Jesus' consciousness of His unique self was very much influenced by Isaiah. Whenever He explained himself, He almost invariably returned to the words of Isaiah [cf. Lk 4; Mt 11]. The part of Isaiah which most influenced Him seemed to have been the image of the Suffering Servant, and the healing which that mysterious figure was able to accomplish through His suffering. It is not surprising, then, that healing was a major part of Jesus' ministry. Similarly, it is not surprising that Jesus' Apostles frequently healed the sick or the disabled. We see this in our readings from the Acts of the Apostles during these weeks after Easter. When Jesus sent out his Apostles, He promised them that they would have the power of healing.

The healing ministry of Jesus and his Apostles appears most clearly in the healing miracles. We may, however, see the work of healing beyond such strictly miraculous events. When Jesus talked with people and gently led them to reconciliation with God [cf. Jn 4], He was undoubtedly healing their hearts. When He speaks in today's Gospel about not being hungry or thirsty again, these consoling words would certainly have brought consolation and healing to the hearts of at least some of His listeners.