The matter-of-fact way in which the Gospels treat the healing aspects of Jesus' ministry suggests that Jesus' listeners expected healing power from someone who offered a prophetic ministry and who could be the Messiah. The church teaches traditionally that holiness and godly authority are bound up with power over physical infirmities. In other words, spiritual perfection overrides natural limitations. In a time when medicines were primitive, what is now generally called faith healing was a major treatment for all ailments.