Jesus Our Healer

“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.  Psalms 107:20 KJV

Father God sent His Word to heal and deliver us. Proverbs 4:22 tells us that God’s Word is, “Life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh.” Jesus is the Word made flesh. John 1:14 says that, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” The Father sent Jesus, not only to save us from our sins, but also to heal our bodies. Everything that Jesus took upon Himself, when He offered up His life was done for you — to remove all traces of the fall; to restore back everything that was lost. On the cross, it was not only your sin that was removed, but also your sickness and disease.

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  Isaiah 53:4-5 KJV

On the cross, Jesus bore our griefs. The Hebrew word “griefs” means malady; anxiety; calamity. It is translated in different passages as disease, grief and sickness and should have been translated here as sickness. Jesus bore all our sickness and disease in His own body while hanging on the cross and becoming a substitute for us. Jesus also bore our sorrows. The Hebrew word here means anguish or affliction and is translated as grief, pain and sorrow. Because Jesus bore our griefs and sorrows, if we believe God’s word to us, we can walk free from all and any sickness, disease, anxiety, anguish and affliction! He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed!

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed.  1 Peter 2:24 NKJV

Notice that Isaiah 53:5 is in the present tense and 1 Peter 2:24 is in the past tense. Neither of them says, “You will be healed one day, in the future, maybe…” — they both make healing a “done deal” for you. In other words, as far as the Father is concerned, you are in fact healed — you just need to activate it in your life by adding your faith to His Word. God told the Israelites, “I am the Lord who heals you” (Ex 15:26). Psalms 103:2-3 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: 3 Who forgives ALL your iniquities, Who heals ALL your diseases.”  

Meditate on these scriptures — God’s Word to you — and allow them to minister to you and to build your faith:

Proverbs 3:7-8 AMP – Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil. 8 It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones.

Malachi 4:2 AMP – But unto you who revere and worshipfully fear My name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings and His beams, and you shall go forth and gambol like calves [released] from the stall and leap for joy.

Matthew 4:23-24 AMP – And He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the good news (Gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every weakness and infirmity among the people. 24 So the report of Him spread throughout all Syria, and they brought Him all who were sick, those afflicted with various diseases and torments, those under the power of demons, and epileptics, and paralyzed people, and He healed them.

Matthew 8:16-17 KJV – When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: 17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.

Mark 6:56 AMP – And wherever He came into villages or cities or the country, they would lay the sick in the marketplaces and beg Him that they might touch even the fringe of His outer garment, and as many as touched Him were restored to health.

Luke 5:17 NKJV – Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.

Luke 7:21 AMP – In that very hour Jesus was healing many [people] of sicknesses and distressing bodily plagues and evil spirits, and to many who were blind He gave [a free, gracious, joy-giving gift of] sight.

Luke 9:11 AMP – But when the crowds learned of it, [they] followed Him; and He welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed restoration to health.

Acts 8:5-8 NKJV – Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.

Revelation 22:2 NKJV – In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

THE SCAPEGOAT


“From the Heart” teaching by Drs. Rodney & Adonica Howard-Browne.

“And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. 6 And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. 7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. 9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. 10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.”
Leviticus 16:5-10 KJV

“And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: 21 And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: 22 And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.”
Leviticus 16:20-22 KJV

The Lord instituted the Day of Atonement, and commanded Aaron and every High Priest after him to follow specific rituals for the cleansing of sin for him and his household and for all of Israel and anyone else that chose to participate. It was a day when Israel was to humble themselves before the Lord and to put all their faith and trust in Him for their sins to be atoned for by blood. As part of the proceedngs, the High Priest was to take two live goats and cast lots over them. One of them would be sacrificed and the one would be released into the wilderness. The first goat was sacrificed for a sin offering, typifying the death of Christ, who became sin for us though He knew no sin. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV) After fully reconciling the most holy place, the holy place, and the brazen altar with the blood of the sacrificed animal, the High Priest brought in the live goat and laid both his hands on its head, confessed over it all the sins of himself, his house, and all Israel, and handed it over to a man, who was chosen and ready for this, who would carry it away and chase it out into the wilderness.

The scapegoat was the one who bore away the blame on the behalf of the people; he was not killed, but released into the wilderness. He did not die to atone for sins; he completed the atonement in that he bore sins away and was cut off; separated from human habitation; typifying the removal of them by the
resurrection of Christ. The two goats represented one atonement for sin – blood was shed and sins and transgressions washed away and removed as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103:12). This is certainly what Jesus did for us. He took all our sin and shame, bore all the punishment we deserved; died and carried it away. “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” (Isaiah 53:4 KJV)

The two goats represented the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” (Romans 4:25 KJV) His atoning work was not in vain, for it was the resurrection that made it effective! He rose in victory – forever establishing our freedom from sin and righteousness before God. “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (1 Peter 2:24 KJV)

What Jesus did for us was more than monumental! It is the difference between death and hell – being
eternally cut off from the presence of God – and eternal life, forever in the very presence of God! This was no light and easy thing Jesus did. It was a huge feat and He did it out of His intense love for us. It was not just three days of hell that He went through for you and me, but it was His life lived yielded to the Father, in complete obedience. In 33 years, He never once committed sin, for no sin was found in Him. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”
(Hebrews 4:15 KJV)

Because He was sinless, death could not hold Him. Yes, He carried our sins upon Him to the grave and buried it there, but death could not keep him there. He rose in victory to bestow this same resurrection life upon all those who will call upon His wonderful Name. We gave Him our sin and unrighteousness and He gave us His life and His righteousness. What an honor that our sin should have been laid on Him, that His blood should have been shed for us and that His resurrection power should resurrect us from the dead and give us a brand new heart and life!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
1 Peter 1:3 KJV