Q: We hear a lot of Christians quoting Isaiah 53:5 during this dreadful time in the country, when Covid-19 has gripped the world. Can you [again] explain the true meaning of the text, “By His stripes, we are healed,” in light of the fact so many people – Christians and non-Christians are dying from this assault on the human race during this end time?
A: That is indeed a good question, and the debate from various denominations over this verse, rages on. Like most biblically-minded students of sacred Scripture, I’ve spent quality time, ‘burning midnight oil’ studying the text from the time of our early church fathers [Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Augustine of Hippo, and others] giving it a serious theological overview, in relationship, to 1 Peter 2:24 and other similar passages, and have sided with the “School of Thought” that included the early church fathers as well as noted Theologians Dr. Charles H. Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, and John Calvin.
They ‘ALL’ acknowledged that the passages mentioned above are central to the topic of healing, but the question remains, is it spiritual or physical healing, since the word “healed” can be translated from the Old and New Testaments as either spiritual or physical healing. However, the contexts of Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2 make it clear that they are referring to spiritual healing, not physical. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). The verse is referring to sin and righteousness, being forgiven and saved – not [just physical] sickness and disease. Therefore, if we would teach believers to ‘STOP’ eiseteting (reading into the text something that’s not there, by only reading the one verse) and more exegeting (reading the entire text for its meaning), I believe we will unify the Body of Christ, even more, before Christ returns.
Let me go on record to say that according to Isaiah 53, [physical] healing is available to the believer, but it’s as the Lord Wills, for His divine purpose and glory; because at some point – in the future – our physical body is going to expire, if the Lord delays His coming. But, for those of us that have ‘REPENTED’ and become BELIEVERS in the redemptive work of Christ, Isaiah 53 is a foreshadow of what is come for US, as described in 1 Corinthians 15, “… The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
And that’s what the early church fathers taught, when you read their writings/commentaries explaining Isaiah 53 in relationship to New Testament Scriptures [in the 4 Gospels & Acts] that point back to Isaiah 53 – calling it ‘The 5th Gospel”.
The church fathers summed it up by saying, “The passage is explicitly quoted three times in the Gospels – in Matthew 8:17, in Luke 22:37, and in John 12:38. Each of these Gospel verses references a different section of Isaiah 53, which suggests that the influence of the passage was not restricted to one aspect of the prophetic passage. Matthew 8:17 quotes Isaiah 53:4 and claims that by casting out demons and healing the sick Christ fulfilled this prophecy. Generally, Isaiah’s reference to the Suffering Servant’s role in bearing others’ infirmities is interpreted as a reference to Christ’s substitutive and redemptive role on the cross. Matthew’s use of Isaiah 53 here suggests that the passage was understood by early Christians to relate to the whole person and ministry of Christ and not just to his atoning activity upon the cross. Even Jesus’ messianic healings should be understood as the work of Isaiah’s Servant.”
In conclusion: concerning Covid-19, for some of us, let’s stop saying that people didn’t have ‘FAITH’ to be healed or to receive their healing, when we prayed for them. Are we seriously going to stand in the presence of Christian family members who loved ones have passed due to the virus, and say, “If only they had faith to believe …!” We’re talking about legendary preachers, such as, Bishop Phillip A. Brooks, senior pastor of New St. Paul Tabernacle Church of God in Christ who passed last April 2020, during a period in which it was reported that at least a dozen up to 30 bishops and prominent clergy dying of Covid-19. Or one of the apostles of faith, Frederick K.C. Price, founder of the Crenshaw Christian Center in South Los Angeles who died in February 2021.