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Commentary on Matthew 8 verses 14–17
They who pretend to be critical in the Harmony of the evangelists, place this passage, and all that follows to the end of ch. 9 before the sermon on the mount, according to the order which Mark and Luke observe in placing it. Dr. Lightfoot places only this passage before the sermon on the mount, and Mat 8:18, etc. after. Here we have,
I. A particular account of the cure of Peter's wife's mother, who was ill of a fever; in which observe,
1.The case, which was nothing extraordinary; fevers are the most common distempers; but, the patient being a near relation of Peter's, it is recorded as an instance of Christ's peculiar care of, and kindness to, the families of his disciples. Here we find, (1.) That Peter had a wife, and yet was called to be an apostle of Christ; and Christ countenanced the marriage state, by being thus kind to his wife's relations. The church of Rome, therefore, which forbids ministers to marry, goes contrary to that apostle from whom they pretend to derive an infallibility. (2.) That Peter had a house, though Christ had not, Mat 8:20. Thus was the disciple better provided for than his Lord. (3.) That he had a house at Capernaum, though he was originally of Bethsaida; it is probably, he removed to Capernaum, when Christ removed thither, and made that his principal residence. Note, It is worth while to change our quarters, that we may be near to Christ, and have opportunities of converse with him. When the ark removes, Israel must remove and go after it. (4.) That he had his wife's mother with him in his family, which is an example to yoke-fellows to be kind to one another's relations as their own. Probably, this good woman was old, and yet was respected and taken care of, as old people ought to be, with all possible tenderness. (5.) That she lay ill of a fever. Neither the strength of youth, nor the weakness and coldness of age, will be a fence against diseases of this kind. The palsy was a chronical disease, the fever an acute disease, but both were brought to Christ.
2.The cure, Mat 8:15. (1.) How it was effected; He touched her hand; not to know the disease, as the physicians do, by the pulse, but to heal it. This was an intimation of his kindness and tenderness; he is himself touched with the feeling of our infirmities; it likewise shows the way of spiritual healing, by the exerting of the power of Christ with his word, and the application of Christ to ourselves. The scripture speaks the word, the Spirit gives the touch, touches the heart, touches the hand. (2.) How it was evidenced: this showed that the fever left her, she arose, and ministered to them. By this it appears, [1.] That the mercy was perfected. They that recover from fevers by the power of nature are commonly weak and feeble, and unfit for business a great while after; to show therefore that this cure was above the power of nature, she was immediately so well as to go about the business of the house. [2.] That the mercy was sanctified; and the mercies that are so are indeed perfected. Though she was thus dignified by a peculiar favour, yet she does not assume importance, but is as ready to wait at table, if there be occasion, as any servant. They must be humble whom Christ has honoured; being thus delivered, she studies what she shall render. It is very fit that they whom Christ hath healed should minister unto him, as his humble servants, all their days.
II. Here is a general account of the many cures that Christ wrought. This cure of Peter's mother-in-law brought him abundance of patients. "He healed such a one; why not me? Such a one's friend, why not mine?" Now we are here told,
1.What he did, Mat 8:16. (1.) He cast out devils; cast out the evil spirits with his word. There may be much of Satan's agency, by the divine permission, in those diseases of which natural causes may be assigned, as in Job's boils, especially in the diseases of the mind; but, about the time of Christ's being in the world, there seems to have been more than ordinary letting loose of the devil, to possess and vex the bodies of people; he came, having great wrath, for he knew that his time was short; and God wisely ordered it so, that Christ might have the fairer and more frequent opportunities of showing his power over Satan, and the purpose and design of his coming into the world, which was to disarm and dispossess Satan, to break his power, and to destroy his works; and his success was as glorious as his design was gracious. (2.) He healed all that were sick; all without exception, though the patient was ever so mean, and the case ever so bad.
2.How the scripture was herein fulfilled, v. 17. The accomplishment of the Old Testament prophecies was the great thing Christ had in his eye, and the great proof of his being the Messiah: among other things, it was written of him (Isa 53:4), Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: it is referred to, Pe1 2:24, and there it is construed, he hath borne our sins; here it is referred to, and is construed, he hath borne our sicknesses; our sins make our sicknesses our griefs; Christ bore away sin by the merit of his death, and bore away sickness by the miracles of his life; nay, though those miracles are ceased, we may say, that he bore our sicknesses then, when he bore our sins in his own body upon the tree; for sin is both the cause and the sting of sickness. Many are the diseases and calamities to which we are liable in the body: and there is more, in this one line of the gospels, to support and comfort us under them, than in all the writings of the philosophers - that Jesus Christ bore our sicknesses, and carried our sorrows; he bore them before us; though he was never sick, yet he was hungry, and thirsty, and weary, and troubled in spirit, sorrowful and very heavy; he bore them for us in his passion, and bears them with us in compassion, being touched with the feeling of our infirmities: and thus he bears them off from us, and makes them sit light, if it be not our own fault. Observe how emphatically it is expressed here: Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses; he was both able and willing to interpose in that matter, and concerned to deal with our infirmities and sicknesses, as our Physician; that part of the calamity of the human nature was his particular care, which he evidenced by his great readiness to cure diseases; and he is no less powerful, no less tender now, for we are sure that never were any the worse for going to heaven.
And by the passion of His body, according to the words of the Prophet, He absorbed all the infirmities of human weakness.
In this saying Isaiah pointed toward the cross. But why was this saying employed by the Evangelist at this point when he was speaking of his healings? This was to show that it was not in his activity alone but in his passion, his willingness to suffer, that Christ became the source of healing to humanity. By the indignities he endured and by his own death he prepared life for all humanity. He subdued those who were evilly disposed against themselves.
"When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits from them with a word, and healed all that were sick: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet Esaias, that He took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."
Seest thou the multitude, by this time growing in faith? For not even when the time pressed could they endure to depart, nor did they account it unseasonable to bring their sick to Him at eventide.
But mark, I pray thee, how great a multitude of persons healed the evangelists pass quickly over, not mentioning one by one, and giving us an account of them, but in one word traversing an unspeakable sea of miracles. Then lest the greatness of the wonder should drive us again to unbelief, that even so great a people and their various diseases should be delivered and healed by Him in one moment of time, He brings in the prophet also to bear witness to what is going on: indicating the abundance of the proof we have, in every case, out of the Scriptures; such, that from the miracles themselves we have no more; and He saith, that Esaias also spake of these things; "He took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." He said not, "He did them away," but "He took and bare them;" which seems to me to be spoken rather of sins, by the prophet, in harmony with John, where he saith, "Behold the Lamb of God, that beareth the sin of the world."
How then doth the evangelist here apply it to diseases? Either as rehearsing the passage in the historical sense, or to show that most of our diseases arise from sins of the soul. For if the sum of all, death itself, hath its root and foundation from sin, much more the majority of our diseases also: since our very capability of suffering did itself originate there.
Because the multitude of believers was now very great, they would not depart from Christ, though time pressed; but in the evening they bring unto Him the sick. When it was evening, they brought unto him many that had dœmons.
Observe how great a multitude of cured the Evangelist here runs through, not relating the case of each, but in one word introducing an innumerable flood of miracles. That the greatness of the miracle should not raise unbelief that so much people and so various diseases could be healed in so short a space, he brings forward the Prophet to bear witness to the things that were done, That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the Prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities.
The Prophet seems to have meant this of sins; how then does the Evangelist explain it of bodily diseases? It should be understood, that either he cites the text literally, or he intends to inculcate that most of our bodily diseases have their origin in sins of the soul; for death itself has its root in sin.
(Vers. 16-18.) But when evening came, they brought to him many who were demon-possessed; and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.” And seeing great crowds around him, Jesus gave orders to go to the other side. Everyone is healed not in the morning, not in the afternoon, but in the evening, when the sun is setting: when a grain of wheat dies in the ground in order to bring forth many fruits (John 12).
It should be noted, that all the sick were healed not in the morning nor at noon, but rather about sunset; as a corn of wheat dies in the ground that it may bring forth much fruit.
Christ the Son of God, the Author of human salvation, the fount and source of all goodness, furnished heavenly medicine, He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all that were sick. Dæmons and diseases He sent away with a word, that by these signs, and mighty works, He might show that He was come for the salvation of the human race.
He took the infirmity of human nature so as to make us strong who had before been weak.
Took them not that He should have them Himself, but that He should take them away from us; and bare our sicknesses, in that what we were too weak to bear. He should bear for us.
Sunset shadows forth the passion and death of Him Who said, While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (John 9:5.) Who while He lived temporally in the flesh, taught only a few of the Jews; but having trodden under foot the kingdom of death, promised the gifts of faith to all the Gentiles throughout the world.
. At the end of the day and on into the evening, they brought the sick to Him and He, in His love for man, healed them all. Then Matthew brings forward the witness of Isaiah (See Is. 53:4), lest you disbelieve that He could heal so many sicknesses in so short a time. Although the prophet spoke concerning sins, Matthew has applied these words to illnesses, for the majority of illnesses occur as a result of sins.
There is an activity of God displayed throughout creation, a wholesale activity let us say which men refuse to recognize. The miracles done by God incarnate, living as a man in Palestine, perform the very same things as this wholesale activity, but at a different speed and on a smaller scale. One of their chief purposes is that men, having seen a thing done by personal power on the small scale, may recognize, when they see the same thing done on the large scale, that the power behind it is also personal – is indeed the very same person who lived among us two thousand years ago. The miracles in fact are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see...
The miracles of healing fall into the same pattern. This is sometimes obscured for us by the somewhat magical view we tend to take of ordinary medicine. The doctors themselves do not take this view. The magic is not in the medicine but in the patient’s body. What the doctor does is to stimulate Nature’s functions in the body, or to remove hindrances. In a sense, though we speak for convenience of healing a cut, every cut heals itself; no dressing will make skin grow over a cut on a corpse. That same mysterious energy which we call gravitational when it steers the planets and biochemical when it heals a body is the efficient cause of all recoveries, and if God exists, that energy, directly or indirectly, is His. All who are cured are cured by Him, the healer within. But once He did it visibly, a Man meeting a man. Where He does not work within us in this mode, the organism dies. Hence Christ’s one miracle of destruction is also in harmony with God’s wholesale activity. His bodily hand held out in symbolic wrath blasted a single fig tree; but no tree died that year in Palestine, or any year, or in any land, or even ever will, save because He has done something, or (more likely) ceased to do something, to it.
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SUMMARY
Matthew 8:17 serves as a pivotal interpretive statement, revealing that Jesus' extensive healing ministry—demonstrated throughout the preceding verses—was a direct fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, specifically from Isaiah. This verse underscores Jesus' divine authority and profound compassion, establishing His identity as the promised Messiah who not only heals physical ailments but also intimately bears the weight of human suffering, foreshadowing His ultimate redemptive work.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Matthew 8:17 concludes a significant section of Jesus' miraculous healings, beginning with the cleansing of a leper in Matthew 8:1-4. This is immediately followed by the healing of the centurion's servant from a distance in Matthew 8:5-13, showcasing Jesus' authority over disease and His recognition of faith beyond Israel. The narrative then shifts to Jesus healing Peter's mother-in-law of a fever in Matthew 8:14-15, and subsequently, a multitude of demon-possessed and sick individuals in Matthew 8:16. Matthew's placement of this prophetic fulfillment at the end of these accounts emphasizes that these powerful acts were not random displays but deliberate manifestations of Jesus' Messianic identity, aligning His actions with the long-awaited promises of God.
Historical & Cultural Context: In ancient Jewish culture, sickness and disease were often perceived as direct consequences of sin, demonic oppression, or divine judgment, as seen in various Old Testament accounts and rabbinic traditions. This perspective often led to social ostracization for the afflicted, compounding their physical suffering with spiritual and communal burdens. The expectation of the Messiah included the hope for a new era of divine intervention, often associated with healing and restoration. Matthew, writing primarily to a Jewish audience, strategically frames Jesus' healing ministry within this context, demonstrating that Jesus was fulfilling the very prophecies that spoke of such a restorative work. By quoting Isaiah, Matthew connects Jesus' physical healings directly to the Suffering Servant passages, which, while primarily pointing to spiritual atonement, were understood by some to also encompass physical restoration.
Key Themes: The explicit quotation in Matthew 8:17 highlights the overarching theme of Fulfillment of Prophecy, a cornerstone of Matthew's Gospel. He consistently presents Jesus as the culmination of Old Testament expectations, validating His Messianic claims. This verse also powerfully showcases Jesus' Compassion and Authority Over Sickness. His willingness to touch the untouchable (the leper), respond to the plea of a Gentile (the centurion), and tirelessly heal countless individuals demonstrates a profound empathy that transcends social and religious boundaries. Furthermore, the language of "took" and "bare" introduces the theme of Substitutionary Bearing, hinting at the deeper theological reality of Jesus not merely curing but personally identifying with and carrying the burdens of human suffering. While the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 53 points to Christ's bearing of sin on the cross, Matthew applies this specific aspect of the prophecy to Jesus' physical healing ministry, illustrating the comprehensive nature of His redemptive work.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Matthew 8:17 is rich in literary devices, primarily Quotation and Allusion. The verse directly quotes Isaiah 53:4, a pivotal passage from the "Suffering Servant" songs. Matthew's use of this Old Testament prophecy serves as a Fulfillment Formula, a recurring literary motif in his Gospel, which explicitly connects Jesus' life and ministry to God's ancient promises, thereby validating Jesus' Messianic claims for his Jewish audience. The structure of the quoted phrase, "Himself took our infirmities, and bare [our] sicknesses," employs Parallelism, where two clauses express similar ideas in a balanced way, intensifying the meaning of Jesus' actions. The repetition of the idea of "bearing" or "taking" human suffering emphasizes the profundity of His empathy and the comprehensive nature of His redemptive work. The use of "Himself" provides Emphasis, drawing attention to Jesus' unique and personal role in this act of burden-bearing.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Matthew 8:17 profoundly connects Jesus' physical healing ministry to the broader theological themes of the Suffering Servant and the comprehensive nature of salvation. By quoting Isaiah 53:4, Matthew asserts that Jesus' acts of healing were not merely compassionate miracles but integral components of His Messianic mission, demonstrating His willingness to enter into and bear the full weight of human suffering—physical, emotional, and spiritual. This foreshadows His ultimate act of bearing the sins of humanity on the cross, revealing a God who intimately identifies with and redeems His people from every aspect of the curse. The verse thus bridges the gap between physical restoration and spiritual redemption, presenting Jesus as the holistic Savior.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Matthew 8:17 offers profound comfort and a deeper understanding of Jesus' character and mission. It reveals a Savior who is not distant from our pain but intimately acquainted with it. When we face sickness, weakness, or any form of suffering, this verse reminds us that Jesus has already entered into and borne the weight of such burdens. His healing ministry was not just about demonstrating power, but about embodying divine compassion and fulfilling God's redemptive plan. This truth provides immense hope, assuring us that our infirmities are not beyond His understanding or His redemptive reach. While not every physical ailment is healed in this life, we can trust in His sovereign care and the ultimate promise of complete restoration in the new heavens and new earth. Moreover, it calls us to emulate His compassion, actively seeking to alleviate suffering in the world around us, knowing that we serve a God who "took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses."
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Matthew 8:17 mean that all sickness will be healed by Jesus in this life?
Answer: While Matthew 8:17 clearly demonstrates Jesus' power and willingness to heal, and that His bearing of infirmities was a fulfillment of prophecy, it does not guarantee immediate physical healing for every sickness in this present life. Matthew's application of Isaiah 53:4 to Jesus' healing ministry shows that His redemptive work encompasses a holistic restoration—spiritual, physical, and emotional. However, the ultimate, complete eradication of all sickness and suffering is reserved for the new heavens and new earth, as described in Revelation 21:4. In the meantime, believers can pray for healing with confidence in Jesus' compassion and sovereignty, knowing that He has power over all infirmity, even if His perfect will for complete healing may not always manifest in our current temporal experience.
How does Matthew's use of Isaiah 53:4 relate to its original context?
Answer: In its original context, Isaiah 53:4 is part of the Suffering Servant song, which primarily describes the Servant's vicarious suffering for the sins of His people. The Hebrew words for "griefs" and "sorrows" (often translated as "infirmities" and "sicknesses" in the Septuagint and Matthew) primarily refer to the spiritual and moral burdens of sin and its consequences. Matthew, guided by the Holy Spirit, applies this prophecy to Jesus' physical healing ministry, showing that the Messiah's redemptive work is comprehensive. While the ultimate fulfillment of Isaiah 53 is Christ's atoning sacrifice for sin on the cross (as seen in 1 Peter 2:24), Matthew highlights that Jesus' physical healings were an initial, tangible manifestation of His burden-bearing mission. They were signs of the coming Kingdom, where all the effects of the Fall, including sickness, would ultimately be undone. Thus, Matthew's application is not a misinterpretation but an inspired expansion, revealing the breadth of the Messiah's redemptive scope.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Matthew 8:17 stands as a profound Christ-centered fulfillment, demonstrating that Jesus is the long-awaited Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. While Isaiah's prophecy primarily foretold the Servant's bearing of spiritual sins, Matthew, through divine inspiration, reveals that Jesus' physical healing ministry was a tangible, initial manifestation of this same burden-bearing work. By "taking our infirmities and bearing our sicknesses," Jesus not only relieved immediate physical suffering but also foreshadowed His ultimate act of atonement on the cross, where He bore the full weight of humanity's sin and its consequences, including the root cause of all suffering. This connection highlights Jesus as the comprehensive Savior, whose redemptive work encompasses both the physical and spiritual dimensions of human need. His compassion in healing the sick points forward to His ultimate victory over sin and death, guaranteeing a future where, as promised in Revelation 21:4, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Thus, Matthew 8:17 is a powerful testament to Jesus' Messianic identity and the holistic nature of His redemptive mission, culminating in His sacrificial death and resurrection, which secured eternal life and ultimate freedom from all infirmity for those who believe in Him (John 3:16).