Isaiah 53

Healing, Part 3

Luke 4 

Here’s what’s happening with Jesus while in Capernaum: within an approximate 24-hour period of time:

  • He publicly casts out a demon in the synagogue, Luke 4:31-37 
  • He privately heals Peter’s mother-in-law of a high fever, Luke 4:38,39 
  • He publicly cast out demons and healed everyone in the village who was sick, Luke 4:40,41 

These events must be highly important in the life and ministry of Jesus because Matthew and Mark write about them as well in addition to Luke. Matthew provides the most compelling statement to tell us why these events happened and why we should seek to understand. 

Matthew tells us that these events in Capernaum were done to fulfill what Isaiah the prophet wrote about in Isaiah 53. 

 

This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: ‘He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.’ Matthew 8:17 

 

Let’s go to Isaiah 53: 

 

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows, He carried…But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. Isaiah 53:5,6. 

 

Here it is revealed that the suffering of Jesus was for our well-being and healing. Let’s not gloss over this. Jesus healed and cast out demons and Matthew says it was done to fulfill Isaiah’s writings.  

 

Is healing part of our salvation through Jesus? 

The simple answer is YES. Healing is definitely part of our salvation in Christ. Let that soak in: Jesus died for us to cleanse us from our sin and guilt AND to provide us with a new body.  

 

But we must be careful to understand what this means. What does the promise of healing and a new body mean?  

We will see that the salvation of our souls is full and complete today in Christ. We also see that the salvation of our physical bodies is still yet to come. It will not be fulfilled entirely until our resurrection.  

 

Jesus made a pledge! 

2 Corinthians 5:1-5 teaches us this very important spiritual reality. For now, we groan and long for our new body and to be clothed with our heavenly covering, verse 2. For now, this body feels uncomfortable, like a burden, painful; but soon, this mortal flesh will be swallowed up by a resurrected body, verse 4. How do we know this? Verse 5 says that God has given us His Spirit as a pledge and promise of Him that our new bodies are coming. 

When God heals today, it is not a guarantee that He will always heal in this world. When God heals today, He is kindly giving us a sneak preview of our future physical healing and complete transformation that we will receive when He gives us a new body.  

The Spirit transforms our spiritual being with a new heart and soul; forgiven and cleansed. Additionally, the Spirit is given as a pledge of the future transformation of our bodies in heaven, I Corinthians 5:5. 

 

Bringing it all together 

In summary, here’s what we have learned about healing: 

  • The work of Christ, death, burial and resurrection, is to provide us complete salvation of spirit, soul and body. 
  • The transformation of our spirit and soul, with complete forgiveness of sin, happens to us on earth when God saves us, by grace, through faith. Ephesians 2:8,9 and Romans 8:1,2. 
  • The complete healing and transformation of our body comes at the second coming of Christ. I Corinthians 15:35-50; 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. 
  • Jesus’ ministry of healing was to validate that He was God (John 3:2), and to provide a picture or preview of His work of complete salvation of soul AND body, (Matthew 8:17). 
  • We should pray for physical healing. We should absolutely pray for healing and call upon everyone we know to pray for healing as well. 
  • For loved one’s who are not now saved, we pray for their physical healing and that God may use His healing to save them spiritually. 
  • For loved one’s who are now saved, we pray that God would physically heal them that they might live longer to serve and bless others, 2 Corinthians 5:9. 
  • The full work of Christ has given us a new heart and new mind spiritually NOW, I Corinthian 2:16; Jeremiah 31:33. For now, we have the Spirit as a pledge of what is to come; full transformation in heaven of a perfect soul AND body, 2 Corinthians 5:1-10. 

 

Father, it is in your nature to heal. In Your perfect time, all things will be made new, spiritually and physically.  We long for physical healing and vitality but we know that sometimes you call us to suffer, just as men and women of God in the Bible suffered. Make us aware that our longings for wholeness, physically and spiritually, should remind us that this earth is not our home. We are not long here; heaven is our home. In the meantime, may we surrender ourselves to You, fully and completely, to be used by You for Your glory. Amen