This painting is probably a study for another work by Henry Ossawa Tanner titled Disciples Healing the Sick, which is more finished and detailed. There are numerous instances in the Bible in which Christ performs miraculous healings, but none of the stories describes this particular scene. Tanner created this painting after he had recovered from a serious illness, which suggests that the subject had personal meaning for him (Mosby, Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1991).