We also learned that many people followed Jesus simply because of the miracles that He performed, and not because they believed that He really was the Messiah.  It is not enough to follow Jesus because we have seen a miracle performed in someone's life, without accepting Jesus as the Messiah, the Savior of all who believe in Him.  It is easy to get caught up in the miraculous things that we see God doing in the world, but still have doubt about Jesus being the only way to salvation.  The crowds that enthusiastically followed Jesus were the same ones who said to crucify Him, and they were led by the religious leaders in calling for Jesus' crucifixion.  Being religious, following all the rituals associated with being a Christian, is not enough.  Being baptized and being in church is not enough without a spiritual relationship with Christ.  We also learn that we are to have compassion for those around us, especially those in need.  Jesus was never too busy to help those who came to Him in faith asking for His help and He didn't overlooked the everyday needs of people.  Jesus healed the lame, deaf, and blind, but He also feed the multitudes when He saw that they were hungry and had no where to get food.  We can rely on God to meet our needs.  I don't believe that means that God will heal all our illnesses in this life, but that as long as we reach out to Him in faith that one day all illnesses will be healed.  I also believe that sometimes our illnesses will be miraculously healed in this lifetime, but the main point is that our sins are forgiven if we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior and the Lord of our lives.  Some people lose faith because they say that they prayed for healing, or anything else for that matter, and they didn't get it.  As followers of Christ, we must have an everlasting point of view.  Whatever happens before the return of Christ, we are already a part of His everlasting kingdom, where pain and sorrow will be no more.