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Kelsey Langland-Hayes

Dr. Mattix

ENGL 240

9 December 2019

Analysis of “Jesus Was a Healer”

A healer is someone who puts the well-being of others first by helping to cure their pain.

In the Christian realm, Jesus is the perfect healer. During His time on Earth, Jesus could not only

help cure an individual of their physical ailments, but he could help free an individual from their

spiritual ailments as well. In Les Murray’s 22-line poem, “Jesus Was a Healer,” he dives into

some of the specifics of Jesus’s healing and miracles. Through this work, Murray wants his

readers to understand that Jesus is different than your average healer; the central theme points out

that Jesus was a healer who did not expect or want fame in exchange for his services.

In the opening couplet, it declares an argument for this discursive poem: “Jesus was a

healer / never turned a patient down” (Murray lines 1-2). The first line is in iambic tetrameter,

and it is a statement which is repeated on two other accounts. The second line proclaims the

metaphor that Jesus is like a doctor who has patients, except he never turns any of his patients

away. The word never is an absolute utilized to show the importance of this statement; this

passionate tone displays the urgency of understanding Jesus’s constant and never-changing

nature. As a Christian, I love this line because it emphasizes the fact that we can depend on Jesus

when we are sick or in need, for He is an omnipotent God who can do anything and everything at

once. In line 3, “never charged coin or conversion,” there is an alliteration with the letter c to

express the selflessness of Jesus and how he expects nothing in return for his acts of good deeds.
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Moreover, in lines 4-8, they list a variety of miracles and acts that Jesus performed during

his lifetime. In line 7, the word often draws the audience to the fact that Jesus is partially a man.

As a reader, we may forget that Jesus is both God and man, so we may not view His wonders as

out of the ordinary or bizarre, but often illustrates how Jesus probably surprised Himself with His

abilities as part man. In line 12, “drown delirium” is an alliteration to add a dramatic, negative

connotation to Jesus’s casting of the demons into the pigs who drown shortly after.

Lines 1, 9, and 10 offer a “Holy Trinity” of the sorts in repeating the opening line of

“Jesus was a healer” three times. There are also seven lines in between each healer repetition,

which is the number of completion based on the idea from the biblical account of Creation and

rest in seven days; this is definitely something that appeals to me as a reader. In lines 10-14, the

author lists more of Jesus’s miracles and deeds. Lines 15-16 capitalizes “Thank You” to

emphasize how much Jesus deserved the greatest gratitude the world could ever offer, but that

would still not compare to how much thanks He truly deserves. The line “for God’s sake” shows

emotion, and it is ironic for the simple fact that Jesus is God; I enjoyed this comedic portion of

the poem. Line 18 expresses how Jesus would never want to flaunt His deeds, for He came to be

a servant and not to be served on the earth; then, the other breaks up the sentence and the stanza,

moving into lines 19-20.

The first line of this couplet ends and begins a new sentence, and I do not feel like this

works for me as a reader; the transition feels too choppy and abrupt for my preference. On the

contrary, these two lines exemplify Jesus’s command to follow Him and to follow His commands

as His disciples and followers, for Jesus set the perfect example. In addition to this, this couplet

rhymes, but it feels somewhat forced to me as a reader.

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In the final couplet, the two lines rhyme, which also seems somewhat forced; however, I

enjoy this rhyme much more than the previous couplet. Additionally, this couplet points out how

people can still see images and depictions of Jesus’s workings through art displayed on the walls

of churches. Jesus did not require any sort of training or practice to prepare for His healing and

works displayed in churches, but Jesus was, is, and always will be the Divine Healer.

Overall, the poem is written with the utilization of couplets throughout and is written in

free verse. A variety of imagery is evident through the description of Jesus’s miracles and acts

performed throughout his lifetime. Different forms of diction like often, more, and never help

give the readers confidence in this healer, Jesus, and His abilities. Even though there were some

areas that did not necessarily resonate with me, I found the poem quite meaningful and

pleasurable. Jesus was a healer who put the well-being of others first.
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Works Cited

Murray, Les. “Jesus Was a Healer.” n.d. Blackboard, https://regent.blackboard.com/webapps/

blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_164135_1&content_id=_8303994_1.

Accessed 21 November 2019.