June 14: Enjoying His Peace.
HIS HEALING.
"He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases."--Matthew 8:17
I had the immense privilege of visiting the synagogue at Capernaum. As I stood there, while we were filming a video for our ministry, I was overwhelmed by the thought that I was walking where Jesus had walked. After we left the synagogue, our guide took us to an excavated site that is believed to have been Peter's house. Once again, it was as if the Bible was coming alive in front of my eyes, as I pictured Jesus entering Peter's house and healing his mother-in-law.
This event (Matthew 8:14-17; see also Mark 1:29-31) is the third healing miracle in this chapter, following the cleansing of the leper (Matthew 8:1-4), and the healing of the centurion's servant (verses 5-13). "When Jesus came into Peter's home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him" (verses 14, 15). The focus of this passage is on Jesus: He saw...He touched...He cast out the spirits...and healed all who were ill (verses 14-17). Touching a person with fever was against the laws of the rabbis, still Jesus touched Peter's mother-in-law, as He had touched the leper. The fever left her immediately, and she served Him (verse 15). A summary verse (verse 16) portrays the inclusivity of Jesus' healing ministry, as He was casting out demons with a word (in the same way He had healed the centurion's servant) and healed all who were ill (verse 16). But perhaps the most meaningful part of these verses is that Matthew end this section by proposing that Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah 53:4, which is the prophecy about the ultimate ministry of God's Servant: "This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 'He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases' " (Matthew 8:17). In Isaiah, this sentence precedes the verse that explains that Jesus not only paid the price for our transgressions and iniquities but also purchased the right to bless us with His peace and His healing (Isaiah 53:5). Is your soul downcast? Is your heart sick due to shame? Jesus paid for your healing with His blood!
My Response:_________________________________________________________________
HIS HEALING.
"He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases."--Matthew 8:17
I had the immense privilege of visiting the synagogue at Capernaum. As I stood there, while we were filming a video for our ministry, I was overwhelmed by the thought that I was walking where Jesus had walked. After we left the synagogue, our guide took us to an excavated site that is believed to have been Peter's house. Once again, it was as if the Bible was coming alive in front of my eyes, as I pictured Jesus entering Peter's house and healing his mother-in-law.
This event (Matthew 8:14-17; see also Mark 1:29-31) is the third healing miracle in this chapter, following the cleansing of the leper (Matthew 8:1-4), and the healing of the centurion's servant (verses 5-13). "When Jesus came into Peter's home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him" (verses 14, 15). The focus of this passage is on Jesus: He saw...He touched...He cast out the spirits...and healed all who were ill (verses 14-17). Touching a person with fever was against the laws of the rabbis, still Jesus touched Peter's mother-in-law, as He had touched the leper. The fever left her immediately, and she served Him (verse 15). A summary verse (verse 16) portrays the inclusivity of Jesus' healing ministry, as He was casting out demons with a word (in the same way He had healed the centurion's servant) and healed all who were ill (verse 16). But perhaps the most meaningful part of these verses is that Matthew end this section by proposing that Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah 53:4, which is the prophecy about the ultimate ministry of God's Servant: "This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 'He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases' " (Matthew 8:17). In Isaiah, this sentence precedes the verse that explains that Jesus not only paid the price for our transgressions and iniquities but also purchased the right to bless us with His peace and His healing (Isaiah 53:5). Is your soul downcast? Is your heart sick due to shame? Jesus paid for your healing with His blood!
My Response:_________________________________________________________________
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