During the course of that message, Christ was interrupted by a demon possessed man. “What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Are thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.” Jesus rebuked that demon and demanded that it leave its human host. And by the way the word “rebuked” which Mark uses in regard to this demon, is the same that he uses when Jesus “rebuked” the wind, and it is the same which Luke used when Christ “rebuked” the fever in Peter’s mother-in-law. That combination, especially in the light of the declaration of His authority, reminds us – it declares unto us that Jesus is the Christ, the divine Son of God. “And (as a result) there went forth a rumour concerning him into every place of the region round about.”
Apparently, this early in His ministry, while the Jews were still somewhat ambivalent toward Him, there wasn’t the outcry at His Sabbath day exorcism of this demon on the I find it hard to explain how this could possibly be contrary to even the Jewish understanding of the law. But on the other hand, I can understand how the carrying of an invalid from one place to another might be classified as “work” and therefore unlawful on the Sabbath. This is why only “when the even (evening) was come,” they brought unto him many that were sick, infirm and possessed with devils.
John Gill, makes some interesting comments about the Jewish idea of the changing from one day to another. “Rabbi Phinehas, in the name of Rabbi Aba Bar Papa, says, if but one star appears, it is certainly day.” So on Saturday evening at 5:30, if only one star could be seen, then it was still the Jewish Sabbath. “If two stars (can be seen), it is a doubt whether it is night or not; if three, it is certainly night. On the eve of the sabbath (Friday), if he sees one star and does any work, he is free; if (he can see) two (stars), he brings a trespass offering for a doubt; if (he sees) three (stars), he brings a sin offering. At the going out of the sabbath, if he sees one star, and does any work, he brings a sin offering; if two, he brings a trespass offering for a doubt; if three, he is free. So that till the sun was set, and three stars appeared as a proof of it, it was not lawful to do any sort of business; but as soon as it was out of doubt, that the sun was set, they might do anything.” As soon as the people of Capernaum could clearly see three stars in the sky, they bundled up their sick friends and relatives and came to the house of Peter, where they had seen the Saviour earlier go.
From here I’d like us to consider three things: possession, an illustration and the completion.
Demon POSSESSION.
“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.” Mark 1 says, “And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door.” Luke 4 puts it this way, “Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them. And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.”
Years ago I spent considerable time thinking about a question for which I never reached a conclusion. Was the work of Satan and his demons more prevalent in Christ’s day than it is today? Or is it just that we educated 21st century people, are living in ignorance of the work of Satan today? One day I lean in one direction and the next day, I lean the other way. Maybe the answer lies somewhere in the muddle. Generally speaking, we modern folk like to live in denial of almost anything that is spiritual. Certainly, you and I are not going to deny the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and ability of God to work mysteriously and miraculously. But are we as quick as we ought to be when it comes to the work of Satan? Paul testified that he was in constant battle with wicked spirits – demons. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Was Paul speaking allegorically, when he quoted his Savior in saying that his ministry was “to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God.” Was he speaking metaphorically when he said that “the god of this world (referring to Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.” I don’t think that there was anything metaphorical or allegorical in that at all.
Ours is a ministry against Satan, Satanism – demons and demonism. I don’t have proof of it, and science would certainly argue against it, but I fear that many of the so-called mental diseases of today are spirit caused. The preaching of the gospel and the battle for the souls of sinners, is not an intellectual exercise. We are not fighting against ignorance and intolerance, but against spiritism and demon control – if not actual demon-possession. We don’t – I don’t – pray often enough and fervently enough for the blessings of the omnipotent God, when it comes to my preaching of the gospel. This is the work of “turning the unbeliever from (Satanically-caused) spiritual darkness unto light.”
While believing this to be true – while knowing this to be true – there are days when I think that my other answer is the correct one. Not only did the presence of God the Son demand that Satan’s demons expose themselves and confess their disloyalty to Jehovah, but while the Saviour was here upon the earth, Satan may have significantly stepped up his war against Him. Those 42 months when the Son of God was in the heart of His ministry, Satan may have realized the intensity of the crisis, and increased his attack upon the Lord through attacks upon Christ’s creation. I cannot tell you how many demon-possessed people that the Lord cured during His ministry, but they could have numbered in the hundreds.
I can tell you this – there was not a single demon or devil, which was able to resist the authority of Christ. Even when there was a legion of demons in a man, and Christ told them to come out of their host, they didn’t have the combined strength to resist. Just as our verse in Matthew 8:16 says of other kinds of diseases, it could be said of demons as well – He healed “all that were sick.” – that is – all which were brought to Him. And as Luke’s account tells us, “all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.”
The only medical doctor of the 21st century who says that he has cured every patient is a doctor who has only has had his shingle up for a few weeks. Christ Jesus was no medical man. He was – and still is – the Son of God; the Creator of the Universe; the Sustainer of Creation; the curer of any disease. As I suggested last week, our Saviour has authority over viruses, bacteria, pollen spores, mutating DNA and the flight every bolt of lightning.
These healings and exorcisims were all an ILLUSTRATION.
“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.” “Esaias” is the Aramaic version of the Old Testament name “Isaiah.” And it is pretty much universally agreed that Matthew was referring to Isaiah 53:4 which we read earlier – “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 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. 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.”
The people in Jesus’ day interpreted Isaiah 53:4 differently than most Christians do today. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows” was thought to be “he took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” The Hebrew word “griefs” is found two dozen times in the Old Testament. Twelve times it is translated “sicknesses” and seven times “diseases.” And the Hebrew word “sorrow” is also translated “pain.” The Jewish Rabbis – not understanding gospel atonement – interpreted the future work of the Messiah as being more physical than spiritual. What those men failed to do was to keep that verse in the larger context of Isaiah 53. And of course they knew nothing of the New Testament understanding of Jesus’ ministry, to which I will return in just a minute. But one of the things that this interpretation did was to point a finger to Jesus and to declare – “this is the Messiah; the One whom we are to expect.”
This scripture is taken by some modern heretics and used to say that physical healing is a part of the gospel. They say that true gospel preachers can heal cancers and cripples, barrenness and bursitis. But that is not true. Christ may have healed every infirm person who was brought to Him in faith, trusting Him to heal them. But, there were other saints of God, true servants of the Lord, who were required to serve Him with thorns still in their flesh.
And there are no New Testament saints, of which I am aware, who did not eventually die. If it is a part of the atonement that Christ cure us of all our physical infirmities, then other than airplane crashes, tornados and murderers, Christians shouldn’t ever have to pass through death. Such an idea is ludicrous – we all have to face sickness and probable death from physical disease. Scripture tells us that Timothy had stomach problems, and Paul had some sort of infirmity which might have included eye problems and other physical defects. The physician Luke was an important man in the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul because of his physical infirmities. There are no scriptures, including this one, which teach the freedom of the saint from disease or death.
But what this scripture does teach us is that Jesus is the omnipotent Son of God. There is nothing which He could not do if it was consistent with His holiness and the decree of God. If in the midst of His ministry He had decreed that no sparrow was to fall to the ground in death for a period of twelve months, then the world would have been over-flowing with sparrows. If He had decreed that the oil barrel of every widow in the world would never run dry, then the world’s economy might have been changed. If He declared that there would never be a blind man upon the earth – there never would be another blind man, but their would still be as many blind woman. I believe in the omnipotence of God – but it is not a matter of my faith – the fact is the Son of God is omnipotent – He was then and still is today absolutely all powerful – in authority and strength. And when Christ “healed all that were sick” it was an indication that there was far more that He could do. These miracles were an illustration of a far greater miracle – the miracle of atonement. And for that we have to look at other scriptures.
The COMPLETION of Isaiah 53:4
Please return to Isaiah 53 – “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows…” Some confused people reject Jesus as the Christ because he was susceptible to human infirmities, but this was necessary for our salvation, and it was deliberately and willingly taken on by Christ. Furthermore, He willingly and omnipotently “took away” the diseases and sorrows of others. The words “borne” and “carried” bear the idea of a willing choice by the Son of God..
“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” Many old commentators, both Jewish and Christian, look at the words “stricken, smitten of God and afflicted” in the same way as Meriam and others were “smitten” with leprosy. For example, Elisha’s servant was divinely judged with leprosy for his sin. And this verse seems to suggest that the Messiah would be afflicted in the same sort of way – but it would be vicariously – for others.
What those old Rabbis failed to consider was the rest of what Isaiah was saying. “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. 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 (not just the diseases) 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 (not the infirmities) 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. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin (not just sorrow), he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.”
Jesus’ ministry of healing proved to a great many people that He was the Messiah of Isaiah 53. But only by the grace of God, did any of them go on to understand what Peter and the apostles saw. Jesus, the Christ, “did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.” Peter was clearly thinking of Isaiah when he wrote these words, because he even uses some of the auxiliary terminology – “sheep” and “shepherd.” Later in I Peter he said, “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” Paul says, “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” He “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity…”
Returning to our scripture for this morning, Matthew wasn’t trying to teach the atonement. He was simply declaring what was going on at that moment. People were flocking to Christ with their sick and possessed loved ones, and Jesus was healing them all. Those life-changing miracles, were an indication of what He would be doing three years from then. Soon he would be taking upon himself – not the sicknesses of a few sick folk – but the sins and the curse which caused those sicknesses. And it wasn’t so that the saved could be physically healthy, but that their sin-dead souls could live forever under His eternal grace.
And please remember the context of this example. Only those who came to Christ in humble faith were delivered from their infirmities. And only those who come to Christ in repentance and faith will be delivered from their sins. As the Lord convicts your heart and soul about your eternal needs, bow down in utter dependence upon Him. Repent before God and put your faith for deliverance in Christ who bore your sins in His own body on the tree – the cross of Calvary. Except a man be born again he cannot not see the Kingdom of God. “Ye must be born again.”