good. Yet we often fail to grant the most important things of life the attention they deserve, to give notice to the healing touch of the Savior of mankind and to the restorative beauty of His glorious creations. We do not lift our eyes to see what really matters, to pause and allow time for the true joys of life to distill upon our souls."
"Peace cannot be bought or bartered or falsely created."
"More than anything, the enemy of righteousness wants us to believe that Christ is powerless to save, unable to help and heal. But the devil has been "a liar from the beginning", in him is no hope, no help, no healing."
"Trials and tragedies are a part of life--an important part. ...pain schools us and prepares our souls for eternity. And pain can bring us to the source of all healing, Jesus Christ."
I highly recommend this book.
January 5, 2011
A fine reminder of the healing power and love of Jesus Christ, with relevant and interesting comparisons to aspects of Carl Bloch's beautiful and inspiring painting of Christ healing the man at the pool of Bethesda. If you have a chance, between now and May 2011, see the marvellous exhibit of this and others of Bloch's altarpieces at the BYU Museum of Art. Well worth time, study, thought, and apprecation.
April 16, 2011
I almost stopped reading the book because the first part is a bit slow, but then it starts describing each of the different groups of people in the painting. AMAZING! I learned so much from reading this! I liked the story of how BYU acquired the painting that was in the intro, and then through reading the book I came to find for myself more of 'why' they wanted to obtain the painting. I am itching to go look at it again now!
December 13, 2015
I battled between 2 and 3 stars. Some parts of this book were amazing and an answer to prayer. Other times, I literally rolled my eyes because I felt they were taking things way way overboard. I didn't realize when I got this book it was mostly a detailed art review of Carl Boch's painting. I don't want to call it all bad, cause there were a few good things, but yeah...
January 17, 2016
I loved learning about Bloch's painting and the various figures in such painting. I really didn't have a spiritual experience while reading this book, or even tear up. But I loved the scripture references, the messages behind the painting and also the love in the writing. It was an easy read, not really an in depth reading. I love the painting also.
October 2, 2008
I am in love with Carl Bloch's paintings depicting the many miracles and healings of Christ's ministry on Earth. This book has been very touching in helping me see both, inside the painting and the healing process. A very peaceful read for a fall afternoon.
November 14, 2008
This was such an excellent book. I read it and bought several more copies to give to others. It is a message of hope through Christ and His ability to heal us in His way. The story behind this Dutch Master painting-- the Waters of Bethesda and BYU's attainment of it is also quite remarkable.
October 24, 2019
Nicely done discussion of the timeless classic Carl Bloch painting. A good message about applying the truths about Christ, and the parallels of his healings and particularly this story, into our lives. I will forever look at the painting differently.
March 29, 2010
My aunt gave this book to my mom and dad when he was in the hospital in vegas. A couple days later the doctors told them he had cancer. My mom read this book to my dad as they were going through all of that. I really, really love this book and find myself re-reading parts of it often.
February 7, 2016
This book is truly a gem. It is short and oh so sweet. Chalk full of great one liners, amazing stories, motivating encouragement, uplifting messages- and the list goes on. A very easy read. I absolute recommend it to anybody wanting a serious pick me up.
October 1, 2007
Beautifully written book.
February 26, 2008
I loved the insight from this book. I will never view the painting or story of painting the same way again.
February 28, 2008
I love this book!!!
August 29, 2008
Good book, and it made me fall in love with the painting.
November 19, 2008
Deep reading.
January 14, 2010
Listened to it over and over and over ... great narration and messages I couldn't get enough of. If I'd had the hardcover, I'd have highlighted the entire book!!!
September 18, 2009
It was a very interesting take on the picture by carl Bloch that is on the cover of the book. Some people just have a knack for interpreting art!!!
March 1, 2011
This book had a lot of great insight into Christ as a healer. Having just seen the Carl Bloch exhibit at BYU, I really enjoyed looking at this painting a little closer.
August 29, 2008
Wasn't my favorite book.
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