Matthew 9.
I see the scene like this:
Jesus is busy teaching and touching and healing and in burst two big security men in the first century version of ear buds and dark glasses. They locate Jesus and isolate him from the crowd. Once they have his attention a smaller man steps out from behind them.
“While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.”19 Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.”
As they traveled to what was a sick bed but was now a death chamber, this happened.
“20 Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”
22 Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart,daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment.”
If it had been a different day, the security men would’ve lost their jobs or maybe their lives for this interruption. But not today.
“When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, 24 he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. 25 After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. 26 News of this spread through all that region.”
Both the father and the sick woman had something in common, they had faith. Not in a “keep the faith bro'” way but in a “I believe you are my only hope” way. That faith was directed to the person of Jesus.
Having faith is not key or the answer. Who you have faith in? That is the key. Every other person who has ever been on this planet will fail, has failed. Jesus did not. Jesus will not.
The whole dead thing.
Except for those who are alive when Jesus returns? We will
all die. From the least to the greatest we will all die. In a fashion we are already dead.
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.”
Our sin separates us from God. We are already spiritually dead. But there is good news.
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
When we receive Jesus, accept his gift of forgiveness, declare him to be Lord of our life, we are brought from death to life.
I feel like I’ve been cramming too much in here.
Who do we believe in? More to the point, What do we believe about Jesus? The answer will
Change eternity for us.
Peter’s Posts 