SPIRIT AND FLESH

PASTOR RYAN LADEN – DEVOTIONALS

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As we continue in our study of the various encounters that the Lord Jesus Christ had with those surrounding him following his great teaching known as the Sermon on the Mount, we come to another example of Jesus’ authority over both spirit and flesh. 

Listen to the way that Jesus Christ demonstrated his love for those who came to him by faith as we read:

14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him. 16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

(Matthew 8:14-17 NIV11)

Healing

I love how casually the Gospel writer lays out that Jesus touched the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law and that this brought her immediate physical healing. 

By the end of his earthly ministry, Jesus of Nazareth was well known across much of the Roman world as one who had the ability to do miracles and bring healing for countless numbers of people. In his history of the Jewish people, the Roman historian Flavius Josephus speaks clearly to the fact that this Jesus was, in fact, a well-known healer and doer of miraculous deeds (Antiquities 18:63-65). Jesus’ authority over the physical and spiritual realms was well-attested by both the believer and the unbeliever. 

Responded with Service

Peter’s mother-in-law responded to this gift of grace by doing what seemed natural to her. Thanks to the gift of healing she received from the Lord, she was now able to use her talents and gifts to be of service to God. 

The majority of those who were healed by Jesus during his earthly ministry did not respond with this kind of immediate service. They often drift off into their own lives and seem to be unchanged in their hearts by the miracles that the witnessed. 

It is a good reminder for those of us upon whom the grace of God has been given that we have a duty to serve the Lord with our natural talents and earthly treasures. We would do well to be like Peter’s mother-in-law and find ways to serve Jesus while serving others in this life. 

Spiritual Authority 

In verse 16 we hear how the crowds once again find Jesus while he was seeking respite at his friend’s house. Jesus shows his compassion toward the hurting and confused people by stepping out of his time of personal rest and into a time of public healing. 

In this time of healing, those being tormented spiritually were set free by Jesus as he uttered only a word over them, causing the torment to flee. This again shows that Jesus Christ has authority over all elements of our lives. He not only has power over the flesh but over the unseen spiritual realm. 

Purpose

In verse 17 we hear how the Gospel writer rightly sees in Jesus the Savior of humanity that was promised through the work of the Jewish prophets. In this case, Jesus is expressly united with the promised one, the Suffering Servant found in Isaiah chapter 53. 

If you have never read this chapter, let me encourage you to look it up and spend a moment reflecting on the promises concerning the coming Christ that are found in this one chapter. Your faith will be bolstered as you hear how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ was so clearly spoken of more than 600 years prior to the birth of Jesus. 

Isaiah

Below is a section from Isaiah 53 which contains the quote provided in Matthew 8:17:

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

(Isaiah 53:4-6 NIV11)

Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you for being faithful to your purpose and calling while you ministered on this earth. You died in my place, you bore my sin, you suffered for my crimes against God. Your work on the cross provides me peace as I am now included in your new life and filled with your Holy Spirit. Help me to get up and serve you faithfully today.

In Christ, 

Ryan Laden

PASTOR RYAN LADEN

Works at MTN. CHURCH

Former Senior pastor at Warnbro Community Church

Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

Studied at Baylor University

Studied at Texas Tech University

Went to Castle Hills First Baptist

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