What does “risen with healing in his wings” mean?
There is a line in a famous Christmas carol, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, that says that Jesus is “risen with healing in his wings”. You’ve probably sung that line countless times and never really understood what you have been singing. Wings? I don’t remember that bit in the Christmas story!
Charles Wesley, who wrote the words to Hark the Herald Angels Sing, did not come up with that line himself, but he quoted a passage from the prophet Malachi who wrote it around 400 years before Jesus was born. Right near the end of the book, Malachi turned his attention to the coming day of judgement. He described the terrible situation facing the wicked as being like a burning oven, like stubble that will be set ablaze. And then Malachi described the glorious future awaiting God’s people instead:
But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
(Malachi 4:2 ESV)
God’s people will experience the sun of righteousness rising with healing in its wings. It’s not immediately clear what this means. We know what righteousness is. Righteousness means being right with God, God’s favour. But as for the phrase, it could mean one of two things.
One is that when God comes on the Day of Judgement, his favour will be on his people as obviously as the sun rising. As for the wings, it was common to depict the sun in the Ancient Near East as a disc with wings. So, the phrase could mean that God will shine his favour on his people on that Day, healing them, making them whole and complete.
But there is another possibility, which translations like the KJV choose. You could notice that the sun here is spoken of like a person. If that is the case, the “Sun of Righteousness” would be referring to the Messiah, the one who came to heal and bless his people. That is how ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ takes the phrase. Jesus, the Messiah, would come in healing and welcome to those who trusted in Him.
Whichever possibility is true, the idea of great blessing and welcome for God’s people on the Day of Judgement is clear. Those who fear God will receive blessing and not destruction, healing and not fire.
Jesus came to save, to offer eternal life and blessing to all who believed. What a joy it is to look forward to experiencing God’s ultimate welcome on that last Day!