Matthew 8:14-17

¹⁴ And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever.

¹⁵ He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she got up and began to serve him.

¹⁶ That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he expelled the spirits with a command and healed all who were sick.

¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was predicted by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

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The Sky Kingdom is ministry to the hurting

Isaiah had predicted that Jesus would take our illnesses and pains upon himself. He did that ultimately on the cross, but he first began doing that by his healing and deliverance ministry. Hurting people were not a distraction for him. He came to heal and deliver us all. Our hurts matter to him.

He would empower his disciples to heal and deliver as they preached his gospel as well.[1] They were not always able to heal, but they tried.[2] Those blessed with citizenship in the kingdom from the sky are invested in helping the hurting. It is what we do.

LORD, help us to help the hurting in your name. Where there is illness, give us your healing touch. Where there is demonic invasion, give us your delivering word.

[1] Matthew 10:1, 8.

[2] Matthew 17:16.