Freedom in Jesus!

February 17, 2009

I was reading my Jewish Bible this morning and I was so struck by the words of Isaiah. I started in chapter 53 reading about Jesus the Messiah and how he was “… a man of pains, well acquainted with illness…”

I love reading from this version as many times in the NIV the Hebrew and Greek words are not translated so clearly. What depth this brings to Jesus the Messiah…he knew all about pains and illness.

Later in verse 4 it says “…In fact, it was OUR disease he bore, OUR pains from which he suffered…But he was wounded because of OUR crimes, crushed because of OUR sins; the disciplining that makes US whole fell on him, and by his bruises we are healed.”

It never occurred to me until just a few minutes ago that Jesus ACTUALLY carried our illnesses and pains! I had to wonder was he actually inflicted with disease? Earlier in this same scripture in verse 2 it says about Jesus the Messiah “…he was not well-formed or especially handsome; we saw him, but his appearance did not attract us. People despised and avoided him.”

In those days people who had disease were despised and avoided. . Wow! What a revelation! He KNOWS what it is to have illness and disease! He KNOWS what it is to have pains!

And again in Isaiah 53:10-11 it says “…yet it pleased ADONAI (The Lord) to crush him with illness, to see if he would present himself as a guilt offering…and at his hand ADONAI’S desire will be accomplished….By knowing (pain and sacrifice), my righteous servant makes many righteous; it is for their sins that he suffers.”

But why? Why did God allow Jesus to suffer in such a way? To test him and to make MANY righteous! He suffered to save us and bring healing to OUR diseases! Thank you Jesus! We are free from sin and disease because of what you did for us!

But Danni died of disease, how can I make sense of this? Jesus healed her in her death and not only that but that disease had ABSOLUTELY NO HOLD ON HER SPIRIT!

That’s why she could think of others in her condition! That’s why she could pray for others and care for others from her sick bed! SIN AND DEATH AND DISEASE HAD NO HOLD ON HER BECAUSE OF WHAT JESUS HAD DONE ON THE INSIDE OF HER!

She had accepted him as her Substitute, as her Redeemer, as her Savior, as her Healing, as her Wholeness, and in return she was FREE no matter what circumstances she was in…Halleluiah! She was freer than anyone of us I know and yet her body was dying and she was confined to her bed!

Halleluiah, Halleluiah, Halleluiah….I can see why she sang those words from her bed with her dying breath…she was free like NEVER BEFORE! PRAISE YOU JESUS…YOU ARE GOOD ALL THE TIME!!!!

She was free because Jesus had carried the illness for her and healed what mattered on the inside…her eternal spirit.

Come to Jesus today and let him heal you on the inside…stop trying to carry the illness and pain that you suffer and let him carry it for you as he did for Danni.

I saw these things with my very own eyes and so did many others and I am here to proclaim to you that Jesus our Messiah, our Savior is real and he works in marvelous ways even through the deepest, darkest set of circumstances! I testify to you today!