Healing 5
Notes
Transcript
Recap from last week:
We began by discussing verse 13
13 See, my servant will act wisely; he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
We talked about this being the same wording Jesus used in discussion with Nicodemus and how here it is a cross refernce from Numbers 21 and Moses lifting up the snake to heal those bitten by a snake
In the conversation with Nicodemus, it is obvious Jesus is talking about Spiritual healing/renewal
However, in Numbers 21, it is literal healing.
So, possibly in Isaiah 52:13 could imply both physical and spiritual healing
We then jumped down to chapter 53 verse 3 and took a closer look at the word “pain” in the NIV or “grief” in many other translations
We looked at how the vast majority of the time, the Hebrew word used is translated as sickness or disease
We questioned why it would not be translated as such and we don’t really know
A new note on this is that sometimes words can mean different things, we know what they mean by the context.
So, the question would be what is the context of 3, well, it seems both physical and spiritual
That could be up for debate!
This morning, we are going to look at a couple more reference and see if we can place a context to what is happening
First, let’s continue in Isaiah 53 and move to the NT afterwards
We will look at verse 4, but let’s begin with verse 3
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
If you are looking in your bible, some of you may have a note like the one that mine has here, where is shows that the word “grief” is the same word used in verse 4 and it literally could be translated as sickness
Now, again, the word could mean either grief or sickness or a few other things…
The context should tell us which word to use
So, far, not counting the “lifted up” notes, it doesn’t seem like sickness is in view for the suffering servant
We don’t know if Jesus was ever sick, but it is pretty commonly assumed that he wasn’t
There is debate and we don’t need to entertain the debate too much, some say he could have been sick since He did experience human needs such as hunger, pain, hurt and so forth.
Others say that because sickness was a result of Adam’s sin, Jesus had no sin, therefore no sickness
But again, we don’t have a text saying one way or another…
I think the reason for the translation in Isaiah 53 of the word grief is to not imply Jesus would have suffer sickness
I’ll get to why so in a bit
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
Here we see that Jesus took our griefs or sickness, He carried out sorrow
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
And now the popular verse about healing
A note here is that the phrasing “pierced and crushed” is directly tied to the crucifixion as with much in the following verses.
Peace is the word Shalom meaning complete wholeness and healing means just that.
Those words doesn’t help us out much with the healing being spiritual or physical debate.
I do want to note though that some will make the argument that because a word can be used in multiple contexts that is means all those things in every context
For example, If my wife and I are in a disagreement and I say, I just want peace right now….the word peace can be used in multiple contexts, financial peace, physical, relational, etc.
Though I do wish for peace in all things, in that specific context I am talking about relational peace
Again, the context gives the word it’s meaning
This matters because if we believe that God wants us to have peace, it doesn’t mean that we will never have difficulties or struggle. Especially in a fallen world.
Let me show you a place where this applies biblically
I say this verse almost every week
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
The greek word here for saved is “sozo.” Now, the word Sozo itself can mean saved, delivered, or healed and it can be in reference to physical death or spiritual death
But, it clearly doesn’t mean all of those things at all times
So, in the context of Romans 10 9, it would not make since or be accurate to say that if we confess that Jesus is lord and believe that God raised him from the dead, that we will be saved from physical death
We know this, because we will all still die unless Jesus returns first.
Likewise in this context, if we used the word healed instead of saved in light of physical healing, it would be misapplied based on the context.
Obviously, Paul has spiritual salvation in mind, not physical healing
So, again, the context tells us what the word means
That is one rule of hermeneutics and studying the scripture
So, I would say if we just had Isaiah 52 and 3, it would be hard to say that physical healing is in the atonement
But another rule of hermeneutics is that scripture interprets scripture.
So, if we have a difficult passage like we have here, we look at the other references to that passage and see if that interprets some of the difficulty
We did this a little last week with looking at the phrase “lifted up.”
We are going to do this by looking at Isaiah 53 in the new testament, there are 6 passages that deal directly with Isaiah 53. I have read them, and all but 2 don’t deal with the verses 3-5 that we are questioning
To save time, I am not going to read the other 4.
Let’s look at the two that deal with these verses
We are going to get to 1 Peter 2:24 but let’s read the context
1 peter 2 the context is slaves to masters and them being beaten
21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 22 “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”
So, he is talking to slaves about being beaten unjustly and how Christ gave them an example
23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, 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.
So, the direct quote here is to verse 4 of isaiah 53 and the translates the word “grief” to “sins” and takes it further saying that we would die to sin and live to righteousness
And by his wounds we have been healed.
So, the context here seems to be spiritual healing and not physical healing
He is talking about sin, death, life and righteousness. I don’t see how you can make the argument from Peter that the reference to healing is physical.
But, we aren’t finished.
So far, possibly, though not definitively, Isaiah is mostly talking about the atonement in a spiritual sense and Peter would echo that, but we have Matthew
14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him.
16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
So, we have Jesus healing all who were sick and Matthew quotes isaiah 53 4 and looks like he changes “griefs” to “illnesses” and “sorrows” to “diseases”
And the literal context is after healing “them all” of the “many brought to him” in Capernaum
So, looking at two hermeneutic rules, we observed context and cross references and we are still stuck it seems.
We don’t have a fully satisfied answer. Was the healing paid for on the cross just spiritual or physical as well?
It sure looks like the answer is “both” we have access to spiritual well being as well as physical as “paid for on the cross”
Some make the argument that what Matthew is saying is that Isaiah is referring to the ministry of Jesus and not necessarily the cruxifiction.
Personally, I think that is a stretch because the elephant in the room in Isaiah 53 is Jesus going to the cross.
I don’t think He walked around taking people’s sins from them and adding them to his backpack, I think it’s when He went to the cross
As we read in Peter
24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
So, it would make sense to me to say: He bore our sins on the cross, so he also bore our diseases on the cross
To me, it’s splitting hairs to say Isaiah is referring to the ministry and not the cross for what Matthew says is healing, but the cross for healing
So, is our healing paid for on the cross?
I believe that we have access to healing because of the cross. I don’t like the phrasing “paid for” as I think it gives the wrong impression. Payment implies a debt. Jesus doesn’t owe us healing, it’s not a debt to be paid.
Sam Storms says it this way:
“The fact that healing is an expression of divine “mercy” (Phil. 2:27) means that it should never be viewed as a “right” or as something the Christian can claim. There is no place in the life of the believer or the local church for the presumptuous approach to healing that is found in advocates of the health and wealth gospel or in the Word of Faith movement.
Healing is not the payment of a debt. God does not owe us healing. We don’t deserve healing (Understanding Spiritual Gifts pg. 248)"
So, the wording I prefer to be more accurate is that healing is provided through the cross.
In other words: we have access to healing because of the cross.
Just like we have access to everything in the kingdom because of Christ’s work on the cross.
But, this does not mean that it is guaranteed now!
We also have access to new bodies, but we don’t get that now!
We have access to the fruit of the spirit because of the cross!
We have access to the gifts of the spirit because of the Spirit in us, but that doesn’t mean we get all of the gifts.
God is the sovereign God!
He gives, as He wills! He provides as He wills!
If healing is in the atonement, as I believe it is, does this guarantee healing now?
Unfortunately, I think it is very difficult to say yes, biblically.
Just a fact: everyone that Jesus healed, eventually died. At some point, we will all die. It’s a consequence of the fall and a reality.
These non-eternal bodies are susceptible to sickness, they will break down and eventually pass.
So, no, not everyone will be healed now.
Some people make the claim that because healing is a part of the atonement that it is guaranteed now.
I have a couple of concerns with that and 1 being, in none of the other letters is that theology presented.
If it were true that we are guaranteed healing because of the cross, where is this taught? There were times, it easily could have been. Paul left Trophimus sick, why didn’t he just tell him to believe he healed?
Subsequently, Paul told Timothy to take a little whine for his stomach. Why didn’t he just tell him to believe that he was healed?
Paul himself has some sort of a bodily ailment. Seems weird for him to admit that if he believed healing was guaranteed. I mean, he was a super apostle…
Additionally, why would the HS give gifts of healing if healing was guaranteed on the cross? Does God need a backup plan?
“If people don’t believe in the healing on the cross, I guess I will give gifts of healing as a backup”
Sometimes I think we tend to oversimplify complex issues. And, I believe some do this with healing. I don’t think it is a simple as some want to make it.
The truth, whether you agree with my stance of healing in the atonement or not, is that Jesus is the healer!
It is one of the names of God, Jehovah-Rapha the God who heals
Just as God is savior and provider, He is also healer.
We all agree He will heal all of us at consumation of all things when Jesus returns!
But can we have faith that God will heal us now?
After easter, we are going to talk about what faith is and what role does it play in healing.
For now, can we have faith that God will heal?
He is the healer, Jesus healed everyone who came to him for healing!
Jesus sent out the 12 and told them to heal the sick
He then sent out the 72 and told them to heal the sick
He said that we would do the same “works” that He did in John 14.
In Mark 16 he said that we would lay hands on the sick and they would recover
The apostles continued the work of Jesus in Acts with healing.
So, can we have a posture like Shad, Mesh, Abind
17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Can we have a posture that God can heal us, that he will heal us, and even if he doesn’t we will worship and praise him and continue to believe.
So, this morning, if you need healing, whether it be physical, spiritual, emotional, relational, financial, let’s come to Jesus!
