Big Healing Book - Matthew 4:23-24

Matthew 4:23-24:

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

Notes on Matthew 4:23-24:

Here we see four facets of Jesus’ ministry: TEACHING, PREACHING, HEALING and DELIVERANCE.

Jesus’ ministry did not consist solely of laying hands on the sick. In fact, if there is no good news to believe, it is unproductive to simply lay hands on the sick. If the sick are simply healed by manifestations of the Holy Spirit, they will need to be healed the same way again unless the good news is proclaimed to them. Only then will they develop personal faith to be healed apart from manifestations of the Spirit.

Because Jesus healed ALL manner of sickness and disease, and He is the same forever (Hebrews 13:8), we should never limit Him by doubting His ability and willingness to heal ALL diseases today. There is no condition too small or too large for Him to heal.

In verse 24, note that Jesus healed “those which were lunatick,” meaning the insane. Thus, Jesus’ healing power healed mental as well as physical illnesses. This is consistent with the fact that mental illnesses (madness, etc.) were included in the “curse of the Law” in Deuteronomy 28:15-68 and elsewhere – a curse from which we are redeemed (Galatians 3:13).

Jesus did not wander the earth looking for sick people. Verse 24 states that all these sick people were brought to Him. They had to go where Jesus and His anointing were. Jesus did not make unsolicited house calls to heal the sick. Obviously, the sick and their friends expended some effort to get to where Jesus was. This demonstrated their faith in His ability and willingness to heal. Today you also need faith in His ability and willingness to heal, but because Jesus had paid for everyone’s healing, you can receive healing directly from Him ANYWHERE without having to travel to where He is. (Which is a good thing, because He is in heaven, which is not serviced by any commercial airline.)

Although God’s best is for the believer to receive healing from God without anyone else’s involvement, not everyone is prepared to do so. If someone wants to seek healing through the manifestations of the Spirit at a service, he must go to where the service is. This is consistent with the gospel pattern. It is inconsistent with Scripture for the sick person to stay home and moan, “God will heal me if He wants to.” God wants him well, but he must expend some personal effort to receive his healing even if it is by a manifestation of the anointing. It does not happen automatically now any more than it did then.

The phrase “had the palsy” means “paralyzed.” This shows that paralysis is no different from any other sickness when it comes to God’s ability and willingness to heal it. Men make a big deal out of people getting out of wheelchairs, but seeing the paralyzed walk was perfectly normal in the ministry of Jesus.

The word “torments” to describe the suffering of some ailing people is interesting because that exact Greek word is used in only two other Bible verses, both of which refer to people’s experience in hell!

Luke 16:23:
And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Luke 16:28:
For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.