Matthew 8:17
This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's easy to miss is that Matthew isn't just saying Jesus's healing mirrored Isaiah's prophecy; he's showing that Jesus personally bore these sicknesses, not as a distant observer, but as someone who intimately took them on himself. This deep sympathy, this active bearing of our infirmities, is precisely what the prophet foresaw.
After Jesus heals Simon Peter's mother-in-law and numerous others in the evening, he plans to move on to other towns. This passage explains that Jesus's compassionate healing ministry, by taking on people's illnesses, was a fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah, pointing to a deeper work of bearing humanity's suffering.
When Jesus healed people, it wasn't just a kind act. It was a signpost, pointing to something much deeper.
Matthew 8:17 tells us that Jesus' healings were a fulfillment of prophecy, specifically from Isaiah 53:4. While Isaiah speaks of the Messiah bearing griefs and sorrows, Matthew applies this to Jesus taking our illnesses and diseases.
This connection reveals a profound truth: Jesus' physical healings were not just about immediate relief. They were symbolic actions, demonstrating His power over the effects of sin, which ultimately include both spiritual and physical suffering. He didn't just remove sickness; He took it on Himself, mirroring His greater work of bearing our sins.
Think of it this way: Jesus is the ultimate Physician, addressing the root cause of all suffering – sin. His healing touch on a sick body foreshadowed His victorious battle against death and His promise of complete restoration for body and soul.
The words 'took' and 'bore' aren't passive. They describe a weighty responsibility Jesus willingly embraced.
The original language behind 'took' and 'bore' in this verse implies more than just picking something up; it suggests carrying a heavy load or a burden. When Jesus healed, He didn't just wave a magic wand. He absorbed the suffering, demonstrating a deep, personal involvement.
This act of 'bearing' sicknesses and diseases points directly to the atonement. The commentators highlight that while Isaiah 53:4 is often understood in terms of bearing sin, Matthew applies it to physical ailments. This isn't a contradiction, but a powerful illustration.
Jesus, as the great Physician of both soul and body, took on the weight of human suffering. His willingness to carry these burdens, both physically in His miracles and spiritually on the cross, is the core of His redemptive work.
Understand the original words
plērōthē · Greek Verb
To bring to completion or make actual that which was previously foretold or promised by God. In the NT, it signifies that Jesus is the culmination of God's redemptive plan in the OT.
astheneias · Greek Noun
The state of being mentally or physically unhealthy. In a biblical context, illness is often a consequence of the fallen world, and healing serves as a sign of the Kingdom's restoration.
ebastasen · Greek Verb
To carry a burden, specifically the burden of sin, suffering, or penalty. It is a substitutionary term indicating the taking upon oneself of another's affliction.
Matthew connects Jesus' physical healings directly to Isaiah's prophecy of the Suffering Servant, showing that in bearing our sicknesses, Jesus was already demonstrating His work of carrying the deeper burdens of humanity – our sins.
c. 700 BC
Isaiah Prophesies
The prophet Isaiah delivers his oracles, including the famous passage in chapter 53 which speaks of a suffering servant who would bear the iniquities and sorrows of God's people.
c. 280 BC
Septuagint Translation
The Hebrew Scriptures are translated into Greek, a process known as the Septuagint. This translation renders Isaiah 53:4 in a way that aligns with Matthew's quotation, using terms for 'infirmities' and 'sicknesses'.
c. AD 27-30— this verse
Jesus Heals Peter's Mother-in-Law
Jesus enters the home of Simon Peter, where he finds his mother-in-law suffering from a fever. He touches her hand, and the fever leaves her, enabling her to serve them. This event immediately precedes Matthew's quote.
c. AD 27-30
Jesus Heals Many in the Evening
As evening falls, crowds bring many who are demon-possessed and sick to Jesus. He casts out the spirits with a word and heals all who are ill. This widespread healing ministry highlights Jesus' compassionate power.
This is the direct Old Testament passage Matthew is quoting, explaining how Jesus' healing ministry fulfills prophecy about the Suffering Servant bearing our pains.
1 Peter 2:24Peter echoes this theme, explicitly stating that Jesus 'bore our sins in his body on the tree,' linking his suffering to healing both spiritual and physical ailments.
Zechariah 11:12-13This passage describes a shepherd being betrayed for thirty pieces of silver, which is directly fulfilled in Judas' betrayal of Jesus and the subsequent use of the money to buy the potter's field, a detail often linked to the 'sorrows' and 'griefs' mentioned in Isaiah 53.
Matthew 1:21This verse states Jesus will save his people from their sins, providing the spiritual context for why he also took on physical ailments – both stem from the brokenness sin introduces into the world.
barnesMatthew 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 ... - This passage is found in Isaiah 53:4 . Our English translation of that important passage is, "Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." The Greek in Matthew is an exact translation of the Hebrew, and the same translation should have been made in both places. In Isaiah 53:1-12 , Isaiah fully states the d…
vincentMatthew 8:17: "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."
Bare (ἐβάστασεν)This translation is correct. The word does not mean "he took away," but "he bore," as a burden laid upon him. This passage is the corner-stone of the faith-cure theory, which claims that the atonement of Christ includes provision for bodily no less than for spiritual healing, and therefore insists on translating "took away." Matthew…
What's easy to miss is that Matthew isn't just saying Jesus's healing mirrored Isaiah's prophecy; he's showing that Jesus personally bore these sicknesses, not as a distant observer, but as someone who intimately took them on himself. This deep sympathy, this active bearing of our infirmities, is precisely what the prophet foresaw.
After Jesus heals Simon Peter's mother-in-law and numerous others in the evening, he plans to move on to other towns. This passage explains that Jesus's compassionate healing ministry, by taking on people's illnesses, was a fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah, pointing to a deeper work of bearing humanity's suffering.
After Jesus heals Simon Peter's mother-in-law and numerous others in the evening, he plans to move on to other towns. This passage explains that Jesus's compassionate healing ministry, by taking on people's illnesses, was a fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah, pointing to a deeper work of bearing humanity's suffering.
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"This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”" — What's easy to miss is that Matthew isn't just saying Jesus's healing mirrored Isaiah's prophecy; he's showing that Jesus personally bore these sicknesses, not as a distant observer, but as someo…
