December 29th

He Took Our Infirmities

Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
Matthew 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Divine Healing

Oh, the difficulties we run into as Christians around the subject of divine healing. Nearly everyone believes that God is capable of healing sickness and disease, but are often uncertain as to whether He will heal a particular instance of sickness. We often wonder if it is His will in a particular case.

Did Healing Cease?

And, in addition to that, there are doctrinal foundations in many churches that set forth the teaching that God withdrew the healing gifts and other supernatural manifestations of His Spirit when the last Apostle died.

But, as with any subject, conclusions should be drawn only after searching the Scriptures diligently, and meditating in the verses that pertain to healing. Otherwise, all we have is an accumulation of other people’s opinions about the subject. Spiritual growth comes from the word of God, not from someone’s opinion.

Matthew 8:17-18 is a good Scripture about divine healing. Matthew is quoting the Scripture from Isaiah 53:4.

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Sicknesses and Pains

If we look up the words “griefs” and “sorrows” in a good Concordance, we will find that they mean sicknesses and pains, respectively. Isaiah was prophesying about the crucifixion of Christ, which would take place hundreds after Isaiah's lifetime. And he was speaking something that would be fulfilled in Christ.

Matthew points out that this Scripture was fulfilled in Christ, and that it refers to physical sickness, not spiritual, as some have suggested. He healed physical sickness on that evening.

I Will Take Sickness Away

Another Scripture that was fulfilled in Christ at Calvary was Exodus 23:25.

Exodus 23:25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.

Jesus took away sickness from us, He bore our griefs, our sickness, and carried our sorrows, our pains. In the same way that He took away our sins, He took away our diseases.

Jesus, the Living Word

Many other Scriptures bear this out. Psalm 107:20 is another example.

Psalm 107:20 He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.

John chapter 1 tells us that Jesus is the Living Word, Who was made flesh and dwelt among us. God did send His word. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. He did take away sickness from the midst of His people.

Build Your Faith

Why, then, don’t we see healings in large measure among the people of God today? Because healing, like salvation, is a faith operation of the Spirit of God, and we have, over the centuries been systematically taught to believe it doesn’t happen anymore. Yet the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Start a journey of studying the healing Scriptures today. The Old Testament and the New Testament, in which Christ fulfilled the Old Testament, is overflowing with Scriptures about healing and about all the other promises of God. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Take time to feed your heart the word today, and let faith begin to arise.