Isaiah 53:5, which is then quoted in 1 Peter 2:24, is a key verse on healing, but it is often misunderstood and misapplied. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” The word translated “healed” can mean either spiritual or physical healing. However, the contexts of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 make it clear that it is speaking of spiritual healing. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). The verse is talking about sin and righteousness, not sickness and disease. Therefore, being “healed” in both these verses is speaking of being forgiven and saved, not physically healed.

The Bible does not specifically link physical healing with spiritual healing. Sometimes people are physically healed when they place their faith in Christ, but this is not always the case. Sometimes it is God’s will to heal, but sometimes it is not. The apostle John gives us the proper perspective: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15). God still performs miracles. God still heals people. Sickness, disease, pain, and death are still realities in this world. Unless the Lord returns, everyone who is alive today will die, and the vast majority of them (Christians included) will die as the result of a physical problem (disease, sickness, injury). It is not always God’s will to heal us physically.

Ultimately, our full physical healing awaits us in heaven. In heaven, there will be no more pain, sickness, disease, suffering, or death (Revelation 21). We all need to be less preoccupied with our physical condition in this world and a lot more concerned with our spiritual condition (Romans 12:1-2). Then we can focus our hearts on heaven where we will no longer have to deal with physical problems. Revelation 21:4 describes the true healing we should all be longing for: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

ponder this: Healing hospitalityRepeated headlines about violence can make us “feel like locking our doors and never entering society again,” writes pastor and author Max Lucado. After another mass shooting, he penned an online opinion piece that urged people to do the exact opposite by opening their doors, their hearts and their circles.

“It’s no accident that hospitality and hospital come from the same Latin word,” Lucado writes, “for they both lead to the same result: healing. When you open your door to someone, you are sending this message: ‘You matter.’”

Because daily life is filled with rejections, extending an invitation — even to a simple meal — can be life-altering, Lucado contends. What you think is a messy house might be a sanctuary to someone else, “and to those who eat alone every night, pork and beans on paper plates tastes like filet mignon.” Our kitchen tables are “God’s secret weapons in the war on fear,” Lucado says. “We never know what one meal will do.”

Published in: May 2019