Jesus Heals

Isaiah 53:1-12; Mark 1:29-34 / Psalm 103:1-22

I. Jesus Overcomes the Dark Side of Life

A. Christianity functions on the family level; the family is the fundamental and normal social safety net. “And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her.” (Mark 1:29-30)

1. There was no element of today’s prosperity gospel in what Jesus was doing; even birds have better housing arrangements. “And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58)

2. God has no reason to measure life as the world measures it; all reality is always at His command. “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof.” (Psalm 50:10-12)

B. When Jesus healed the suffering woman, she went to work. “And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.” (Mark 1:31)

C. When life gets better, word spreads. “And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils.” (Mark 1:32)

D. Jesus was healing, not just changing attitudes; Jesus produces changed lives. “And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.” (Mark 1:34)

II. The Messiah Heals in His Own Way

A. The world is looking for the wrong kind of healer. “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:1-4)

B. Consider the great leaders of humanity; their strengths do not matter to God and eventually people see their ultimate human weaknesses. “He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man.” (Psalm 147:10) “His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.” (Daniel 2:33)

C. How could the solution to the human condition come from a homeless person who cares about old ladies? “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4)

D. Human saviors command resources, but Jesus cares about the helpless. “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8)

E. Each Communion season returns to the story of the Passion and the amazing substitutionary atonement. “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:6-9)

III. Come To the Genuine Healer

A. Share the testimony of the healed. “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:” (1 Corinthians 11:23)

B. Jesus sustains; be refreshed. “And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

C. Jesus is the blood sacrifice; feast on the Passover lamb of eternity. “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:25) “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

D. Acknowledge the One Who has done what no other could ever do. “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” (Revelation 5:12)