Infirmities

Order and Priority

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These are those which were numbered of the children of Israel by the house of their fathers: all those that were numbered of the camps throughout their hosts were six hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty. But the Levites were not numbered among the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses.  And the children of Israel did according to all that the LORD commanded Moses: so they pitched by their standards, and so they set forward, every one after their families, according to the house of their fathers.
Numbers 2:32-34

When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, “Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”
Matthew 8:16-17

Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.                     Acts 8:4
Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.        Acts 8:35

Words of Jesus; Son of God, God the Son – 082720

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“And it came to pass, when He was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought Him, saying, ‘Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.’ And He put forth His hand, and touched him, saying,
‘I will: be thou clean.’
And immediately the leprosy departed from him. And He charged him to
‘Tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.’
But so much the more went there a fame abroad of Him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed.”  Luke 5:12-16  (KJB)

Our Infirmities

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He Took Our Infirmities

Matthew 8:1-17

JESUS TOUCHED THE UNCLEAN LEPER (vv. 1-4).

* Leprosy is a picture of sin

+ “ It is deeper than the skin (Lev. 13:3), it spreads (Lev. 13:8), it defiles and isolates (Lev. 13:45-46), it is worthy only of fire (Lev. 13:52, 57)”. FROM THE BIBLE EXPOSITION COMMENTARY by Warren W. Wiersbe.

+ None are left untouched by sin.

* This man has been greatly humbled, and is submissive to the sovereignty and power of Jesus, as he says, “If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean”.
* Jesus touched the unclean, took his uncleanness, and gave to him health.

A ROMAN SOLDIER PRAYS IN BEHALF OF A SERVANT OF HIS HOUSEHOLD (vv. 5-13)

* This was a gentile Roman soldier who was hated among the people of Jesus’s birth.

+ The very hour Jesus spoke healing the slave/servant was healed.
+ In this instance it was according to this man’s faith.

* We do know that due to this man’s faith his servant/slave was healed that same hour.
* Just like the Roman soldier we can call on Jesus to come and heal despite our racial, or gender status.

JESUS TOUCHED THE HAND OF PETER’S MOTHER-IN-LAW, AND RAISED HER TO HEALTH (vv. 14-15).

* Women held no honored position in Jewish society.
* For this woman to be in bed meant that she had more than just a stomach ache which so easily puts some people in bed today.

+ A belly ache was nothing, she would have kept on working, unless it was practically deadly.

* Jesus’s touch was a very special touch.

+ It was as if He were saying, “My people have been sick but I have come to take away their sicknesses, and diseases – particularly their ailment to sin.

COULD JESUS BE MAKING THE STATEMENT IN THESE TOUCHES, “I AM YOUR KING AND GREAT PHYSICIAN; I HAVE COME TO PAY THE PRICE FOR YOUR SINS.”? (vv. 16-17).

* “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted”. Isaiah 53:4.

* Jesus delivers people from their sicknesses and demon possession.

+ People are oppressed by sickness due to the original sin in the garden.
+ People are possessed by demons due to their personal actions and invitation to evil in their lives.

* The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus is the way to victory over sin, its sicknesses, and its evil in our lives.

-Tim A. Blankenship

Resurrection – Unbelief and Hardness of Heart; Mark 16:9-14

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“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that He was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that He appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14 Afterward He appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen Him after He was risen.”  Mark 16:9-14 (KJV)

By the testimony of verse 9 the resurrected Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene.  Who is this Mary?  She is mentioned in the Gospel of Luke,

“And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils” (Luke 8:2).

This Mary had been terribly bound, and was probably involved in great evil.  The Lord Jesus had freed her and cast the demons from her.  By His great glory He appeared to her first and gave her  the privilege of telling the sceptical disciples of the resurrection.  When she came to the disciples and told them they did not believe her report.

According to verse 10 the disciples were in mourning and were weeping.  They were quite sorrowful over the death of Jesus.  Why, O why, would they not believe Mary?  Would not her countenance be aglow with joy?  Would not her words have been filled with excitement?  Saying,  “Our Lord’s grave is empty, He is alive.  I have seen Him.  He has spoken to me.”  I think I would have at least been curious.  This would have, of course, been after Mary has been to the tomb, found it empty, went to Peter and John, they run to see it empty, and then return, as John writes,

” Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.”  (John 20:10).

They were not even curious enough to begin a search, they “…went away again to themselves”.

After appearing to Mary Magdalene Jesus appears to two who are walking together.  Luke tells us is was to Emmaeus.  Luke gives us more details of this appearance by Jesus.  These two did not recognize Him.  He shared with them the words of the Prophets concerning Himself, and only when He had broken bread at their table did they recognize Him.   When He first appeared to Mary, she did not recognize Him.  She thought Him to be the gardner.  Maybe due to the sadness, mourning, and tears His identity was covered to them, and maybe due to spiritual influence from Him.  They had been blind to the words Jesus had spoken concerning His rising from the dead, and now they were blind to its reality.  Only by the power of God did they know Him.  Only by the “Drawing” of the Father, and His will can anyone know Him.  These two told the disciples that Jesus was risen, and still they do not believe.  By this time Peter and John had probably already seen Jesus alive due to the words of Luke in chapter 24 verse 34,

“Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.”

When they came to those who had not yet seen Jesus alive the remainder would not believe.  We sometimes jump all over Thomas because he would not believe unless he witnessed the resurrected Jesus personally, but all of the disciples had the same attitude.  Blessed are those who have believed though they have not seen.

Why did Jesus rebuke them for their unbelief?  He had spoken to them many times of His death and resurrection, but they had not heard.  They had had a wrong attitude toward Him.  He was their source of deliverance from captivity of Rome.  He was their hope for amounting to something in “His kingdom”.  Judas was not the only one following Him for the wrong reason(s).  They found it hard to believe that their “Messiah” would even die.  If He was not going to die there was no need for a resurrection.  So in their mind all the problems of the Hebrews were over; then He died.

Jesus rebuked them, because they had not believed His Word.  “Destroy this temple, and in three day I will raise it again”.  You can imagine that now that He has appeared to all of the disciples, they now believe.  Would I have been any different?  Knowing what I know of myself, and having grown up in Missouri [the Show-Me State], I doubt it.  Knowing what I now know, by the testimony of so many witnesses and the testimony of God’s Word, Yes I believe He is risen.

-Tim A. Blankenship