Who has believed our report?

I love finding links in the Bible so today I was exploring what this statement in Isaiah 53:1 meant and how it was developed in the Bible:

“Who has believed [confidently trusted in, relied on, and adhered to] our message [of salvation]?”

The “report” or “message” is then outlined:

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was crushed for our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing]; The punishment [required] for our well-being fell on Him, And by His stripes (wounds) we are healed”.

Simply put, Isaiah was saying that few people would receive the good news of a Saviour who would take away both sins and sicknesses. Around 700 years later Paul elaborates further on this and cites Isaiah 53:1 in Romans 10:16-17:

“But they (ie the Jews) did not all pay attention to the good news [of salvation]; for Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our report?' So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ”.

So the message that Jesus suffered and died for our spiritual and physical healing was not received by the Jews living at the very time that Jesus demonstrated the full power of God to deliver and save.

The letters that were written after Jesus’ ascension indicate that believers were being instructed to also believe for the healing and restoration of a sick body:

“Is anyone among you sick? He must call for the elders (spiritual leaders) of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:14-15).

Jesus taught us the importance of having faith to receive healing in Matthew 8:13:

“Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was restored to health at that very hour.”

It was after the healing of a leper and the centurion’s servant in this chapter that crowds came to Jesus and were healed, but Matthew adds a citation from the Old Testament:

16 “When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons; and He cast out the evil spirits with a word, and restored to health all who were sick [exhibiting His authority as Messiah], 17 so that He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He Himself took our infirmities [upon Himself] and carried away our diseases.”

So we’ve come full circle back to Isaiah 53. Who has believed the message that Jesus brings full deliverance from our sins and from our sicknesses, the effects of sin? Not many,  for Jesus remarked about the rarity of the centurion’s faith:

10 “When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following Him, “I tell you truthfully, I have not found such great faith [as this] with anyone in Israel.”

So the message of the Saviour and His mission to redeem, heal, forgive and restore has been ringing throughout the pages of the entire Bible and it is this very message that Jesus’ disciples have been commanded to preach:

7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” (Matt. 10:7-8).

This is the full Gospel that we are called upon to believe and preach and in doing so to see miraculous signs.

16 “He who has believed [in Me] and has been baptized will be saved [from the penalty of God’s wrath and judgment]; but he who has not believed will be condemned. 17 These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well.” (Mark 16:16-18).

All quotes are from the Amplified Version.

#kristinatrott  #thepoweryouhaveavailable  #thewingsofadove  #trottpublishing #Isaiah53#healing #salvation #JesusSaves #Saviour #miracles