BYU Professor Elysa M. Dishman speaks about the role of community in the Savior's healing miracles

Elysa M. Dishman, professor at the J. Reuben Clark Law School, gave a devotional focused on the role of community in the Savior's healing miracles.

"Miracles large and small, hard-sought and unexpected occur in our daily lives when we are attuned to recognize them," Dishman said.

She began by discussing miracles of community restoration.

"When Jesus healed people, he did not simply cure their physical ailments he restored them to their communities," Dishman said.

She shared the story of Jesus healing the lepers and restoring their acceptance in the community.

"A community that isolates its vulnerable members is itself in need of healing," Dishman said. "When Jesus healed the sick and welcomed the outcasts, He was doing the work of healing a broken community, not just broken individuals."

Dishman also shared the stories of miracles prompted by community members.an cen

"In many stories of Christ healing, members of the community bring about miracles based on their faith in petitioning the Lord," Dishman said. "It is often not the sick or afflicted person who initiates the miracle; it is someone else. A friend. A mother. A father. A sister. A Roman centurion."

She focused on the biblical accounts of Jairus, who pleaded for Jesus to heal his daughter; the friends who lowered their sick friend into the room where Jesus was; and the Roman centurion who sought Jesus to heal his servant.

"These community members act as agents of faith, and their creative, determined love moves the Savior to act," Dishman said.

Dishman also shared insights on the prevalence of the multitude.

"(The multitude) brought their sick with them, carrying them on beds to wherever Jesus was," Dishman said. "They followed Him so persistently that He sought solitude on ships, in mountains or in the desert, and the multitude followed Him there too."

She described how Jesus cared for the multitude.

"Where the disciples saw scarcity in the multitude, Jesus saw abundance. When the disciples wanted to send the multitude away, Jesus drew them in," Dishman said.

Dishman concluded her message by relating it back to the BYU community.

"You have fish and bread to offer," Dishman's slide said, referring to the feeding of the multitude. "Jesus will take what you offer, bless it and multiply it in ways you cannot imagine."

Dishman encouraged the audience to continue thinking about how they can build the community of Christ.