He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

The kingdom of God is sometimes referred to as an upside-down kingdom. In this world of opposites, the first shall be last, God’s strength is made perfect our weakness, He chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and we are called to love our enemies. As we have studied the topics of atonement, justification, and sanctification these past few weeks, we have seen several more examples of this: purification comes from something as messy as the spilling of blood, we die to sin in order to live to righteousness, and a single sacrifice was offered for all time. Today’s passage points to yet another unexpected trade: “by His wounds we are healed.”  

Isaiah 53 is one of several Messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament. Here, the prophet Isaiah described the life of Christ centuries before His birth. True to the upside-down nature of God’s kingdom, the Messiah Isaiah wrote about was not a warrior on a military crusade as many hoped and expected but a suffering servant.  

The books of Matthew, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, and 1 Peter all quote from this single chapter of prophecy. Of these New Testament references, two focus on that final phrase from today’s passage: “by His wounds we are healed.” Some debate whether this verse refers to physical healing or spiritual healing. What’s interesting is the two New Testament uses of this prophetic verse employ it two different ways.

In Matthew 8, after Jesus healed a leper, the centurion’s servant, and Peter’s mother-in-law, verse 16 says, “many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” The following verse tells us, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah.”

In 1 Peter 2:24, the healing that results from Jesus’ wounds is the healing work of justification and sanctification: “He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.”

The healing we receive through Christ’s sacrifice is both physical and spiritual, and it doesn’t always look the way we might hope or expect. Just as the healing work of sanctification will never be fully complete in this life, ultimate physical healing awaits all believers in Heaven. God can and often does provide physical healing for our bodies here on Earth. Such healings are a preview of the perfect and complete spiritual and physical renewal that have been won for us through the cross to experience in eternity.      

For many of us who want a clear, black-and-white, always-or-never answer, this can be frustrating. A few months ago, Pastor Brian preached about approaching God full of expectations but with no agenda, and I think that’s our answer here. God invites us to bring Him the desires of our heart and to pray with confidence, knowing that He will work for our good and for His glory. But as we see all throughout the Bible as well as in our own lives, God is in the habit of defying human assumptions. We can be sure of his victory, but we have to be careful of our own assumptions as to what the journey to triumph will look like.

We don’t have to choose between faith and surrender, between bold belief and submission. Full of faith, we can expect God to move in mighty ways while also surrendering the specific outcomes to His good and perfect will. We can believe He conquered suffering and death while also joyfully submitting to the story He is writing through the hardships He allows in this life.  

Is there healing, spiritual or physical, that you have been reluctant to pray for? Maybe you think you don’t deserve it or maybe you doubt God’s ability to restore you. Jesus came and He suffered so that we could experience abundant life in Him! And we can’t experience the fullness of that life-giving communion with Him when we try to protect ourselves by withholding our needs and striving for self-sufficiency. In faith, surrender your spirit and body to our Savior. And in a posture of both belief and submission, expect to see God’s goodness poured out in mighty ways in your life.  

My Savior and my Healer, you alone can restore the broken to life. Thank you for breaking the curses of sin and death on the cross. Thank you for purchasingmy healing with your suffering. I confess my expectations are often too small. I have been afraid to pray for healing and have doubted both your power and your goodness. Please help my unbelief, remind me of the mighty ways I’ve seen you move, and fill me with confidence that I will see you do it again. In Jesus’ death-defeating name I pray, amen.