Matthew 4:23 - Meaning and Application

Here we see, first, how active Christ was as a preacher. He went through all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom. The kingdom of heaven, meaning the kingdom of grace and glory, was the great message he announced, the kingdom now coming and greater than all earthly kingdoms. The gospel is the charter of that kingdom, the King’s gracious promise to pardon, protect, and save his people, and also the people’s pledge to obey him and honor him.

He preached in the synagogues, not only there, but especially there, because those were the places where people gathered. Wisdom should cry out where people are listening (Proverbs 1:21). They were also places of worship, where hearts might already be prepared to hear good news. Since the Old Testament Scriptures were read there, it was easy to move from them to the gospel of the kingdom.

Christ also showed great effort in preaching. He went about all Galilee teaching. He could have sent out a command and made people come to him, but he chose to go to them. That showed his humility and the kindness of his grace, because he came to seek and save. Josephus says Galilee had more than two hundred cities and towns, and Christ visited all, or most, of them. He went about doing good, and no preacher ever traveled more faithfully than he did.

This is an example for ministers. They should give themselves fully to doing good, and keep preaching steadily, whether the time seems right or not. Christ went from place to place to beg poor sinners to be reconciled to God. He did not wait for people to come to him first, and neither should those who serve him.

Second, we see what a powerful physician Christ was. He went about not only teaching, but healing, and he did both by his word, so that his word would be honored above everything else. He sent his word and healed them. He healed every kind of sickness and disease. Some diseases defeat human doctors, but they only made his power shine more clearly, because he healed them all, no matter how stubborn they were. His word was a true all-heal.

The text uses three broad terms to show the full range of his healing. He healed every sickness, such as blindness, lameness, fever, and dropsy. He healed every disease, such as wasting illnesses and long-lasting weakness. He also healed torments, such as gout, stones, convulsions, and other painful disorders. Whether the disease was sudden or long-term, whether it was painful or draining, none was too hard for Christ to heal with a word.

Three specific cases are mentioned: the palsy, which leaves the body very weak; lunacy, which is a great disorder of the mind; and possession by the devil, which is the greatest misery of body and soul. Yet Christ healed them all. He is the ruler over both soul and body, and he has authority over every disease.

He also had many patients, because he was easy to reach, certain to succeed, and did not charge anything. He healed at once, without making people wait in painful suspense, and without using harsh remedies that might be worse than the disease. So great crowds came to him from all sides, not only from Galilee and nearby places, but also from Jerusalem and Judea, which were far away. His fame spread through all Syria, not only among the Jews, but also among the neighboring nations.

This wide report would prepare many people to receive his gospel later, when it reached them. What we hear about Christ from others should draw us to him. The queen of Sheba was moved by Solomon’s fame to visit him. In the same way, fame says, “Come and see.” Christ both taught and healed. Those who came for healing also heard about the things that made for their peace. It is a good thing if anything brings people to Christ, and those who come to him find more than they expected.

Many of these Syrians, like Naaman the Syrian, came for healing and were led to deeper blessings (2 Kings 5:15, 2 Kings 5:17). They sought health for the body and found salvation for the soul, like Saul, who went looking for lost donkeys and found a kingdom. Yet the result showed that many who rejoiced in Christ as a healer forgot him as a teacher.

Now, about these miracles, we should notice their miracle, their mercy, and their mystery. First, the miracle of them. They were done in a way that clearly showed immediate divine power, and they proved that God had sent him. Nature could not do these things, only the God of nature could. The cures were many, and they included diseases that human skill could not cure, people from many places, and people of every age and condition. They were done openly, before many witnesses, among mixed crowds who would have denied the facts if they could. No cure ever failed, and no cure was ever later called into doubt. They were done quickly, not slowly as natural healing usually is, and they were complete, and done with a word. All this proves that he was a teacher sent from God, because no one could do the works he did unless God was with him (John 3:2). He points to these works as proof of his authority (Matthew 11:4, Matthew 11:5; John 5:36). The Messiah was expected to work miracles, especially miracles like these (John 7:31; Isaiah 35:5, Isaiah 35:6). This gives clear proof that Jesus is the Messiah. No one ever acted like this before. So his healing and his preaching often went together, because the healing confirmed the preaching. In this way, he began to do and to teach (Acts 1:1).

Second, notice the mercy of these works. The miracles Moses did to prove his mission were mostly plagues and judgments, which showed the seriousness of that covenant, even though it came from God. But the miracles Christ did were mostly cures, and all of them, except the cursing of the barren fig tree, were blessings and acts of kindness. The gospel age is built on love, grace, and gentleness. Its way of working is meant not to frighten us into obedience, but to draw us into it. Christ used his healings to win people over, to make both himself and his teaching dear to them, and to draw them with cords of love (Hos. 11:4).

The miracles of Jesus proved that his teaching was true, and they persuaded people’s minds. His acts of mercy also showed that his message was worth accepting, and they moved people’s hearts. These were not only great works, but good works, which he did from his Father (John 10:32). God meant this goodness to lead people to repentance, that is, to a change of heart and life (Romans 2:4). It also shows that kindness, generosity, and doing good to everyone, as far as we can, are essential parts of the holy religion Christ came to establish.

There is also a deeper meaning in these miracles. By healing bodily diseases, Christ showed that his main mission in the world was to heal spiritual sickness. He is the Sun of righteousness, who rises with healing under his wings. As the one who turns sinners back to God, he is the Physician of souls, and he taught us to call him that (Matthew 9:12, Matthew 9:13). Sin is the sickness, disease, and pain of the soul, and Christ came to take away sin and heal that wound.

The healing stories in the Gospels can be applied spiritually, as illustrations, but they also seem meant to teach us about spiritual truth. They show us Christ’s way of working in conversion, which means turning a sinner to God, and in sanctification, which means making a believer more holy. The cures that are recorded are often the ones that best teach this lesson. They should be understood and used to honor and praise that glorious Redeemer, who forgives all our sins and so heals all our diseases.