Should the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4 regarding Jesus taking our illnesses and bearing our diseases be limited to his earthly ministry?
The fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4, about Jesus taking our illnesses and bearing our diseases, is not limited to his earthly ministry, because while Matthew translates from the Hebrew, which speaks of illnesses,
the Greek Septuagint speaks of bearing sins.
Isaiah 53:1–12 tells about the Servant of the Lord suffering as the innocent One to bring peace (shalom: wellbeing of both body and soul, spiritual health) to guilty sinners (see Isaiah 53:5). Isaiah was deliberately using illness to signify sin (see Isaiah 1:6). The Saviour’s healing of bodily illnesses also points to his work of taking away the sins of the world. Matthew thus quotes Isaiah 53:3 to convey the nature and purpose of Jesus’ miraculous healings. In Matthew 9:2, Jesus directly connects his healing of illness with the forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ earthly fulfillment of Isaiah 53:4 anticipates the glorious future without either illness or death itself (see Revelation 21:4, Revelation 22:1–2).
No, in Matthew 8:17, the evangelist cites Isaiah 53:4a by directly translating from the Hebrew text, not by citing the Septuagint, the official Greek translation of the Hebrew. The Septuagint speaks of bearing sins
as opposed to illnesses.
In Isaiah 53:1–12 the prophet is speaking about the Servant of the Lord who must suffer as the innocent One for the sake of bringing peace (shalom: that is, general wellbeing of both body and soul, spiritual health) to guilty sinners (see Isaiah 53:5).1 It is therefore clear that the prophet Isaiah purposefully used illness in this passage as an image to signify sin (see also Isaiah 1:6). Jesus’ work thereby serves to complement this image. After all, when he as the Saviour heals bodily illnesses, this also points to his redemptive work in taking away the sins of the world. Matthew therefore appeals here to the prophecy of Isaiah 53:3 as an interpretive guide for rightly understanding the nature and purpose of the miraculous healings conducted by Jesus. In fact, a little later in Matthew 9:2 Jesus expressly connects the healing of illnesses with the forgiveness of sins. This is what his miracles point to and this is what they have always taught and continue to teach the church throughout all ages.2
In his earthly fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 53:4 Jesus provides us with a foretaste of the glorious future in which he as Saviour will cure every illness and conquer even death itself (see Revelation 21:4,Revelation 22:1–2).3
17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”