Matthew 8:16-17:
When the even [evening] 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.
Notes on Matthew 8:16-17:
This Scripture immediately settles any argument about whether Isaiah was talking about physical problems. The proper translation of Isaiah 53:4 is that surely He (Jesus) has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. (The King James version inaccurately uses the words sorrows and griefs there, but decent study Bibles have footnotes indicating that the literal words are sicknesses and pains. See the article on Isaiah's Prophecy of Redemption and the answer to the objection Jesus Bore Our Griefs and Sorrows, Not Our Sicknesses and Pains, on the Cross for proof.) Surely the Holy Spirit knows how to properly interpret Scripture. This passage makes it plain that Isaiah’s promise involves physical healing! This is obvious from the context where Jesus healed all that were sick. He did not relieve what we would normally call sorrows and griefs here, except perhaps for those caused by being sick or demon possessed! Actually, the “fulfillment” of Isaiah’s prophecy was at the end of His life, and Christ’s healing of the sick during His ministry was proof that healing was included in His coming atonement.
The tough point on this verse is not that Isaiah’s prophecy spoke of physical healing, which is obvious to any unbiased reader, but that Matthew seems to declare that the prophecy was fulfilled that evening. Matthew didn’t say that, but most English speakers see the word “fulfilled” and immediately think “past tense – over and done with,” which would true in English but not in Greek. Greek is a more precise language than English, and I believe that’s why the Lord had the New Testament written in Greek. There are a lot of subtleties to be “mined” when you dig into the underlying Greek text, though I would never claim that you must be a Greek geek to live a godly life in Christ Jesus. The Greek tense used here (Aorist) has no equivalent in English, and that’s why English speakers sometimes draw wrong conclusions. Only an Aorist indicative would be used to denote past completed action; the Aorist subjunctive, which is what is used here, actually has NO connection to a past, present or future time and does not even attempt to place the event in the past, the present or the future. Thus, no one can correctly claim that Matthew’s words do not point to a future atonement – in fact, they most certainly do in light of other Scriptures. Because Matthew 8:17 gets dragged up as the #1 “proof” that healing is not in the atonement, I have a lengthy objection reply devoted to this topic.
Jesus cast out evil spirits with a word, not 10,000 words. It should not take hours to get an individual delivered from a demon, as some purport today.
This appears to refer to the same event as Mark 1:32-34 and Luke 4:40-41.
Luke reveals that the healings were done by the laying on of hands and that demons cried out. Matthew and Mark do not mention either detail. Only Matthew ties these events to Isaiah 53:4.
See also:
Mark 1:32-34
Notes on Mark 1:32-34
Luke 4:40-41
Notes on Luke 4:40-41
Isaiah’s Prophecy of Redemption
Sickness Is the Power of the Devil
YOU Can Be Healed
Objection: 1 Peter 2:25 Proves That 1 Peter 2:24 Just Means That You’re Forgiven
Objection: Jesus Redeemed Us from Disease, but the Fulfillment of That Won’t Come Until We Get Glorified Bodies
Objection: Healing Is a Secondary Benefit of the Atonement, Not a Primary One
Objection: Isaiah 53:4 (Matthew 8:17) Was Fulfilled in Jesus’ Earth Ministry and Cannot be Claimed as a Promise by Christians Today
Objection: Jesus Bore Our Griefs and Sorrows, Not Our Sicknesses and Pains, on the Cross
Objection: All Uses of Matthew’s Greek Word for “That It Might Be Fulfilled” Refer to Events Before the Atonement, So Matthew 8:17 Is Invalid as a Proof That Healing Is in the Atonement
Objection: There Is No Mention of the Atonement in Matthew 8:17 (Fulfilling Isaiah 53:4)
Objection: The Greek Word Used in Matthew 8:17 for “Took” Is Lambano, Which Never Means to Remove in a Mediatorial Sense
Objection: The Greek Word Used in Matthew 8:17 for “Bare” Is Bastazo, Which Is Never Used to Describe Atonement-Bearing of Sins and Diseases
Objection: Jesus’ Bearing of Sicknesses Is Just a Metonymy
Objection: Matthew 8:17 Refers to Physical Pain and Mental Anguish That Jesus Endured in His Own Life
Objection: Jesus Did Not TAKE ON or BEAR Sicknesses in His Own Body in Matthew 8:17, So Isaiah Couldn’t Have Meant That Literally
Objection: Matthew 8:17 Means That Jesus Was “Bearing” the Consequences of Sin
Objection: Isaiah 53:4 Is Chronological – the First Part Refers to Jesus’ Earthly Healing Ministry and the Last Part to His Later Atonement. So His Bearing of Sicknesses Was Not Part of His Atonement.
Objection: Jesus Bore Our Sicknesses in Matthew 8:17 Due to the Exertion Involved in Channeling God’s Healing Power
Objection: If Jesus Never Got Sick Before His Atonement, He Did Not Fully Participate in Our Human Experience
Objection: Paul GLORIED in His INFIRMITIES – the Same Greek Word Used in Matthew 8:17 of What Jesus Took. If Matthew 8:17 Refers to the Atonement, How Could Paul Glory in What Christ Took Away?
Condition: Demon Possession
Condition: Anything Else Not Listed Here