SHARING BREAD
16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were
brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the
sick. 17 This
was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
"He took up our infirmities
and carried our diseases."
Matt
8:16-17 (NIV)
“I
will sing of my Redeemer, And His wondrous love to me. On the cruel cross He suffered, From the
curse to set me free. I will tell the
wondrous story, How my lost estate to save, In His boundless love and mercy He
the ransom freely gave. I will praise my
dear Redeemer; his triumphant power I’ll tell, How the victory He giveth Over
sin and death and hell. Sing, oh sing,
of my Redeemer. With His blood He
purchased me. On the cross He sealed my
pardon, paid the debt and made me free.”
Philip Bliss
The
worst form of human suffering produced by Satan’s agency our Lord here, in our
verses for today, heals with but His Word.
Of course He did. No surprises
here. Scripture tells us His Word heals:
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he
saved them from their distress. 20 He
sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. Psalms 107:19-20 (NIV)
“Earth
has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.”
Thomas V. Moore
At the time of Christ’s coming into the world there appears
to have been more of an outpouring of the devil to vex and harm the bodies of
people. Perhaps God had wisely allowed
this so that Christ’s power could be demonstrated over the power of Satan and
hearts would turn back to Him.
“The
devil wrestles with God, and the field of battle is the human heart.” Fyodor
Dostoevsky
Interestingly and sadly, rather than turning to God – the
all sufficient One - for healing – spiritually and physically - many then and
now refuse to repent (turn), choosing rather to foolishly rely on the powerless
arms of flesh or the fruitless and empty boastful claims of the world. This is exactly what the Israelites did when
they turned their eyes from God - Who had established and sustained them – back
to the land that had held them in bondage.
Rather than trusting in Him, they lusted for and longed after Egypt even
after He had removed them from that severe and dreadful state. We are such stupid sheep. Some things just never change. God tells us in Hosea:
2 But the more I called Israel, the further they went
from me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. 3 It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by
the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. 4 I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of
love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. Hosea 11:2-4 (NIV)
Next, Matthew quotes from the Prophet Isaiah regarding our
Lord Jesus:
4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:4 (NIV)
Jesus came to bear the consequences of our sin and
rebellion. His miraculous healings of
man’s physical infirmities during His earthly ministry pointed to the greater
work He would accomplish on the cross in the healing of our spiritual
ones. Peter tells us:
24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so
that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have
been healed. 25 For
you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and
Overseer of your souls. 1 Peter 2:24-25
(NIV)
“Christ bore away sin by the merit of his death, and bore
away sickness by the miracles of his life.
Many are the diseases and calamities to which we are liable in the body;
and there is more, in this one line of the gospels, to support and comfort us
under them, than in all the writings of the philosophers. He bore them for us in his passion, and bears
them with us in compassion, being touched with the feeling of our infirmities: and thus he bears them off from us.” Matthew
Henry
What I glean from this:
· Jesus
heals with but a Word.
· I am to
fix my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith. 2 Let
us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the
joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the
right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider
him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow
weary and lose heart. Heb 12:1-3 (NIV)
· Jesus
takes up my infirmities and carries my sorrows – He is my Burden Bearer.
