The Healing Christ
Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:23-25
Meditation
Regular, ordinary, everyday news doesn’t make it to the front page. That space is reserved for the tragedies and the triumphs of life. The only news that spreads fast is good news, or, bad news.
As Jesus begins his ministry, he’s big news.
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.”
Jesus begins his ministry with a display of power.
He’s teaching in the synagogues with authority. He’s preaching the “good news of the kingdom” with conviction. And, he’s healing every disease and sickness among the people!
This type of news spreads. It spreads throughout Syria and Galilee, the Decapolis (the Ten Cities), Jerusalem, Judea, and the region across the Jordan.
And as it spreads, people come.
And when they come, they don’t come alone. They bring with them the sick, the suffering, those in pain, the distressed and the demon possessed. They come, not to listen to the Teaching Christ, or to hear the Preaching Christ; they come to be touched by the Healing Christ.
They come because they have nowhere else to go. They’ve seen every doctor. They’ve taken every pill. They’ve tried every therapy. They’ve spent every cent. They’ve even prayed every prayer. And all that they have heard was …
“No. I’m sorry, I’ve done all that I can.”
“No. There’s no one else that you can see.”
“No. I’m sorry, there are no more options.”
But now there is new news—news of someone who might be able to help. There is news of someone who could help even when everyone else had said, “no”.
The big news is that Jesus is saying, “yes”.
“Yes” to those in unending pain.
“Yes” to the demon possessed.
“Yes” to those whose bodies shake uncontrollably and “yes” to those whose bodies won’t move at all.
People from all over hear the stories. They see the lives that have been changed. And so they come. They bring their friends. Jesus heals every one of them, and then every one of them begins to follow him.
He cares and so he heals.
But he also heals to declare to the world that he is the long awaited Messiah. The healings make the headlines but, more than that, they are part of prophetic fulfillment.
Jesus is the One—the Messiah—that Isaiah had spoken about.
“When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
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. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
‘He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.’ ” (Matthew 8:14-17)
When Jesus heals he draws a crowd. But he wants to do more than that. He wants to build a spiritual community. Into this new community, he wants to proclaim the “good news of the kingdom of heaven” as well as declare that He is the fulfillment of all of the Scriptures.
The healing that he wants to give is much more than physical. It’s emotional, intellectual, and—above all—it’s spiritual. He hasn’t come just to heal physical bodies.
Why would he stop there?
Why just the body? Why not the mind?
Why not the soul?
On this day, the healing touch of his hand is in Galilee. He has healed every disease and sickness in that region. But one day he will make his way to Jerusalem. There he will suffer, die, and rise again on the third day. And from the cross he will give the ultimate healing to all of humanity—the forgiveness of sins and life eternal.
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:4-5)
Prayer
Father,
As your Son began his ministry, news about him spread. He taught with authority, preached with power, and healed every disease and sickness.
Those who had nowhere else to go came to him. Those who had nothing else to try hurried to him. Those who had no one left to see were carried to him. Into their darkness he shined the light of truth. Into their desperation he proclaimed “good news”. And into their despair he brought hope.
He was, and still is, the Healing Christ.
On this day, may I know the Healing Christ and may I be assured that the Healing Christ knows me.
Remind me that he knows every disease, sickness, and source of pain. Into my suffering may he give hope. Into the darkness of my despair may he proclaim his “good news”. And into my heart of many questions may he reveal truth.
I pray this because …
I have nowhere else to go.
I have no one else to see.
I have nothing else to try.
In the name of the Healing Christ I pray. Amen.
Reflection
What type healing are you asking Jesus for?
Physical Healing:
Emotional Healing:
Intellectual Healing:
Spiritual Healing:
All Scripture references in the meditation are marked by italics and are taken from the Gospel reading for the day (Matthew 4:23-25). Those verses quoted outside of the chosen reading for the day are noted in parenthesis. All Scripture quoted on this site is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.