Matthew 8:17
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
It was fulfilled when He healed the sick at Capernaum, taking their infirmities and bearing their sicknesses. Taking infirmities means He assumed fallen human nature and became subject to its weaknesses, afflictions and temptations, yet without any taint of sin. He bore sicknesses both in deep sympathy that made each sufferer's pain His own, and as substitute and Sin-bearer to take away sin itself. His mission in bearing them was to bring complete restoration, making people whole in body, mind and soul and restoring the soul to righteousness. As man He overcame by divine power available to all, leaving an example of obedience and a pattern of compassion for His followers to bear one another's burdens.
Fulfillment at Capernaum
That it might be fulfilled which Isaiah spoke was fulfilled when Jesus healed the sick at Capernaum by taking their infirmities and bearing their sicknesses. His miracles of healing brought life, calmness, peace and health, revealing His right to heal the suffering of a sinful race. He came to remove disease, wretchedness and suffering and to restore people whole in body, mind and soul. His work as healer was joined to the compassion that marked His life.
The fulfillment took place in the evening after the Sabbath ended at sunset, when the people were free to come. Many had feared to seek healing on the Sabbath day lest they be called lawbreakers and stigmatized as transgressors. His acts of mercy had made the Pharisees more bitter, and they watched Him to accuse Him.
Then the diseased flocked to Him from every quarter in every condition of helplessness and approaching death. Some walked and a larger number were carried by friends, including those burning with fevers, the paralyzed, those stricken with dropsy, the blind, deaf and lame, lepers stretching out their hands, and even little sick children. He began healing as soon as the first was brought to Him, and healed every one who applied to Him by a word from His lips or a touch of His hand. They were sent back with healthy bodies and clear minds to gladden the homes they had left as helpless invalids.
His healing sprang from a sympathetic heart and great love for man stirred to its depths by witnessing suffering. He was joyful in the joy He awakened and rejoiced in His power to restore health and happiness. In bearing sicknesses He turned away none who sought His aid but healed their maladies, being touched with tender pity for their distress. By this He made many families happy, caused light to dawn on households plunged in affliction, comforted the sorrowing, instructed the ignorant, and wakened hope in the despairing. He rejoiced with those He relieved and shared in their joy, and those healed left bearing evidence in their own persons of His healing and life-giving power. His message was received and believed, especially by the poor and humble, whose hearts went out to Him in reverential love, and His acts of matchless mercy won the multitudes and led many to believe on Him.
Taking Human Infirmity
To take infirmities and bear sicknesses is to assume human nature in its fallen, deteriorated condition and become subject to the infirmities, liabilities, weaknesses, temptations, ills, afflictions, burdens and griefs of the flesh with which humanity is encompassed. Sharing that weakness did not mean sharing its sin, for He knew no moral taint or defilement and did not in the least participate in sin, but felt human weakness and was in all points tempted as people are, yet remained without spot and perfectly free from sinfulness in His human nature. This sinlessness makes Him the spotless substitute whose sacrifice gives hope to the race and can save fully. His life no less than His death manifests God's love and justice and the immutability of His law.
As man He met temptation and overcame in strength given Him by God, exercising in His own behalf no power that man cannot exercise. He accepted suffering as part of His mission to bring hope and life rather than using divine power for His own relief. He thus gives an example of perfect obedience, testifying that by the aid of the same divine power He received it is possible for man to obey God's law, that men may become partakers of the divine nature and overcome as He overcame, so that no one need fear that the weakness of human nature makes overcoming impossible.
He carried others' sicknesses and afflictions through deep sympathy, though He did not bear disease in His own flesh. He made each sufferer's need His own, and the pain of those He healed affected Him. He feels the pain of every sufferer, including agony from fever and evil spirits, and love gave power to His healing.
Having taken humanity upon Himself, He knows all about human pains, griefs, sicknesses and afflictions, in all afflictions He was afflicted and is touched with the feeling of infirmity. Unlike friends who are never sick and cannot fully enter into the feelings of the sick, He never slumbers but watches over sufferers for good through long wearisome nights, giving gratitude and comfort.
Healing and Salvation Today
He took infirmities and bore sicknesses in order to serve every human need, and His mission was to remove disease, wretchedness, misery and suffering and sin and bring complete restoration — health and peace and perfection of character — making people whole in body and mind and soul. That restoration reaches soul and body for those suffering under the curse of transgression, and it came at infinite sacrifice. His taking infirmities and bearing sicknesses is joined with being wounded and bruised for human sin, so that healing comes through His suffering.
His bearing was as substitute and Sin-bearer, not only as sympathizing friend, bearing griefs and sorrows caused by sin to take away sin itself and rescue the sinner from a morbid spiritual condition, as part of the costly provision made to save from sin and not in sin. Therefore the helpless, penitent, humble sinner who comes to Christ, views the expensive expiation made in His behalf and lays hold by faith of the provision, giving his heart to Christ to receive a new heart and restoration to a pure, holy atmosphere, is to have sin removed and the soul restored to righteousness, that being dead to sin he may live unto righteousness. On that basis sins of selfishness, unamiable temper, indolence, and wrong habits and practices are to be positively and firmly put away, and no place given to Satan's temptations.
Disease and death recognized His authority and yielded their prey to Him, and this obedience bore witness to His divinity, in contrast with the priests and rulers who did not know the Son of God. He is the great Physician, the great Healer and mighty Healer of every disease who can heal every kind of disease by a touch, a word, or a look. He is the poor man's Friend whose compassion and healing bind believing, trusting poor people to His infinite love, and whose sacrifice for redemption makes Him worthy of confidence. His taking infirmities is joined to the compassion that marked His lifework and connects His work as healer with compassion for the sick.
He is willing and able to strengthen and heal when healing serves a person's good and God's glory, and the verse encourages confidence and trust in Him. Yet not everyone is healed, because God knows what is best, as the deaths in His and the apostles' days show. The chapter to which the verse belongs shows Him uniting the ministry of the Word with medical missionary work as the great Healer whose methods are a model for Christian labor. He walked on earth among the poor, neglected, suffering and sorrowing, sharing the path they had to tread, and bore the woes of the afflicted.
His compassion in taking infirmities is the pattern for His followers, who are to deny self, take up the cross, bear one another's burdens and reveal that same compassion in their lives. Those who devote themselves to His work find Him a source of love, goodness, blessing and power. His healing work continues through His servants, who act as channels for His power, and He remains willing to heal the sick.