“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: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:16-17

Here in the pages of the Gospel of Matthew, we see the “good news” of Jesus Christ in practice. Unlike so many today, Jesus didn’t just talk the talk; he walked the walk. He absolutely practiced what he preached, and he preached and practiced healing for the whole man—spirit, soul and body!

The past five weeks we have written concerning Jesus’ rightful position in the Universe. The Bible declares that it should be “first place,” yet we don’t see Jesus in first place in many lives, even many Christian lives. What’s the solution? According to the Scriptures, a key in Jesus being able to ascend to his rightful position in the hearts of humanity is the proclaiming of his gospel.

Now, the base understanding of the “gospel” in our area is the eternal life Jesus provides to all who will believe in him. Eternal life is most definitely a huge part of the gospel and part of what Jesus made available for us on the cross, but according to Scripture, both Old and New Testament, there’s more. There’s a fulness of the gospel that Paul spoke of in Romans 15:29, and this is a fulness that not many New Testament Christians are enjoying today.

Friends, Jesus most certainly died so God could forgive us of our sins and so we could have a home in Heaven one day, but he did more than that. The Bible declares that he also died for our sicknesses so we could live this life healthy!

Now, I know to some it’s preposterous to make such a claim. It’s so contrary to their education, their doctrine, and their life experiences. But if we’re really resolved to believe God’s Word as the absolute truth, we need to reevaluate all ideas that are in opposition to what He says is true. We must determine in our hearts to let God be true and every thought we have in opposition to His view of reality be a lie.

So, does Scripture really reveal that Jesus came to provide health to these physical bodies as well as the spirits inside them? Yeah, in multiple chapter and verse actually. One of the more prominent we brought to your attention last week: Isaiah 53. There, it states in verse 4 that “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” This was a part of what the “Passion” of Jesus (his beatings and death on the cross) accomplished for us. In this verse, even on the surface, one can see that the sacrifice of Jesus did much more for us than just provide us a ticket to Heaven. There were “griefs” borne and “sorrows” carried for us. Based on the context of the chapter as a whole and what we know about salvation through the explanation of the New Testament epistles, Jesus carried these things as our substitute so we wouldn’t have to carry them.

Here’s the thing, though: there’s more to the fact that he bore our griefs and carried our sorrows than is often seen, but that becomes clear once you reference the meanings of these words in the original language and the Holy Spirit’s own interpretation of this verse later in the New Testament.

A thoughtful dive into the language of the Old Testament concerning the words “griefs” and “sorrows” found in Isaiah 53 is eye-opening. We find that the original word translated “griefs” in the King James Version is the Hebrew word “kholee” and its most literal translation is “sickness.” Additionally, the Hebrew word for “sorrows” is the word “makob” and its meaning is literally “pains.” In other words, a literal translation of Isaiah 53:4 would read that he bore “our sicknesses and carried our pains.”

Wow!

When the people in Isaiah’s day heard of the Messiah to come, they were promised that he would be one that would bear their sicknesses and carry their pains so that they could live healthily! Brothers and sisters, that promise was revealed to them, but is ours to live today!

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.