That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases."

Matthew 8:16-17

This is a curious fulfillment of prophesy. Isaiah is speaking about sin when he speaks of the "burden" God's Servant would carry for his people, yet Matthew applies this to Jesus' healing ministry. So which is it? Is Isaiah 53 dealing with sin or with sickness? 

It could be both. The source of all human suffering is sin. Sin introduced sickness and death into the world. Jesus bore all of that, both the physical and the spiritual consequences of sin on the cross. Healing the crowds of their physical ailments was symbolic then of the greater mission of our Lord.

When we minister to people we are often helping them cope with and manage the consequences of sin in their lives. Broken relationships and broken lives are left in the wake of sin. Pain and suffering is the indelible mark of sin on our hearts. Much of our work is an attempt to help people overcome these consequences (like when we try to reconcile couples who are contemplating divorce).

But we must make sure that we're truly getting to the core of the problem as we're helping people with these consequences. All of these people whom Jesus healed have died. If all he did was make their life a little more comfortable for the few, brief years they had on this earth, then he failed to accomplish his mission (and failed miserably). 

Should we minister to the "whole man" and help take care of the "urgent" needs that people suffer with because of sin? Absolutely, we should. The gospel of Christ demands that. 

However, we must not forget that the eternal soul is much more precious and valuable than the physical body in which it is temporarily clothed. The most urgent need that our friends and neighbors have is salvation from sin.

Father, help us to look at our lost friends with compassion. Give us eyes to see them as harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Give us a heart to serve them, whatever their needs might be, but help us to not lose sight of what they need the most.