Healing

There are a few different kinds of people in the world, and sometimes you boil them down to three bucks of folks: athletes, academics, and artists. Most people can do 1 well, some people can do 2 well, and rarely does someone do all three well. You typically find out about this when you're at a party at someone's house and the point guard for the basketball team who is also in your advanced placement class sits down at the piano and starts playing a Maroon 5 cover. The thought is usually, "Wait, you play music too?"

There's something similar happening in Matthew 4:23. The text says, "²³ Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people." As the gospel of Matthew has been unfolding, there are a few things in this list that make sense, and then there's the "You do that too?" moment.

• "Teaching in synagogues" (Got it.)
• "Proclaiming the good news of the kingdom" (Expected that one.)
• "Healing every disease and sickness among the people" (You do that too?)

The first century was filled with rabbis through Israel teaching an interpretation of Torah and musing on the Kingdom of God. Occasionally, a miracle worker would find their way through the land. We don't have much evidence for anyone who did both. You typically had a prophet or a priest but not both, yet here we have someone embodying both.

The Epiphany season reminds us that Jesus is a dynamic combo of preaching and power. He teaches as one who has authority and he heals the sick. He kind of does it all - a one-stop-shop if you will. One of the takeaways from this is no matter what we need - instruction, wisdom, healing, etc. - Jesus has it and makes it available to us.