He Carried Our Sicknesses
Month 7: The Miracle Worker · Memory Verse
Today's Scripture
Read together: Matthew 8:16-17
16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Jesus, 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 carried our diseases.”
Memory Verse
“This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.””— Matthew 8:17 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Psalms 113-115
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Psalm 115:3 — "Our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases." A good verse for a week about miracles.)The Heart of It
By evening, the whole town had gathered at the door. People carried in friends and family who were sick and suffering. And "He healed all who were sick." But Matthew wants us to see why this matters. He reaches back about 700 years to the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah had written that the coming Servant of God would take our weaknesses on Himself and carry away our sicknesses (). When Jesus healed, He wasn't just being kind in the moment. He was making an ancient promise come true. He is exactly the Rescuer God said He would send. Every healing was a signpost pointing to who Jesus really is.
Notice the words. He took and He bore. Those are carrying words. Think of lifting a heavy load off someone's back and putting it on your own. Sickness, sin, and sorrow are weights too heavy for us. Jesus didn't heal from a safe distance, like a doctor writing a note. He carried what was crushing us, all the way to the cross. That's why this verse is so precious to memorize. It tells us that when you hurt, you are not carrying it alone. There is One strong enough to lift the weight. And He already chose to.
Around the Table
Lots of sick people came to Jesus, and He made every single one better! Jesus is strong enough to carry our hurts.
Let's do it: Pretend to lift a really heavy box, then say, "Jesus is strong! He carries my hurts!"
Matthew said Jesus' healings made an old promise come true. Isaiah had said it long before Jesus was born. Why does it help us trust Jesus when His promises come true?
Let's talk: Practice the verse together. What do the words "took" and "bore" tell us about what Jesus does for us?
Matthew quotes . That chapter was written centuries earlier about the suffering Servant. Jesus' healings and His cross both make it come true.
Let's go deeper: If you could explain to a friend in one sentence why fulfilled prophecy matters, what would you say?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's the heaviest thing you've ever helped carry? Now imagine someone carrying the heaviest thing in your heart for you. That's what Jesus does.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Isaiah wrote his prophecy about 700 years before Jesus. And we have copies that were made before Jesus was born. We call them the Dead Sea Scrolls. So no one could have edited the words later to fit Jesus. Jesus fulfilling such exact words isn't a lucky guess. It's God keeping His word across hundreds of years.
For Dad · Go Deeper
Matthew applies to Jesus' healing ministry. Peter applies the same chapter to the cross, where Jesus bore our sins (). Both are true, and holding them together keeps us out of two ditches. The prosperity teacher says "by His stripes" guarantees you perfect health now if you have enough faith. That's a cruel teaching, because it blames the sick. The cold skeptic says healing was just for the days of the apostles and means nothing for us. Scripture walks the road between the two. The atonement secures our ultimate, total wholeness, body and soul, and we receive it fully at the resurrection. And yet God still heals today as He pleases, by His Spirit and grace. Teach your kids to pray boldly for healing, and also to trust God's goodness when the answer is "not yet." That's faith, not a formula.
Draws on: Gordon Fee, The Disease of the Health and Wealth Gospels.
Let's Pray Together
"Lord Jesus, thank You that You carried our weakness and our sickness. You keep every promise God ever made. Tonight we bring You the heavy things in our hearts and bodies. We trust You to carry them. Please heal us. And help us trust that You are good either way. In Jesus' name, amen."
Whatever weighs on me tonight, Jesus is strong enough to carry it. And He already chose to.