Matthew 8:16, 17, cites ____ and applies that passage of Scripture to ____.

• A. Isaiah 53:2; Physical Illness
• B. Isaiah 53:4; Physical Illness
• C. Psalm 103:2; Healing
• D. Isaiah 53:5; Spiritual Illness

Answer: (B)

Jesus’ healing ministry is presented as the fulfillment of a prophecy about the Servant bearing infirmities and diseases. In Matthew 8:16–17, Jesus heals many and then is cited as fulfilling Isaiah’s words about him taking up our infirmities and bearing our diseases. The Isaiah verse used here is the one that, in context, speaks of the Servant bearing griefs and carrying sorrows, which Christian interpretation applies to physical illnesses Jesus heals. So the passage cited is Isaiah 53:4, applied to physical illness, showing that the Messiah’s work includes restoring health. Other options either point to a different Isaiah verse with a different nuance (such as 53:2 or 53:5) or to a Psalm that isn’t the verse Matthew quotes in this context, so they don’t fit the exact citation and application shown in the text.