Corona Devo 223

Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people.  ~Matthew 4:23

Here's a thought-revelation: all three things that Jesus "did" in this verse are actually segments of the same thing.

He taught, which brought the verity of God's Law and the Scriptures to the leaders, and also challenged their hypocrisy.  He preached, which made the scriptures relatable and able to be understood by the people, and he healed the diseased and sick, which evidenced the power (and promise!) of all three: Jesus' teaching, preaching, and miracles.

..."teaching in the synagogues" (Matthew 4:23): Jesus explained to the Pharisees, Saducees and teachers in the synagogue (as His Word/the Bible explains to us) about God's laws and best-practices for our lives.  It jolted the religious leaders because they had been staunchly raised in the Jewish tradition of following rules and laws only, but with Jesus came the new (and foreign) requirement of sacrificing our hearts to God, and not merely a performing a ritual, sacrificing a dove, or tithing some coins.  God desires more than surface and shallow routine in following Him, and the religious leaders could not grasp it.  Can we?  

..."preaching the good news of the kingdom" (Matthew 4:23): Inside the synagogues Jesus told taught the scriptures with wisdom and authority.  Outside of the temple, He changed His delivery to suit His audience and He told stories, gave agricultural and social examples to relate His message to the people.  He preached His message to them using every method from dialogue/to traditions/to culture, which shared with them the good news of the kingdom.  Salvation was theirs (through Jesus), if they would just accept it.  Jesus preaches the exact same message to us today that people gathered on the dusty streets of Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem to hear Him preach.  There is no expiration date (except our death date) on the good news of the kingdom, and His message has never changed.  

..."and healing every disease and sickness among the people" (Matthew 4:23): As Jesus taught in the synagogues and preached in the streets, still others came to Him, sought Him, and went-out-on-a-limb to get to Him because he healed their diseases and cured their sicknesses.  Many followed Him because what He taught and preached was revolutionary and listening to His message gave people hope and a purpose.  But for those who were afflicted by disease or sickness, the urgency was on a physical and often a social level because they may have been excommunicated (quarantined!) from their cities, synagogues, and families as a result of their afflictions.  Jesus healed all who were brought to Him, and they came in droves to be restored.

Consider the weight (and hope) of this possibility.  

Are you sick?  Do you have a loved one that is sick?  Is someone close to you in chronic pain or with a progressive disease?  Or dying?  What lengths would you have gone to in attempting to bring them to Jesus to be healed?  What if there was One among us that was capable of healing every disease and sickness among the people?

I submit to you that there IS One among us that is capable of healing every disease and sickness among the people.  Jesus.  

A "fresh understanding" of this verse came to me (with perspective) as I realized that our complication is that we want to interpret this verse literally and we want to experience it immediately.  In Scripture, the diseased and sick people were touched by Jesus and He healed them in that moment.  I challenge us to open our eyes and mind to digesting this verse with the delayed-gratification of Heaven in mind. 

My "revelation" in understanding this verse is that if we are able to bring our loved ones to the feet of Jesus, to know Him while they are here on earth, and even while they suffer a sickness, a disease, or even face death, then the hope and the healing of this verse CAN be theirs...in Heaven.   

For most of us and our loved ones, our full healing will come after this physical world and body have passed away, and when we stand whole in God's divine presence.  In Heaven, there will be healing (of) every disease and sickness among the people.  ~Matthew 4:23

We may not be able to pop into church on Sunday and catch Jesus preaching, and nor will we find Him with a crowd gathered as He teaches parables on the square.  And (try as I have) to prayerfully invoke His immediate healing on a loved one who is suffering, the percentages of miraculous on-the-spot healings are lower today than they were for about 3 years around 30 AD.  

But none of this negates or lessens to power, truth, and promise of this verse:  Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in the synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people.  ~Matthew 4:23

Each of these can be experienced by us today.  Jesus teaches us one on one with His Word as we study the Bible.  Our lives are evidence and parables-in-motion as we seek to live for Him and experience life day to day in seeking the good news of the kingdom and in sharing it with others.  And Jesus absolutely heals our hurts, our pasts, our sins and our brokenness if we allow Him close enough to touch us.  

And I look forward with joy to the healing (of) every disease and sickness that we will enjoy one day when we are reunited with other loved-ones that served Christ, and most importantly, when we are united with Christ Himself.

I submit to you that there IS One among us that is capable of teaching, preaching and healing:  Jesus!  

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com