Matthew 8:16-17 "(Jesus)...healed all the sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 'He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.'"

We usually think of the Lord Jesus as a teacher or preacher or redeemer from sin. As He is pictured in the Gospel accounts, however, it would be just as true to look upon Him as medical doctor. The record of His early ministry, at least, indicates that He probably spent as much time healing as He did teaching and preaching.

And Saint Matthew points out that Jesus' healing ministry filled out the prophetic picture of the Messiah found in Isaiah's great 53rd chapter: "Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows" (v. 4).

Though no longer with us visibly, Jesus is still the Great Physician. "Surely I am with you always" (Matthew 28:20), was His final promise. Through the skill of doctors, the care of nurses, the "miracle" of drugs and medical technology, along with the processes of nature, His healing comes to our sick bodies.

By serene trust and faith in the Savior who not only bore our sins but also "took up our infirmities and carried our diseases," we reach out and touch the source of all healing power.

PRAYER: O Great Physician, who once ministered to the multitudes, bringing health and peace and life, give all who are sick today a sense of Your nearness; bestow Your healing through the skillful hands at work in the healing arts. Amen.

(Taken from "Words of Promise," copyright 1996, Concordia Publishing House (out of print). For information on other devotional materials, call 1 -800-325-3040.)

Today's Bible Readings: 1 Kings 1-2    John 18:19-40

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