Matthew’s Gospel: …and healing

40 Blogs of Lent: 9

Matthew 4: 23-25

Here comes the change from being an obscure preacher to becoming a famous one: Healing. Jesus healed and his fame spread.

Signs and wonders accompanying the preaching of the Gospel was a big thing in the ministry of Jesus. The Gospel writers noted what happened, but they have a larger significance, people were invited to put their trust in Jesus. We are also asked to put trust in Jesus now. Miracles have their place in this: Jesus acting in authority and compassion. The miracles are signs to us that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ.

Jesus, we are told earlier in the chapter, set up his base for operations in Capernaum, right on the north banks of Lake Galilee. From here word did not just spread out of Capernaum south and west into the region of Galilee, but east and north into non-Jewish territories too. A major theme in Matthew’s Gospel, written primarily for a Jewish audience, is that the message of Jesus includes Gentiles as well. Jesus message is for all people, including me and you.

I am fortunate to attend a church where healing is prayed for. I am fortunate to attend a church where from time to time people give testimonies to God working in their lives, and some of these testify to Jesus healing. 2000 years on Jesus still heals, and these healings are still signs as to who Jesus is.

The healings show that Jesus is fully God. The healings show that Jesus is fully human. The healings show that Jesus is the one and only Messiah. Jesus asks those who follow him to trust him and shows that he can be trusted.

Are you going to trust Jesus?

-o0o-

For those who wish to follow the reading:

²³ And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. ²⁴ So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them. ²⁵ And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

Matthew 4 ESVUK

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.