Disease & the Cross
It’s no surprise that the disciples of Jesus Christ could make no sense out of much that Jesus said and did during his earthly ministry. And I don’t say that they ever fully understood the truth about him. But certainly after the cross, the resurrection and his glorious exaltation they put some twos and twos together and got four.
Matthew 8:16-17 describes one astonishing healing session and I’m going to guess that Matthew was there when it happened. Like everyone else he would have been happily mesmerised as God’s reign showed itself in Jesus as he dealt with paralysis, cancer, heart disease, mental illness and such. He would hardly have been completely ignorant of what was happening before his eyes as unclean spirits were thrown out with just a word from the Christ. But later, when under the supervision of the Holy Spirit he wrote about the incident, he connected it with the atoning/redeeming/reconciling cross of Christ. He connects it solidly with Isaiah 53.
Explain the text how we will, human disease and death are intimately connected with something only the cross could deal with. To become Lord of Life Jesus bore humanity’s disease and death. Matthew says he healed by bearing. Jesus Christ took upon himself and shared with us the curse of Genesis 3:17-19 and by this he has the kingdom authority to heal us and obliterate the curse. To sever the suffering and death of humanity from the cross of Christ is to rob humanity of what it can’t afford to lose. Matthew 8:16-17. for more.
Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.