Under the Wings of the Healer
Under the Wings of the Healer.
“For those who fear My Name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings (‘kanaph’).”
This prophecy clearly points to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. For believers who revere the name of the Lord, who deeply respect and honor and adore Him, who are fully aware of His power and glory, they will experience the Messiah as a righteous healer. This beautiful picture has been translated a few different ways… Some versions note that the term translated “righteousness” can also mean “saving justice” in Hebrew, and implies triumph and power. The Hebrew translation, the Tanakh, displays these words as the “sun of victory,” implying a powerful triumph over brokenness and suffering. The Tanakh also says that “wings” can be literally translated as “the corners and extremities of a garment.” This isn’t as far-fetched as it might seem, for certainly Jesus’ garments played a major role in His healing ministry. The particular garment referred to in this messianic prophecy is Jesus’ prayer shawl, the larger tallit draped over His clothing which had knotted tassels (‘tzitzit‘) on its corners. So when His arms are outstretched, the prayer shawl is said by the rabbis to have “wings” as it appears like a bird in flight. Of course, the sun’s rays are often poetically called wings as well. So this verse could be articulating not only the healing powers of Jesus Messiah as He wears His prayer shawl, but also the beautiful image of the rising sun, the Messiah, radiating healing to the wounded and the afflicted. Jesus, the light of the world, the sun of the universe, the rising sun who victoriously radiates healing wherever He goes. There was rabbinic teaching for hundreds of years that this verse in Malachi prophesied that the Messiah would bring healing through His prayer shawl. During this time in Israel, most pious Jews made a habit of daily wearing the tallit as commanded by the Lord in Numbers 15:38, and so Jesus proved His obedience to the Torah by doing likewise. Malachi’s picturesque prophecy has been embraced as messianic by both Jewish and Christian interpreters. Jesus Christ has clearly fulfilled this prophecy, and those who follow and revere Him will experience Jesus as a just and righteous healer of mind, body and spirit.
Kanaph: The Hebrew word for “wings” used over 100 times in the Hebrew Bible which has a variety of meanings, often giving us a picture of God in action or revealing for us aspects of God’s character… the literal wings of a bird; the corners of a prayer shawl; the outer extremities of a garment; the outstretched wings of angels; the protective presence God as a refuge and shelter; the glorious rays coming out of the sun; the sudden swooping presence of judgment; the strength of God to rescue and deliver from danger.
Tallit: The square or rectangular garment with four corners that is used as a prayer shawl for faithful Jews and many Christians who want to follow the daily practice of Jesus. Per the commandment above, the tallit is required to have a knotted tassel, or fringe, hanging from each of the four corners. The tallit was usually white and made of wool or cotton linen. The four corners of the garment represented the four extremities of the earth, and point to God’s complete sovereignty over the world, His universal Kingship. The four dimensions of height, width, length and depth also reminds us of God’s eternal and unlimited love for us. The four corners of the tallit were called “wings” because when someone who is wearing a tallit raises his arms in prayer, the appearance is one of bird in flight.
Tzitzit: The knotted tassel, or fringe, applied to each corner of the Jewish prayer shawl. The tzitzit was God’s memory device for the Jews to remind Israel of their identity as God’s people who were set apart to serve Him. The tassels were not only a visual prompt, though. They were also a tactile cue to remember that, as they felt the knots on their tassels, life has its knots and its problems, but that divine presence and joy is interwoven with the woes and difficulties. As the commandment from Yahweh makes clear, there were three main reasons for the tzitzit… to see it, to remember what it points to, and their obligation to practice God’s commandments. The holy fringes, in other words these sacred tassels, were also to remind the Jews of their redemption from slavery, of God redeeming them from Egypt. The tzitzit was to remain completely visible to the public, to both fellow Jews and others outside the Hebrew community. The tassels are to remind the people of Israel that they are a distinct people, chosen by the Lord God and set apart to reveal His character to the world by the way they live out their lives in sanctity. It’s as if Yahweh is explaining to the Israelites… Don’t forget you’re My people, and that you prove that by obeying My commands, My instructions, My Torah. You have a God-ordained mission, people, a unique calling from Me, the King of the Universe, to be a sacred community that is distinctive from the rest of the world. So people, fix these tassels to each corner of your garment so they are up front and obvious to all who see you every day. Remember your obligation to prove your love for Me by following My commandments. So show your national identity by wearing the tallit with your tzitzit like a holy uniform designed specially by your Lord.
“When the people recognized Jesus, they sent word throughout all the neighborhoods, broadcasting the news that Jesus was in their district. So they brought to Jesus everyone who was diseased or ill in any way. They begged Jesus that the sick people might only touch the knotted tassels of His prayer shawl, the fringed hem of His garment. And all who touched the tzitzit were completely healed (‘sozo’).” (Matt. 14:36).
Sozo. The Greek word here for healing is one of those classic Greek words that means more than one thing. Sozo usually suggests a complete healing, to restore someone to wholeness and full health. It means to deliver someone from danger, to rescue from some kind of trouble, to preserve someone’s well-being. Usually, sozo refers to a full healing that involves the spiritual, emotional, physical and mental aspects of a person. According to the gospels, whenever someone touched the knotted tassels (the tzitzit) of Christ’s prayer shawl (His tallit) in faith, then sozo healing occurred like day follows night.
A Case Study – The Woman with a Grievous Bleeding Condition:
“In the crowd that day was woman who had suffered horribly from continual bleeding for twelve years. She had endured a great deal under the care of various doctors, yet in spite of spending all she had on their treatments, she was not getting better, but worse. When she heard about Jesus’ healing power, she pushed through the crowd and came up from behind Him and touched His prayer shawl. For she kept saying to herself, ‘If only I could touch His prayer shawl, I know that I will be healed.’ As soon as her hand touched Jesus, her bleeding stopped! She knew it, for she could feel her body instantly being healed of her disease!” (Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-29; Luke 8:43-48).
A Hopeless Untouchable. There was a woman who had been suffering from the same ailment for twelve years… a continual bleeding, a menstrual disorder. Imagine the ongoing discomfort, weakness and public embarrassment. This illness would be extremely inconvenient and distressing to manage. According to Jewish law, this woman was ritually unclean (Lev. 15:19-28), which means she was “untouchable,” was excluded from social contact, was shunned by her community, and couldn’t worship in the Temple in Jerusalem. Also, if she happened to touch anybody, or anyone touched her, that person would be unclean as well. This woman went to many doctors for this hemorrhage, but she didn’t get any relief. She spent all her money on these doctors, and in fact her ailment was getting worse. So this unfortunate woman was in poverty as well as isolated and humiliated. The woman heard about Jesus in town, and thought that, if only she could just touch the hem of his outer garment, she would be healed. She was desperate. She would do whatever it took to touch the fringes of His tallit. There was an old rabbinic tradition based on Malachi 4:2 that when the Messiah comes, the knotted tassels on His prayer shawl would have healing powers. This distressed woman was most likely well aware of that. There were many who believed this tradition at that time as the healing fame of Jesus grew.
A Boisterous Crowd. When the woman drew near to Him, Jesus was actually on His way to heal the daughter of a Jewish leader named Jairus. Jesus and His disciples, and a huge, curious crowd, were all walking down the road on the way to Jairus’ house when the ailing woman stepped into the scene. Jesus never seems to be in a hurry, however. He doesn’t give the impression that He is being interrupted. He doesn’t seem to have an urgent agenda, and often lets random people determine His pace and direction. So here He is on the way to do one thing, and something unexpected happens, and He adapts to the change in plans and does another thing. In this case, Jesus is totally surrounded by a throng of people, pressed in on all sides. There was a lot of jostling in this boisterous crowd, and people were all jockeying for position near Jesus. They didn’t want to miss anything. Unsurprisingly, the disciples seemed frustrated by the overcrowding.
A Sozo Healing. Fighting her way through this mob was the suffering woman, desperate for healing. Sure enough, she gets within an arm’s reach and touches the sacred tassels of Christ’s outer prayer garment. She was convinced, because of her expectant faith in Jesus, that that’s all she needed to do. She believed by faith that Jesus was the prophesied Sun of Righteousness from Malachi’s prophecy, and that He would have healing in the wings of His prayer shawl. Immediately, she knew she was healed. Instantly, after twelve long years, the bleeding finally stopped.
Just Like Dynamite. Time and time again in the gospels Jesus has stopped in His tracks to minister a healing word or touch. In this case, He knew at once that His healing power was used. The word for power here is “dynamis.” Jesus offered spiritual dynamite for complete healing and restoration. Jesus sensed that divine energy had emanated from Him. So He turned around to find the person who had been healed. He asked the question, “Who touched my tallit?” But most scholars believe He actually knew the answer to that question. He wanted to have a little conversation with this woman, so He wanted her to acknowledge herself to Him. He wanted to confirm the healing with loving words of affirmation. And He wanted to make sure she knew that it wasn’t a magical shawl that healed her. It was her faith in Jesus that healed her.
Overpowering Purity. The healed woman was at first frightened, afraid to identify herself. In her mind, she was perhaps healed without Jesus’ permission or intention. And she might be in trouble now, since she touched Jesus and He would be ritually unclean. Her impurity was taken away, but now was He impure instead of her? Jesus touched other untouchables throughout His ministry: lepers, prostitutes, dead people, tax collectors, certain Gentiles. Jesus managed all these untouchable situations with its ritual impurity without a worry. His purity and health overpowered the impurity, His spirit was perfectly clean and much more powerful than anything that was unclean. It turns out that Jesus had a contagious purity, He had a righteous virus that went inside every person and healed the sickness.
Dear Daughter. Despite the rather impersonal means of healing, Jesus was extremely personal when He addressed her. He used a term of endearment, a very intimate greeting to her… “Beloved daughter.” Her bleeding was certainly healed, but now so was her spirit, after living a spiritually disconnected and socially isolated life for so long. She had suffered a lack of attachment to God and other people. Her inner brokenness was now healed through the loving words of Jesus. She was personally embraced by the Son of God, the very Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings. Maybe that was the biggest miracle of this whole encounter. She became a beloved daughter, accepted, and empowered to live freely a life of faith. She indeed, as Jesus told her, could now go in peace.
I Wonder Who This “One Jew” Could Be? “This is what the Lord Almighty, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, says: ‘In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the wings of his prayer garment, the knotted tassels of his tallit, and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you!” (Zechariah 8:23).