Augustine on Jesus as healer

In Psalm 103:2-3, David sings, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases" (ESV). This week, in re-reading some of Augustine for a summer seminar I'm leading, I was reminded of a powerful motif in his teaching--that Christ is the great doctor or healer. In his Exposition of the Psalms (Harmless 2010:141), Augustine elaborates on this quality of our Lord:

For this all-powerful Doctor, no disease is incurable . . . A human doctor sometimes makes mistakes and promises health for the human body. Why is he wrong? Because he's not taking care of something he himself made. God made your body. God made your soul. God knows how to re-create whatever he created. He knows how to re-form what He Himself formed.

In comparing human doctors to Christ the doctor, Augustine simply but powerfully argues that Christ is a more capable healer because Christ is our creator. The restorer is able because He is the designer. This is a hopeful word for those needing physical, emotional or other forms of healing today.