Had a Healing Ministry
Key
Text
"Thus
saith God the Lord, He that created the heavens,
and stretched them out; He that spread forth the
earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that
giveth breath unto the people upon it, And spirit
to them that walk therein:
I the Lord have called Thee in righteousness, And
will hold Thine hand, And will keep Thee, and give
Thee for a covenant of the people, For a light of
the Gentiles;
To open the blind eyes, To bring out the prisoners
from the prison,
And them that sit in darkness out of the prison
house." Isaiah 42:5-7
Fulfillment
Jesus answered and said unto them, Go
and show John again those things which ye do hear
and see:
The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the
dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel
preached to them. Matthew
11:4-5
|
|
In the fisherman's home at Capernaum the
mother of Peter's wife is lying sick of "a great fever," and "they
tell Him of her." Jesus "touched her hand, and the
fever left her," and she arose and ministered to the Saviour
and His disciples. Luke 4:38; Mark 1:30; Matthew 8:15.
Rapidly the tidings spread. The miracle had been wrought upon the Sabbath, and
for fear of the rabbis the people dared not come for healing until the sun was
set. Then from the homes, the shops, the market places, the inhabitants of the
city pressed toward the humble dwelling that sheltered Jesus. The sick were brought
upon litters, they came leaning upon staffs, or, supported by friends, they tottered
feebly into the Saviour's presence.
Hour after hour they came and went; for none could know whether tomorrow would
find the Healer still among them. Never before had Capernaum witnessed a day
like this. The air was filled with the voice of triumph and shouts of deliverance.
Not until the last sufferer had been relieved did Jesus cease His work.
From Herod's dungeon, where in disappointment
and perplexity concerning the Saviour's work, John the Baptist
watched and waited, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus with
the message:
"Art Thou He that should come, or do we look for another?"
Matthew 11:3.
The Saviour did not at once answer the disciples' question.
As they stood wondering at His silence, the afflicted were coming
to Him. The voice of the Mighty Healer penetrated the deaf ear.
A word, a touch of His hand, opened the blind eyes to behold
the light of day, the scenes of nature, the faces of friends,
and the face of the Deliverer. His voice reached the ears of
the dying, and they arose in health and vigor. Paralyzed demoniacs
obeyed His word, their madness left them, and they worshiped
Him. The poor peasants and laborers, who were shunned by the
rabbis as unclean, gathered about Him, and He spoke to them
the words of eternal life.
Thus the day wore away, the disciples of John seeing and hearing
all. At last Jesus called them to Him, and bade them go and
tell John what they had seen and heard, adding, "Blessed
is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me." Verse 6.
The disciples bore the message, and it was enough.
John recalled the prophecy concerning the Messiah, "Jehovah
hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He
hath sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that
are bound; to proclaim the year of Jehovah's favor, and ...
to comfort all that mourn." Isaiah 61:1, 2, A.R.V. Jesus
of Nazareth was the Promised One. The evidence of His divinity
was seen in His ministry to the needs of suffering humanity.
His glory was shown in His condescension to our low estate.
The works of Christ not only declared Him to be the Messiah,
but showed in what manner His kingdom was to be established.
To John was opened the same truth that had come to Elijah in
the desert, when "a great and strong wind rent the mountains,
and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord
was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but
the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake
a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire:" and after the
fire, God spoke to the prophet by a still, small voice. 1 Kings
19:11, 12. So Jesus was to do His work, not by the overturning
of thrones and kingdoms, not with pomp and outward display,
but through speaking to the hearts of men by a life of mercy
and self-sacrifice. Back |
