Source: returntogodsgarden
>>Matthew 9:1-8
‘Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the sea and came to His own city. And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This fellow blasphemes.” And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.” And he got up and went home. But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.’
Isn’t it interesting that the originally intended “healing” here, was spiritual. Jesus acknowledged the physical condition by also resolving the paralytic’s inability to walk, but He was just going to heal the paralytic spiritually, and be done. The physical healing, though also beautiful, was not the point. It was really just intended to authenticate the spiritual healing…
“The Greater Healing”
Unfortunately, there are still brethren who seem to over-emphasize physical healing (as blessed as that may be), instead of something better. It’s a problem when such comes at the expense of under-emphasizing the greater healing… the spiritual healing.
Take Isaiah 53:5. This is a popular verse for encouraging the prayer for and the hope for, physical healing. But, it’s not about that. It describes how the Messiah suffered physical agony for the spiritual health of His people… not their physical health.
Now, I am NOT suggesting that we ignore the prayer for and the hope for, physical healing. What I am critiquing is the misuse of scripture, and the over-emphasis of focusing on the physical ailments of people, when people are going to hell.
Isaiah 53:5 ends with the word “healed.” It’s very tempting to assume that physical healing is the emphasis here. But, when we look at the body of the verse and keep the context consistent, what we see is that the healing in view is not physical at all.
What do you think?
Isaiah 53:5
“But He was pierced (physical) for our transgressions (non-physical);
He was crushed (physical) for our iniquities (non-physical);
upon Him was the chastisement (physical) that brought us peace (non-physical),
and with His wounds (physical) we are healed.”
How do you read the word “healed” at the end?
Peter seems to see it the same way, no?
1 Peter 2:24
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree (physical), that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (non-physical). By his wounds (physical) you have been healed.”
As I said before, I am NOT suggesting that we ignore the prayer for and the hope for, physical healing. However, I am going to encourage us (Christians) to keep the emphasis on the greater healing, of which we have been commanded to focus on:
Matthew 28:18-20
‘And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”'<<
Source: theidolbabbler
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