Fulfillment of Prophecy
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5 (KJV)
When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. Matthew 8:16-17 (KJV)
The prophet Isaiah gives us a prophetic picture and in Matthew, we see Jesus act it out in His earthly ministry. Jesus did this before He went to the cross. The fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy began prior to the cross. Jesus was acting on the spoken Word, the prophetic Word. He had the authority based on the spoken Words of Isaiah. The spoken prophetic Word birthed Jesus’ ability to do what He did in His earthly ministry. The spoken Word carries that much power.
Isaiah’s prophecy pointed to the cross. Prior to the cross, Jesus was fulfilling in His ministry what was prophesied because it had already been spoken forth- He was just acting it out. He already knew who He was and what He was destined to do, so He acted on the prophetic Word that gave Him authority. Isaiah said that by His stripes we are healed, so Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38). He was acting in faith based on the words spoken by Isaiah.
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. I Peter 2:24 (KJV)
Peter tells us that we WERE healed, because Peter was looking back at what Christ accomplished on the cross. Jesus fulfilled what Isaiah prophesied that the Christ would do. Jesus fulfilled it in His earthly ministry, at the cross, and even now. When someone is healed today, Jesus continues to fulfill what what spoken by Isaiah. The fulfillment of prophecy was accomplished and is accomplished now.
