When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:16-17 — NET)
Chapters five, six, and seven of Matthew are the famous Sermon on the Mount, the longest, continuous preaching of Jesus in the Bible—a series of lessons about faith and the details of our Christian life. Then in chapter eight Jesus first heals a leper, then the Centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law, and in the evening—where today’s passage picks up—He casts out many demons and heals all who are sick. To round out the passage He calmed then calmed a stormy sea, and cast out a legion of demons from two men who lived in a cemetery among the tombs.
Jesus was bold. He was not afraid of demons, of leprosy, of the sick, or of a violent storm. He knew who He was, and knew that His Father would answer His prayers. This doesn’t mean that His life was perfect—a smooth path with no potholes. He was hated, attacked, laughed at, rejected, looked down on, and called demon-possessed. His life was a hard one, but He was bold when it came to the sick, the possessed, the suffering, and the sinner. Whenever we are bold in our faith, God will honor us, like He did Jesus. When we are insecure, doubtful, unsure of ourselves, and passive, God is saddened and blocked from using His power to save and transform us.
What Jesus was 2000 years ago, He still is today; what Jesus said in the Bible, He still says today; and what Jesus did, He still does today. "He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases"—this means that forgiveness, healing, freedom, and eternal life all belong to us because of the cross of the Lord Jesus.
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