According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus began his public ministry in the towns and villages of Galilee by proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. He spoke in synagogues, in private homes, on lakeshores, and wherever people would gather to see and to hear him. Two elements in his ministry — teaching and healing — were so closely linked together that neither one can be understood apart from the other. Both of them concerned overcoming the forces of evil in preparation for the coming of God's kingdom. The purpose of the preaching, or teaching mission, was to make people aware of their need for repentance and to give them a clearer understanding of the way they should live in order to be ready for a place in God's kingdom. One of the chief devices used by Satan to lead people astray is the development of people's sense of complete satisfaction with themselves, which is often designated as the sin of pride, a feeling on the part of individuals that they are already good enough, that there is no need for any reform on their part. Jesus wanted to counteract this aspect of Satan's work, and preaching was one of the means he used to accomplish this end.
Jesus' healing mission was another means employed for the same purpose. The Jewish people generally accepted that physical suffering was predominantly the main punishment for sin. This point is well illustrated in the story concerning the healing of a man who was born blind. The first question put to Jesus by those who were standing nearby was, "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" But if suffering is a punishment for sin, then an assurance that one's sins have been forgiven would be followed by a removal of the punishment. The Gospels indicate that in Jesus' ministry, the healing of the sick and the forgiveness of sins were linked so closely together that they were but different ways of reporting the same event. Overcoming sickness, as well as erroneous beliefs, counteracts the work of Satan and thus prepares for the coming of the kingdom.
