“And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 4:24 Mean?
Matthew 4:24 catalogs the scope of human brokenness that Jesus addressed — and the catalog is comprehensive: "And they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them."
The Greek poikilais nosois kai basanois synechomenous — "taken with divers diseases and torments" — uses synechō, meaning held, gripped, pressed together. The sick aren't just ill. They're seized by their conditions — imprisoned by disease, pressed on every side by torment. The variety (poikilais, diverse, many-colored) emphasizes that no category of suffering was excluded.
Four specific categories are named: the diseased (chronic illness), the tormented (acute suffering), the demon-possessed (spiritual oppression), the lunatic (mental/neurological affliction), and the paralyzed (physical incapacity). Matthew covers every dimension of human brokenness: physical, spiritual, mental, and neurological. And the final clause settles everything: kai etherapeeusen autous — "and he healed them." Not some. Them. All of them. Every category. Every condition. Every person who was brought.
The word etherapeeusen — healed — is aorist: completed action. The healing was decisive, comprehensive, and finished.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which category of brokenness in this verse most describes your current condition — disease, torment, spiritual oppression, mental struggle, or paralysis?
- 2.Jesus healed every kind of suffering brought to Him. Do you believe He can address yours, or have you decided your condition is the exception?
- 3.Some people were carried — they couldn't get to Jesus on their own. Who in your life needs you to carry them to Him?
- 4.Matthew says He healed them — all, completely, decisively. What's stopping you from bringing your full brokenness to Him today?
Devotional
They brought everyone. Every kind of sick. Every kind of broken. Diseases, torments, demons, mental illness, paralysis. The full spectrum of human suffering, carried and dragged and transported to one person. And He healed them.
The diversity of the conditions matters. Matthew isn't saying Jesus healed one kind of problem. He's saying Jesus healed every kind. Physical deterioration. Spiritual oppression. Mental anguish. Neurological collapse. Complete bodily paralysis. The categories cover everything that can go wrong with a human being. And none of them stumped Him. None of them were outside His jurisdiction. None of them required a specialist.
"And he healed them." Four words that carry the weight of the entire gospel. Whatever you brought, He healed. Whatever was gripping you, He released. Whatever diverse, many-colored suffering had seized your body, mind, or spirit — He addressed it. Completely. Decisively.
The people were brought — they didn't all come under their own power. Some were carried. Some were dragged. Some were led because they couldn't see or think clearly enough to navigate on their own. The verse doesn't require you to arrive at Jesus under your own strength. It just requires you to arrive. And if you can't get there yourself, it requires someone to carry you.
Whatever category of brokenness you're living in — chronic illness, acute torment, spiritual oppression, mental struggle, physical limitation — Matthew 4:24 says: your condition has been healed before. By this specific person. In this specific way. You're not bringing Him something He hasn't seen. You're bringing Him something He's already proven He can address.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And his fame went throughout all Syria - It is not easy to fix the exact bounds of Syria in the time of our Saviour. It…
See here, I. What an industrious preacher Christ was; He went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and…
throughout all Syria The fame passes to the north and east, rather than to the south. Galilee is connected by trade and…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture