THE GOSPELS: The Ministry of Yeshua the Messiah begins – Luke 4:18 the GOOD NEWS according to the New Testament: HEALING

19 September 2025

We are studying Luke 4:14-32, Mathew 4:12 and Mark 1:14-15 about the beginning of the MINISTRY of YESHUA THE MESSIAH.

We are mainly reading from the Complete Jewish Study Bible– insight for Jews and Christians and using the Hebrew letters for the Name of God, YHVH (Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh), where the word LORD in English is indicated in capital letters in the Scriptures. The reason being that the Jewish writers removed the vowels in God’s Name out of fear of transgression of the third Commandment of taking His Name in vain.  And today there is a lot of controversy about the pronunciation of His Name.  We also refer to Him as Abba Father and use the Hebrew Name Yeshua the Messiah instead of the English Name Jesus Christ translated from the Greek.

We are still focusing on Luke 4:18 about Yeshua who was ANNOINTED to announce GOOD NEWS to the POOR, and exploring what the Word tells us this GOOD NEWS is.

We are in process of exploring the GOOD NEWS according to the New Testament as written in the letters of the Apostles, with references to the Scriptures in the Old Testament, and we are looking at it in specific themes. From our studying of the Word so far we confirmed that the GOOD NEWS is all about God’s ETERNAL LOVE for MANKIND and therefore saving people by setting us FREE from the hold of sin and death on us through the full price paid by Yeshua our Messiah, our Deliverer and FORGIVENESS of our sins and today we are focusing on: the GOOD NEWS of:

HEALING

We read the prophecy of the Messiah’s death on behalf of us in Isaiah 53:4-5 “…it was our diseases (illnesses, sickness, ailments, disorders, syndromes, conditions infirmities, disabilities) He bore, our pains (cares, troubles, difficulties, worries, stresses, pressures, anxieties, fears, concerns, discomforts, distresses, sufferings, sorrows, griefs, heartaches, sadness, aches, embarrassments, humiliation, shame)  from which He suffered; yet we regarded Him as punished, stricken and afflicted by God (the Father). But He was wounded because of our crimes (wrongdoings, offences, transgressions, corruption, dishonesty, fraud, misconduct, delinquencies, misbehaviors), crushed because of our sins (iniquities, depravities, immoralities, evil, wickedness, breaking the law of God the Father given to keep us safe/ protecting us against sin); the disciplining that makes us whole fell on Him, and by His bruises (the Study Bible indicates an or, here saying: and in fellowship with Him) we are HEALED.”

And David says in Psalm 103:3 “He (YHVH) forgives ALL your offences (crimes, wrongdoings, faults, transgressions, violations), He HEALS ALL your diseases, He REDEEMS (saves) your life from the pit.”

The Nelson’s Foundational Bible Dictionary explains, the pit, also sometimes referred to as the bottomless pit, is the place of the dead, also called Hades (the underworld, also referred to as the Abyss), where unsaved people awaits the White Throne Judgement on the last day, read Revelation 20:11-15. It is the place of evil spirits under Apollyon (Satan) which is referred to in Revelation 9:11, 17:8 and 20:1-3. And we know it is a dreadful place that even demons fear according to Luke 8:31.

The prophecy in Isaiah 53 are FILFULLED by Yeshua the Messiah. Peter also confirmed it in 1 Peter 2:24 saying: “He (Yeshua the Messiah) Himself bore our sins in His body on the stake (the cross), so that we might DIE TO SINS and LIVE FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS (morality, justice, uprightness, blamelessness, in line with Abba Father’s laws, decrees and statutes) – by His wounds, you were HEALED.

After Yeshua the Messiah had been BAPTISED, FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT and TESTED in the desert for 40 days, we see that He commenced with HIS MINSTRY of REPENTANCE and HEALING people and raising them from the dead, forming part of the reason He was sent by Abba Father!

After the baptism of Cornelius and his family (who were Gentiles) and the Holy Spirit filling them, Peter said: “I now understand that God (the Father) does not play favorites (He does not show favoritism), but that WHOEVER FEARS HIM and DOES WHAT IS RIGHT are ACCEPTABLE to HIM, no matter what people (nation) he belongs to. Here is the message that He sends to the sons of ISRAEL (all twelve tribes) announcing shalom (peace) through Yeshua the Messiah, who is Master of everything. You know what has been going on through Judah (the tribe of Judah and Benjamin known as the Southern Kingdom and later called the Jews), starting from Galilee after the immersion (baptism) that John proclaimed; how God (the Father) anointed Yeshua from Nazareth with the Ruach HaKodesh (HOLY SPIRIT) and with POWER; how YESHUA went about DOING GOOD and HEALING ALL the people oppressed by the Adversary (Satan), because God was with Him (read Acts 10:34-38).

We also read in Matthew 4:23 “Yeshua went all over Galilee teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the GOOD NEWS of the Kingdom, and HEALING people from EVERY KIND of DISEASE and SICKNESS.” And we see in Matthew 14:14, His compassion (empathy, concern, care) for the people He HEALED (also read Matthew 9:35 and Luke 9:11).

He also appointed seventy other disciples and sent them on ahead in pairs to EVERY TOWN and PLACE where He Himself was about to go and He instructed them to: “HEAL the SICK there, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God (the Father) is near you’.” (Luke 10:1&9).

And we see in the accounts of the HEALINGS of Yeshua the Messiah, He HEALED BODY, SOUL and SPIRITUAL DISSEASES:

• He said He came to HEAL SINNERS (Matthew 9:12);
• He healed spiritual illnesses and freed people from evil spirits (Mathew 10:1-8 Mark 5:1-20). In Luke 13:10-17 he indicated a woman had “a spirit” which had crippled her. Therefore, like in the case of fear, identified as “a spirit” in 2 Timothy 1:7, we know some illnesses/ diseases may be caused by evil spirits;
• He healed people from unclean (polluted, filthy) spirits (Luke 6:19);
• He healed people with physical illnesses (Matthew 12:13, Mark 5:25-33 & 10:52 and Luke 5:17); and
• He raised people from the dead (Mark 4:22-23 & 35-43) – proving that He had authority over death (read Deuteronomy 32:39 and Revelation 1:18b).

And at His ascension, He calls His current and FUTURE FOLLOWERS to proceed with His work (ministry) to proclaim the GOOD NEWS, including to, in His Name drive out demons and heal the sick (read Mark 16:15-18). We also see evidence in the NEW TESTAMENT that BELIEVERS did accordingly, like in Acts 4:30 BELIEVERS asking God “Stretch out Your hand to HEAL and to do signs and miracles through the NAME of Your holy Servant Yeshua!” Because HE IS INDEED THE CREATOR of ALL PEOPLE and then NATURALLY also the HEALER of PEOPLE! It is like a person who designed and produced a product and also knows best how to repair it when needed!

But in today’s world we mostly DISGARD the CREATOR’s INSTRUCTION MANUAL (His Word) for HEALING, because His ways either do not make sense to us or we do not believe it/ have “modern” explanations for it, or it is too much effort or we do not know how to apply it and we mostly today try to medicate ALL our problems away.

Please note, there most certainly is room for medical treatment and we also know that Luke, the writer of the Third Gospel and the Book of Act, was a medical doctor and is referred to as the beloved physician in Colossians 4:14, and we are thankful for the hardworking doctors we have today, helping people to heal and manage physical illnesses (without spiritual roots) and major, life threatening and minor accidents.

So the question is, if Yeshua the Messiah paid the full price for ALL our SINS, DISEASES and the SECOND DEATH, WHY then are so many believers struggling with so many diseases?

Perhaps, Yeshua our Messiah quoting Isiah 6:9-10 in Matthew 13:15, gives us some insight to this question when He said: “You will keep on hearing but never understand, and keep on seeing but never perceive, because the HEART of this people has become dull (the NIV says: their HEARTS became calloused/ HARDENED which could include being: cynical, pessimistic, sceptic, distrustful, suspicious) – with their ears they barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, so as not to SEE with their EYES, HEAR with their EARS, UNDERSTAND with their HEART, and do TESHUVAH (a Hebrew word for REPENTANCE, to have remorse, regret and turn/ return to God), SO THAT I COULD HEAL THEM ” (Read Matthew 13:15).

So this CLEARLY shows us the IMPORTANCE of seeing (reading the Word), hearing (the Word preached by others), understanding the WORD with our MINDS/ THOUGHTS (SOUL) and HEART/ EMOTIONS (SPIRIT) to be able to UNDERSTAND it and be WILLING to REPENT because THEN HE CAN HEAL US!

HE ABSOLUTELY WANTS TO HEAL US, but we have to COME TO THE TABLE and be WILLING TO REPENT of that WITHOLDING our HELAING! Sometimes we beg God the Father to heal us and nothing happens, the reason is there is SOMETHING standing in the WAY of your HELAING and it is OFTEN UNFORGIVENESS. God cannot move against His principles, we have to abide by it for our own GOOD and BENEFIT and then HE WILL HEAL US, except if He uses something as a THORN IN OUR SIDE, like He did with Paul. The reason for this was that He revealed a lot to Paul, and He wanted to make sure Paul remains HUMBLE, because God hates pride and if Paul became proud because of ALL God’s revelations to him, God would have not been able to use Paul to spread the GOSPEL as he did.

Another reason is to REAP what we SOW. Paul in his “blind aspiration” for God as a Pharisee, killed many believers in Yeshua the Messiah, and we know that Paul also suffered much persecution. God FORGIVES, but He is a RIGHTEOUS GOD, and the SEEDS we plant will yield a harvest that will be ours, even when God forgave us. We can however be sure, He will also enable us and help us to carry the load.

And sometimes, it is that very illness REMINDING us to keep on putting the OLD MAN (the flesh) to death because the flesh has a tendency to die with difficulty, and it always tries to come back and chain you again. And that is why we should ALWAYS PRAISE HIM, irrespective of our circumstances because He is a God that will ALWAYS let things (GOOD or BAD) work for the GOOD of those who LOVE Him and are called in accordance to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

And with this said, PLEASE refrain from JUDGING other people’s ILLNESESS and LABELING them – ALWAYS REMEMBER that ONLY GOD knows EVERYONE’s FULL LIFESTORY and therefore, rather stay out of trouble with God, remembering Matthew 7:1-2 and choose to focus on your own HEALING and PRAY for that of other people without judging them nor hurting them with cruel words.

To help us understand more about HEALING it is CRUCIAL to understand and accept that we are CREATED with a BODY, SOUL and SPIRIT in the image of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And again the picture of the TABERNACLE (and later the TEMPLE), helps us to understand it better.

But let’s first focus on the THREE very IMPORTANT and MACNIFISENT PARTS GOD CREAED each one of us.

Some of the information in the Nelson’s Foundational Bible Dictionary will be used in the explanation below:

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul differentiated among THREE COMPNENTS saying: “May the God of shalom (peace) make you COMPLETELY holy (consecrate, sanctify/ purify, set you completely apart for Him) – may your ENTIRE spirit, soul and body be kept BLAMELESS (innocent, virtuous, righteous, spotless, guiltless) for the COMING of our MASTER YESHUA the MESSIAH.”

It is therefore clear ALL THREE PARTS, SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY are to be kept “blameless”.

The BODY, SOUL and SPIRIT of every human being are meant to work in HARMONY for the GLORY of GOD the FATHER, but are recognizable as THREE DISTINCT PARTS, similar to YHVH our GOD, who is ONE GOD, but has THREE DISTINCT PARTS, known through the BIBLE as the FATHER, SON and HOLY SPIRIT.

THE SPIRIT

When we read in Genesis 1:26 we are created in God’s image, we must remember that God is in essence a SPIRIT (John 4:24). We are like God in creative personality having intellect, sensibility and will.

The Hebrew word for SPIRIT is RUACH meaning both “spirit” and “wind’. We read in Genesis 2:7 “God “breathed into his (man’s) nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living soul” This explains Yeshua’s play on words in John 3 in His discussion on being born again from above by the Holy Spirit, and the wind blowing where it wills. And after Yeshua the Messiah’s resurrection and shortly before His ascension, He breathed on the disciples and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (read John 20:22).

It is the spirit part of us that seeks a relationship with God. It helps us to look at the TABERNACLE imagery to understand the spirit part of us. You will remember that the Holy Place and Holiest place were in essence ONE ROOM, only divided by a heavy curtain to inhibit access to God the Father due to mankind’s sin which SEPERATED us from the Father. But with the death of Yeshua our Messiah for our sin, the heavy curtain was torn from top to bottom as a sign that we now have free access to the Father (read Matthew 27:51).

The HOLY PLACE is a representation or picture of the SOUL (the mind/ thinking part of us as well as our hearts/ emotions and the free will), and the HOLIEST PLACE is a picture or representation of the SPIRIT. These two are INSEPRABLE. And that is the very reason WHY the BIBLE sometimes refers to the soul and sometimes the (small letter) spirit which is the human spirit. When we die the FIRST death, which all people will die, the soul and spirit will leave the body and return to the Father who gave it (read Ecclesiastics 12:7). And at the SECOND COMING of Yeshua the Messiah, BELIEVERS will receive their RESURRECTED BODIES.  Maybe you wonder why our EARTHLY BODIES should then be kept blameless, if they in any ways die and decay. Well think of it, when Yeshua the Messiah died and was resurrected, His earthly body was NOT FOUND IN THE GRAVE. We know our EARTHLY BODIES will be resurrected and CHANGED. We do not understand all of these things now, but we will once Yeshua our Messiah appears for the SECOND COMING. People who have chosen NOT to believe in Him as their Savior and NOT to follow Him will also be resurrected, but only at the WHITE THRONE JUDGEMENT on the LAST DAY as depicted in the Feat of Tabernacles on the 8^th Day, but they will remain in spirit-soul form and will not receive a resurrected body as they will unfortunately be send to the Lake of Fire, where the antichrist/ antimessiah, false prophet and Satan will already be (read Revelation 19:20 and 20:10 & 14).

SOUL

The Hebrew word for SOUL is NEPHESH probably coming from the concept of BREATHING. We read in Genesis 2:7 God “breathed into his (man’s) nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living soul (nephesh).” It is thus very clear, the SOUL of a person comes from God and according to Ecclesiastes 12:7 it also returns to God at death. LIFE is in the blood according to Leviticus 17:11 and the reason why blood is forbidden by God to eat meat with the blood still in it or to drink blood and why the blood of another person may not be shed.

The Word of God often refers to the HEART which closely links to the MIND and it works together. Emotions are triggered by our thoughts and will eventually lead to the actions we choose to take with our FREE WILL and this is all part of the SOUL. The SOUL is therefore the driving force of our lives and the reason why Proverbs 4:22 WARNS us: “Above EVERYTHING else, GUARD your HEART (your thoughts and emotions); for it is the SOURCE of life’s consequences. The NIV says: “…for everything you DO flows from it.”

BODY

God has given us marvelous working bodies to work and live in the world He created for mankind. Yeshua our Messiah is the BODY of God the Father while He was on earth. In John 14:9 Yeshua said to Phillip: ”Whoever has SEEN ME, has SEEN the FATHER…”

We know however that Yeshua our Messiah’s heavenly BODY looks somewhat different. In Revelation 1:13-15, He is revealed to John and here we see a different image of Him, although still in a recognizable human like form, but this time He wears a robe down to His feet and a gold band around His chest. His head and hair is as white as snow-white wool, His eyes like a fiery flame, His feet like burnished brass refined in a furnace and His voice like the sound of rushing waters. Also read His description in Revelation 19:11-16 leading the armies of heaven. There is a very GOOD reason for this. The FIRST TIME HE CAME TO EARTH, He, who is the WORD of GOD and indeed GOD HIMSELF, came in the form of an earthly looking man (read John 1:1-14) for the PURPOSE of SHOWING us how to live in OBEDIENCE to the FATHER and to DIE for our SINS to repair our relationship with the Father and enabling us to CHOOSE Him as our savior and live forever with Him and the Father (also read 1 John 1:1-10). The reason for HIS SECOND COMING is to conquer the Father’s enemies, including human enemies who chooses not to worship Him and rather to rebel against Him, Satan and his evil forces and death itself as well as Hades (read 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 17:14 & 19:11-21 and 20:11-15).

Unfortunately we put far too much emphasis on the body in today’s culture. We work out, diet, struggle for the perfect shape and color, use cosmetics and surgery in our search for perfection. And the worldly system encourages us and spurs us on to devout more and more time and money to achieve these goals of everlasting physical health and beauty which all of us know is in vain! It is definitely important to take GOOD CARE of our bodies, being part of God’s TEMPLE, the Outer Court. Our BODIES have been designed by God to fulfill our earthly purpose.

The human body is indeed a MASTER PIECE of DIVINE ENGINEERING and should be properly cared for and kept in good health. It is however when the body DIES and we look at the EMPTY SHELL, described by the BIBLE as a TENT – at death an EMPTY TENT, when we realize that the BODY, without the SPIRIT and the SOUL of a PERSON is no longer representative of the PERSON.

The BODY is however of major importance, because this life, we are living in our EARTHLY BODIES is the ONLY chance we have to SECURE ETERNAL LIFE by living a live of FAITH in YESHUA or MESSIAH.

And interestingly enough, although we remain in SPIRIT form in Paradise when we die as BELIEVERS and awaits the RESURECTION, we will RECEIVE RESURECTED BODIES when the LAST TRUMPET BLAST and our MESIAH returns to earth (known as His Second Coming). Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 as well as 1 Corinthians 15. From Yeshua our Messiah’s 40 days He spend on earth after His resurrection we also have a very GOOD idea of the MAGNIFICIENT RESURECTED BODIES we as BELIEVERS WILL receive, being able, like Him to still eat, drink, touch and be touched but not be limited in our movement as we are on earth and also enjoying perfect health.

STEPS TO HEALING

Healing requires focus on the BODY, SOUL and SPIRIT.

As explained our FREE WILL forms part of our SOULS and we make CHOICES based on our THOUGHTS and EMOTIONS. And our CHOICES determines the life we will live on earth as well as in eternity. If we therefore wants to CHANGE our LIVES for the better, we have to CHANGE our THOUGHTS.

Paul explains this in Romans 12:2 “…do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the olam hazeh (this world or current age). Instead, keep letting yourself be TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your MINDS (changing your thoughts in line with God’s WORD); so that you will know what God wants and will agree that what HE WANT is GOOD, SATISFYING and able to SUCCEED. This means we are taught to THINK like GOD when we read His Word DAILY and that will change our lives for the better.

And in Philippians 4:8 Paul teaches us: “…focus your THOUGHTS on what is true, noble (honorable, worthy, good, moral, just, decent), righteous, pure (unpolluted, clean), lovable (delightful, pleasant) or admirable, on some virtue or on something praiseworthy (commendable).

We are closing with a few verses on what the WORD of God tells us LEADS to HEALING

• FORGIVENESS

David tells us about the HEALING POWER of FORGIVENESS in Psalm 32:1-3 saying: “How blessed are those whose offense (crime, wrongdoing, transgression) is forgiven, those whose sin is covered! How blessed those to whom YHVH imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no deceit (dishonesty deception, pretense)! When I kept silent, my bones wasted away because of my groaning all day long; day and night your hand was heavy on me; the sap in me dried up as in a summer drought. When I acknowledged my sin to You, when I stopped concealing my guilt, and said, “I confesses to YHVH”, then You, You forgave the guilt of My sin.”

•  FEARING YHVH and TURNING AWAY FROM EVIL

We read in Proverbs 3:7-8 “Don’t be conceited about your own wisdom; but FEAR YHVH and TURN from evil. This will bring HEALTH to your BODY and give STRENGHT to your BONES.”

• KEEPING THE WORD IN YOUR HEART

David said in Psalm 107:19 “Then then cried out to YHVH in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress. HE SENT OUT HIS WORD and HEALED them; HE RESCUED them from the GRAVE. Let them GIVE THANKS to YHVH for HIS UNFAILING LOVE and HIS WONEDERUFUL DEEDS for mankind.”

Proverbs 4:20-22 tells us: “…pay attention to what I am saying; incline your ear to MY WORDS. Don’t let them out of your sight, keep them DEEP in your HEART (your thoughts); for they are LIFE to those who find them and HEALTH to their WHOLE BEING.

• WORDS

Proverbs 12:18 says: “Idle words can pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise CAN HEAL.”

And we read about the HEALING POWER of WORDS in Proverbs 16:24 “PLEASANT WORDS are like a honeycomb, sweet to the taste and HEALING for the BODY.”

So let us be willing to FORGIVE ourselves and others, and ACCEPT GOD’s FORGIVENESS for us, FEAR YHVH our God and be quick to REPENT and TURN away from all evil (all things of the flesh/ the sinful nature), READ and MEDITATE on HIS WORD DAILY, storing it up as a precious treasure in our MINDS and HEARTS and SPEAK HEALING WORDS from it to and about ourselves and other people.