Jesus Provides Healing

It could have just been folklore; a fantastical story shared from generation to generation. Tales passed down the family line of a distant tomorrow with no more pain or suffering. The Israelites had been longing for a Savior since the promise had been made to Abraham that He was coming (Genesis 17). The Messiah was on His way, and He would bring with Him healing. They believed it was true. So they waited. In their dark, silent, broken bodies, all they could do was wait.

God used the prophet Isaiah to foretell Jesus’ healing ministry. Jesus was not only bringing spiritual healing, but physical healing as well. Isaiah 35: 5–6 explained that the Messiah would open the eyes of the blind, unclog the ears of the deaf, and allow the lame to leap. The Messiah would be the cure the Israelites needed, and He was coming (Isaiah 35: 4). Healing was coming.

Can you imagine their anticipation? They believed the Messiah was the Cure, but the Israelites did not have access to healing without Him. The Israelites were stuck in their broken bodies for centuries, hoping in the promise that Someone would take the pain away. More than seven hundred years passed between Isaiah’s prophecy and the birth of Jesus—seven hundred years of hope.

But in God’s perfect timing, He came just as promised. Matthew 11:2–6 records some of Jesus’ miracles of physical healing. Jesus opened the eyes of the blind, cured diseases, and brought the lame to their feet, along with other miracles. Jesus sent the disciples to share about the healing that they witnessed in Galilee as evidence that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah (Matthew 11:2).

Sickness has a sobering way of displaying our own finitude. Since the fall of man, our bodies are not the way that they were meant to be (Genesis 3). Our broken bodies are a physical representation of our spiritual need for a Savior. Though we may never experience total physical healing on this side of glory, we can steward what has been given to us (Romans 12:1).

In our bruised, broken, and sick bodies, we can give clear testimony of what we have to look forward to: a returning Christ who will bring healing to every person who trusts in Him (Revelation 21:4). Any physical limitation we have provides opportunity to share God’s limitlessness with the world. God can use any broken body to make His name great. We can believe that God is a Healer today, just as He was in the early church, because God’s nature is consistent (Hebrews 13:8).

Jesus’ healings during His time on earth are clear displays of His nature as the ultimate Healer. Jesus is the same Healer who was promised to the Israelites, who performed miracles in the early church, and who gave up His own wellness on our behalf. Our broken bodies serve as a constant reminder that Jesus is coming back again in His own perfect timing. We look forward with an expectant hope to a time when we too will be completely healed.