Understanding atonement

Lent 2024 – Part 11, The Healing view of atonement.

This Lent, I reflect deeply on the profound significance of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, exploring the various theories embraced or historically cherished by Christian churches. This journey reveals a rich tapestry of beliefs and interpretations. It’s important to acknowledge that there is more than a single perspective, and for those who have engaged in discussions about them, there are way more than the two you have argued over.

Changing what you believe about atonement is not denying Jesus. The gospel is not a description of how Jesus’ death (and resurrection, ascension, and enthronement) rescues the world, but that it does so. The gospel is not a theory or advice, it is news.

I’m excited to share my journey! In my experience with Christian worship services, I’ve witnessed amazing healings and personally experienced prayer’s power, both from others praying for me and by me praying for others. Well, it surprised me, I know how weak my faith is. It’s been inspiring to see others healed through faith. While I’ve faced challenges, including an accident that led to a disability, and the onset of diabetes, I choose to focus on the positive aspects of my life. Instead of dwelling on past misconceptions about faith and healing, I embrace the joy and growth that come from my experiences.

4  Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5  But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:4-5 ESV

¹⁶ That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. ¹⁷ This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Matthew 8:16-17 ESV

There is a profound sense of healing in the atonement, a belief that has resonated deeply within the Christian community for centuries. Since around 100 CE, many have embraced the idea that the death of Jesus Christ encompasses not just our spiritual well-being, but the entirety of our existence—body, soul, and spirit. While the term Healing Atonement may have varied in its use over time, its essence has persisted, returning to our hearts whenever we need it most. Today, amidst a multitude of atonement theories, it experiences a heartfelt renaissance, reminding us of the hope and renewal it brings to our lives.

But saying that Jesus overcame sickness and sin on the cross does not make them the same thing. Please don’t blame people for being unwell.

If my arthritis flares up it isn’t because I have sinned.
If I am tired because of my diabetes it isn’t because I have sinned.
If I catch a virus it isn’t because I have sinned.

More importantly, is the presence of Jesus walking with me in my suffering.

Matthew Chapters 8 and 9 contain nine healing stories thoughtfully arranged in three groups of three, which we often overlook due to the way the chapters transition. This oversight can make it difficult to appreciate the beautiful pattern woven into the text. In the apocalyptic style that permeates Matthew’s Gospel, the number three carries deep significance, representing the fullness of time—past, present, and future. It’s within this compelling sequence that we find the reference to Isaiah which I quoted in the passage above. It invites us to reflect on the profound connections throughout.

But Jesus did not heal everyone. He did not heal people when he visited Nazareth because of their lack of faith, probably meaning that the people of his home town did not bring the sick to him. “And he could do no mighty work there, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them,” (Mark 6:5). The day after healing Simon’s mother-in-law and then a whole group of others that came, the area was full of others who had brought their sick to be healed, but Jesus who had risen before daybreak and was out in a quiet place praying left them there and went off to preach in other places. His job was to preach the Kingdom of God and to go on to be killed and rise again, not to become the celebrity healer of Capernaum.

Even those who have experienced healing from Jesus, myself included, may encounter illness again, but there is so much hope! Ultimately, we will all transition from this life, but for those who follow Jesus, the promise of being raised from death and receiving complete healing in the next life is a beautiful assurance. We shall be raised because Jesus has conquered death. His death and resurrection are the foundations of our healing, offering us redemption and wholeness as He lovingly buys us back.

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