Having heard of Jesus' power, those who were diligent enough to come to him at evening undoubtedly had faith, removing the primary obstacle to his healing activity (compare 13:58). As throughout the book of Acts, healing both meets people's needs directly and draws them to the One who can transform their lives. Various examples elsewhere in the Bible demonstrate that God does not always heal instantly (Job 2:7-8; Mt 25:36; Gal 4:13; Phil 2:26-27) and sometimes chooses not to heal physically at all (1 Kings 1:1; 14:14; 2 Kings 13:14, 20-21; 2 Tim 4:20), perhaps because of issues that matter more than physical healing.

Modern medicine, based much more on the empirical character of our bodies that God created than ancient medicine was, can also be a tool in God's hands to bring healing. Nevertheless, modern medicine has its limitations, and this passage demonstrates Jesus' abundant authority and compassion to heal. The passage may suggest to us that Western Christians often unnecessarily forgo healing because our heritage of rationalism has unduly prejudiced us against it.