“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” Luke 24:5b-7 ESV1
Read Matthew 27:1-28:10, Mark 15:20b-16:7; Luke 23:1-24:12 & John 19:1-20:18
“Ultimate” is defined as “1. last; furthest or farthest; ending a process or series … 2. maximum; decisive; conclusive … [and] 3. highest; not subsidiary.”2 The next healing we will consider is the ultimate healing Jesus ever consummated. It is chronologically the last healing He completed during His earthly ministry, but it is also the supreme healing. It is the panacea, the catholicon, the cure-all. Let’s dig in and discover why this healing is so matchless and so far above any of the other amazing healings Jesus ever brought about.
After Jesus was captured in the Garden of Gethsemane, a “band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him” (John 18:12). They “led Him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders were gathered” (Matthew 26:57). There “the whole [religious] Council [sought] false testimony against Him that they might put Him to death” (Matthew 26:59). When Jesus confessed to being the Christ, the Son of God, they accused Him of blasphemy and sentenced Him to death (see Matthew 26:62-66). But they did not have the legal authority to carry out capital punishment, so “they bound Him and led Him away and delivered Him over to Pilate the governor” (Matthew 27:2).
Pilate questioned Jesus. Because he was not blinded by hatred, Pilate could see that Jesus was innocent. “Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, ‘You brought me this Man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining Him before you, behold, I did not find this Man guilty of any of your charges against Him. Neither did Herod, for he sent Him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by Him’” (Luke 22:13-15).
“Now at the feast, the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So, when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’ For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered Him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of Him today in a dream.” Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ And they said, ‘Barabbas.’ Pilate said to them, ‘Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ And he said, ‘Why? What evil has He done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Let Him be crucified!’” (Matthew 27:15-23).
“They all cried out together, ‘Away with this Man, and release to us Barabbas’… Pilate addressed them …, desiring to release Jesus, but they kept shouting, ‘Crucify, crucify Him!’ A third time he said to them, ‘Why? What evil has He done? I have found in Him no guilt deserving death. I will, therefore, punish and release Him.’ But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that He should be crucified. And their voices prevailed” (Luke 22:18-23). “Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar’” (John 19:15b).
“When Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’ And all the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’ Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered Him to be crucified” (Matthew 27:24-26).
“And as they led Him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country,” (Luke 23:26a) “the father of Alexander and Rufus” (Mark 15:21b),”and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus. And there followed Him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for Him” (Luke 23:26b-27).
“Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with Him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull [Golgotha (Matthew 27:32)], there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on His right and one on His left. And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do’” (Luke 23:32-34a).
“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus” (John 19:23a), “they sat down and kept watch over Him there” (Matthew 27:36). “Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’ Many of the Jews read this inscription, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was written in Aramaic, in Latin, and in Greek” (John 19:19-20).
“And those who passed by derided Him, wagging their heads and saying, ‘You who would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ So also, the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, ‘He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God; let God deliver Him now, if He desires Him. For He said, “I am the Son of God”’ (Matthew 27:39-43).
“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.’ And He said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise’” (Luke 23:39-42).
“Now from the sixth hour [(noon)], there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour [(3:00 pm)]. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, …‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:45-46). “After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished” (John 19:28), “calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!’” And having said this He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46), “and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30b).
“And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs … they went into the Holy City and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:51-54). “The centurion … praised God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!’ And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts” (Luke 23:47-48).
“And when evening had come, since it was the day … before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council,” (Mark 15:42a-43a) “a disciple of Jesus” (Matthew 27:57b), “but secretly for fear of the Jews” (John 19:38), “who had not consented to their decision and action” (Luke 23:51), “who was also himself looking for the Kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that He should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether He was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that He was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph” (Mark 15:43b-45). “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. So, they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. Now in the place where He was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So, because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there” (John 19:38-42). “And [Joseph] rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, saw where He was laid” (Mark 15:46b-47).
“The Sabbath was beginning. The women … saw the tomb and how His body was laid … On the Sabbath, they rested according to the commandment” (Luke 23:54b-55 & 56b). But on the Sabbath Day, “the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, ‘Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while He was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples go and steal Him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.’ Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.’ So, they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard” (Matthew 27:62b-66).
“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?’ (Mark 16:1-3). “And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay’” (Matthew 28:2-6). “When they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two [angels] stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the [angels] said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.’ And they remembered His words” (Luke 24:3-8).
“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw [the] two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.’ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher)” (John 20:11-16). “And [the women] came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him” (Matthew 28:9b). “Jesus said to [Mary], ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God”’” (John 20:11-17).
An angel continued, “‘Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and behold, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him. See, I have told you.’ So, they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell His disciples” (Matthew 28:7-8).
As you read through this selection of Scriptures, did you catch the healing? Yes, Jesus was dead, and He brought Himself back to life. That is pretty amazing, but that is only part of the story. What makes this healing the central point of all Scripture and the focal point of all history is not that Jesus could resurrect Himself. So much more is going on here that makes this the ultimate healing. When Jesus gave up His perfect human life on the cruel cross and rose again from the grave, He healed the whole human race, all who ever were and all who would ever be, from our sickness of sin! He conquered sin and death for everyone—all who would take Him up on this healing.
This is the ultimate healing because it was the predetermined plan of God.
The means for the salvation of all mankind was set in place from the beginning (see 1 Peter 1:19-20 & Ephesians 1:4). When humans first disobeyed God, He revealed to them that He would eventually provide a Savior for them (see Genesis 3:15). Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection culminated that plan.
Nothing could have put a stop to God’s plan. Jesus had to die to take the punishment for the sins of all humanity. The disciples who followed Jesus could not protect Him (see John 11:7-8 & 18:10-11). The authorities who knew He was innocent could not release Him (see Luke 22:13-15). And the superstitions of the Pilate and his wife could not hamper the process (see Matthew 27:19 & John 19:7-8).
And Jesus had to rise from the dead to conquer sin and death. The Pharisees’ scheme to secure the grave could keep Him from rising (see Matthew 27:62b-66). The guards placed at the tomb couldn’t hold Him behind the stone (see Matthew 28:2-4). And the followers of Jesus couldn’t keep Him down by their unbelief (see Luke 24:3-8 & 10-11).
Nothing could have accelerated God’s plan. Look back through the last few chapters of each of the Gospels and note the number of times the religious leaders were unsuccessful in their attempts to arrest and/or kill Jesus. The reason Jesus died at this time didn’t have anything to do with their wiles. This was God’s ordained plan and God’s ordained time (see John 12:23-27). God used the angry members of Jewish religious Council as His pawns. Even Satan himself couldn’t kill Jesus.
As Jesus hung on that cross, already weak from loss of blood and in excruciating pain, His back ripped to shreds from His scourging, struggling to catch His breath as the nails dug deeper into His hands and feet, enduring the mocking of the crowd, Satan appeared to be winning. God, His Son, and His plans seemed to be defeated.
In all reality, something far different was happening. A tremendous cosmic battle was taking place. It was evidenced on Earth by earthquakes, daytime darkness, resurrections, the appearing of angels, and the tearing from top to bottom of the temple curtain (which, according to 1 Kings 6:19-20 and Jewish tradition, was probably 30 feet high and a man’s handbreadth thick).
But as Jesus endured the most significant pain of all, the burden of all the sin of all the world of all time, upon His shoulders, even as the Father turned His face away, the battle was won! The death of Jesus, the very thing which caused Satan to rejoice, culminated with the resurrection of Jesus and became the very thing that took down Satan, permanently handicapped him, and released humanity from his bondage.
This is the ultimate healing because it is the overarching need of everyone.
Jesus begged, “‘Father forgive them’” (Luke 23:34a) for all those who denied Him, condemned Him, gave false testimony about Him, struck Him, spit upon Him, and turned on Him. Jesus said those words for the benefit of those who had Him scourged and delivered Him over to be crucified, those who mocked Him and beat Him, crucified Him and cast lots for His clothing, derided Him, and reviled Him. But that plea was also for those who tried to save Him and vindicate Him, those who helped Him, ministered to Him, mourned for Him, and buried Him, for those who never left Him, and those who came to anoint Him with spices. It was for all who eventually believed in Him, repented after seeing what happened to Him, and gave testimony of Him.
The cross on which Jesus was crucified may have been initially prepared for Barabbas. The name attached to it may have read, “The King of the Jews,” but it just as well could have been labeled with each of our names. We are the ones, because of our sin, who deserve death on a cross.
“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). None of us have been good enough to get into Heaven on our merit. “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6 NIV3). “The term ‘filthy rags’ is quite strong. The word filthy is a translation of the Hebrew word iddah, which literally means ‘the bodily fluids from a woman’s menstrual cycle.’ The word rags is a translation of begged, meaning ‘a rag or garment.’ Therefore, these ‘righteous acts’ are considered by God as repugnant as a soiled feminine hygiene product.”4
Preachers, teachers, and philanthropists need Jesus’ ultimate healing just as much as prostitutes, thieves, and drug dealers. You need Jesus’ ultimate healing just as much as I do. Billy Graham needed this ultimate healing as much as Adolf Hitler. The difference is that Mr. Graham took Jesus up on His offer; I don’t believe Mr. Hitler did.
It doesn’t matter what we did before we met Jesus. It only matters what we do after we meet Him, or, more accurately, what we do with the realization of what He did for us.
It doesn’t matter if we made our earthly homes in castles or in cardboard boxes. Someday, we will all stand before the throne of God. The only way any of us will make Heaven our eternal home is if we have believed Jesus for this ultimate healing.
If you are counting on your good deeds to get you into Heaven, you have fallen for a lie. There is nothing so admirable that you have done that cancels your need for Jesus’ sacrifice. There is no way your good deeds can outweigh your bad. “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it” (James 2:10). You just as well show up at Heaven’s gate with a bag of used maxi-pads, because, without Jesus, you don’t have what you need to get in.
Oswald Chambers puts it much less crudely but just as powerfully:
“The gospel of the grace of God awakens an intense longing in human souls and an equally intense resentment because the truth that it reveals is not palatable or easy to swallow. There is a certain pride in people that causes them to give and give, but to come and accept a gift is another thing. I will give my life to martyrdom; I will dedicate my life to service— I will do anything. But do not humiliate me to the level of the most hell-deserving sinner and tell me that all I have to do is accept the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. We have to realize that we cannot earn or win anything from God through our own efforts. We must either receive it as a gift or do without it … He can do nothing for us as long as we think we are sufficient in and of ourselves. We must enter into His kingdom through the door of destitution.”5
Some find themselves on the other side of the equation; they are pretty sure their evil deeds outweigh their good. They know they are deserving of hell. But, if anyone thinks he/she has been too evil to ever get into Heaven, he/she also has been fooled. There is nothing so wrong that has ever been done that Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t sufficient enough to cover. The exchange between Jesus and the believing thief next to Him on the cross is proof of that (see Luke 23:39-42). We are all on level ground before God.
This was the ultimate healing because there is no need for anything else.
When Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), He meant it. He had done what He came to do. Once you believe and take Jesus up on His offer for this ultimate healing, you too will have done the most important thing you will ever need to do. You will have walked through the door that God has provided and will have begun a relationship with Him. God will then give you everything you need for life and godliness through the Holy Spirit (see 2 Peter 1:3), and you will be with Him for eternity.
If you have already asked Jesus for ultimate healing, praise God that He has opened your eyes to your need for Him. Thank Jesus for taking on the punishment for your sin. Thank Him for the gift of the Holy Spirit in you regenerating you and helping you to live the life God intends for you. Continue to believe Him, and walk with Him.
If you have never accepted this ultimate healing, take time now to come before God in prayer. Even if you have never prayed before, He is waiting to hear from you. If you don’t know how to pray, just say what is on your heart. God knows your heart, and He will respond to your faith. If you need a little help getting started, you can always say something like this: “Thank You, Jesus, for coming to Earth, living a perfect life and undeservedly dying a cruel death in my place to pay for all the wrong and evil things I have done. I want to take You up on the spiritual healing You provide. Thank You for forgiving all my sins and making me clean in Your sight. I want to please You. Take control of my life. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and enable me to be who You want me to be. Thank You that You will always be with me here on Earth and that I will forever be with You in Heaven someday. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“’Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man [or woman] against whom the Lord will not count his [or her] sin’” (Romans 4:7-8). Thank you, Jesus, for giving all to heal us all from our sin-sickness.
I too can say, “It is finished,” in a much less absolute sense. This is the last in a series of articles I have written on the healings recorded in Scripture which were performed by Jesus Christ when He walked this Earth. I encourage you to check out all of these articles by clicking on “The Healings of Jesus” under this article.
Thank you for joining me. Please carry on with me in discovering other treasures in the Word of God, as I continue to make commentary on the events of the Gospels.
1 Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All Scriptures are taken from the ESV unless otherwise noted.
2 https://www.dictionary.com/browse/ultimate
3 Scripture quotations marked with NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.