Matthew 14 - Part 4

 

Read Matthew 14

There’s just a little bit at the end of this chapter that could have gone with the walking on water message, but it takes place ashore in the region of Gennesaret. It is likely on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee and an area that Jesus would go through on his way to Capernaum.  The short version is that Jesus is still in the region of Galilee.

Of note is the fact that people from all over the region brought their sick to Jesus for healing.  The word was out.  Jesus worked miracles and he was here.

People came hoping only to touch the hem of his garment.  Remember it was in this same region where the woman who had a bleeding illness for 12 years was healed not by touching the hem of his garment but by here faith.  

She believed if she could just touch his garment, she would be healed.  Jesus noted that it was not his clothing but her faith that had healed her.

We are not given any individual stories here but all who touched Jesus were healed.  We don’t get much more information but it makes you wonder about how powerful the testimonies of the woman who was healed by her faith were.

The word about Jesus was spreading and many were coming to see him.

Amen.

 

 

Matthew 9 - Part 4

 

Read Matthew 9

It’s time to read about healing.  It’s time to read about faith.  It’s time to see that many were coming to believe that Jesus was more than a teacher or prophet.

This section begins with Jesus teaching and a synagogue leader came and knelt before him.  Again, we see faith at work.  The man told of his daughter who had just died but he believed that Jesus could bring her back to life.  This is no case of Corona Virus or Leprosy.  She was dead but this man believed that Jesus could bring her to life.

Jesus departed with this man to see his daughter.  Along the way, a woman who had suffered from bleeding for a dozen years came up behind him and touched the edge of his outer garment. She knew that if she could just touch his clothing that she would be healed.

Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

There is a little more dialogue and action in Mark’s account, but consider the words: Your faith has healed you.  Think about those words.  God has given each of us a measure of faith, but this woman had the will to put her faith into practice.

Your faith has healed you.

Jesus continued to the synagogue leader’s home and told the people that the girl was not dead but asleep.  They laughed at him.  Jesus sent them out of the building and took the girl by the hand.  She got up.

There was no keeping this secret.  There was no instruction not to tell anyone.  The skeptical crowd was witness to the impossible at the hands of Jesus.

The girl’s father had faith among a congregation of skeptics.  Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This man’s faith brought that substance and evidence into physical being.  Faith was at work and visible to many.  This would go viral.

Healing and Faith were making headlines.

Amen.

Matthew 8 - Part 3

 

Read Matthew 8

Were any of the disciples married?  We know that Peter was.  How?  Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law.

Jesus had come to Peter’s house.  His mother-in-law had a fever.  Jesus touched her and she was well.  The fever was gone.

What did she do?  She got up and went to work waiting on everyone.  It’s not like she had a man-cold where she would need a full week to recover.

We can chuckle a little here.  Jesus healed her and she went to work, but why not?  Why not get back to doing the things you couldn’t do well while you were sick.

When we are sick, we want our lives back.  We want to do the things that we took for granted before, even if it’s cooking, cleaning, or rotating the tires.

We should be thankful for every day of good health, but sometimes we have to recover from illness to remember to thank God for health.

Health Care is a big topic these days.  Jesus came to take care of our preexisting conditions—sin and everything that sin brought upon us, but he also came to take away our infirmities—our illness and disease in these bodies and during our time in this world.

Yes, sometimes the answer to our prayer is that my grace is enough for you, but we should not shy away from asking for healing and cleansing because sometimes a condition persists.

Too often we just classify illness, infirmity, and disease as the cost of doing business in a sinful world.  To an extent, that’s on the money.

But we have Jesus.  We have the Great Physician.  We have one not restrained by the rules of the world.  The blood of Jesus has healed us for all eternity.  He has removed the stain of our sin, but we can have healing in this time and in this world and in our infirmities.

Many came to see Jesus with many ailments and Jesus healed them.  Jesus healed them.

What the prophet had spoken, Jesus had fulfilled.

Let’s not just throw our infirmities into the cost of doing business in a sinful world basket.  Let us ask, seek, and knock as directed and expect all of those prayers to be answered, many as proffered.

Amen.

Matthew 8 - Part 1

 

Read Matthew 8

What we know as the Sermon on the Mount had come to an end.  How do we know?  Jesus came down the mountain.  He had plenty more to teach, but his time teaching on this piece of high ground had come to an end.

At this point we are told that large crowds followed him.  His message had already reached beyond the 12.  He was speaking as one who had authority.  He was and is one who speaks with authority.

A man with leprosy came to Jesus. Out of the crowd that was following Jesus, this man made it to the One who could heal him.  He knelt before Jesus.  His words were words of faith.

He said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”  There was no doubt in this man’s mind that Jesus could heal him, but will this Teacher, this Lord, this man who is the King of Kings though most don’t know that yet; will he heal a man deemed unclean by the society of the time?

Contrast this to Mark’s gospel where a man with a demon-possessed son comes before Jesus and asks if Jesus could do anything about it.  What a difference a word makes.

Can you?  Will you?  Faith asks will you.  Human nature wonders if he can. 

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.

Jesus didn’t want this man running all over the countryside telling everyone what Jesus had done.  I think that from John’s gospels we understand the words present but not written here in Matthew:  His time had not yet come.

Jesus did want the religious leaders of this time to know what he had done.  There would be much confrontation with them in the time ahead.

For now, understand that if you are willing are words of faith that recognize sovereignty.  If you can, speaks to doubt and belies sovereignty.  Ask, seek, and knock should sound like familiar verbs from the previous chapter.  This man approached Jesus knowing that he could do exactly what he needed.

He asked in faith.  Let us always ask in faith.

Ask in faith.

Amen.