Matthew 9:18-26
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Sit comfortably and breathe deeply for a few seconds before you begin. As you breathe in, say the name of Jesus and become aware of his presence with you. As you breathe out, open your mind and heart to receive whatever Jesus has for you today.
Read Matthew 9:18-26 noticing the difference between the two desperate people who seek help from Jesus.
A member of the religious elite and a ceremonially unclean woman. Jesus has no system for determining who is worthy of his time and attention. The only quality Jesus looks for in a person is faith, and these two people from divergent worlds both have faith in spades.
At this point in time, Jesus has healed many sick people and has shown his authority over disease, evil spirits, and sin, but he hasn’t displayed his authority over the death. The synagogue leader seems absolutely unfazed by the lack of evidence that Jesus can raise the dead. All he knows is that Jesus is capable of doing things no other person can do, and he is desperate for that kind of help. This synagogue leader believes fully that Jesus can restore life to his daughter.
Faith means believing and actively trusting that Jesus reigns supreme over every force or circumstance we encounter. We cannot conjure up this kind of faith with our own effort or strategies, it is a gift God gives us as we know and experience Jesus.
How’s your faith today? Consider the quality of your faith in Jesus’ ability and authority to set things right in and around you. If you were to rank your faith from 1-10 with one being “low or non-existent” and 10 “high or extremely certain,” where would you fall at this moment? Talk openly with Jesus about this.
Read Matthew 9:18-26 again noticing anything new that stands out to you.
The ceremonially unclean woman and the religious leader both take enormous risks to come to Jesus. The synagogue leader is swimming against the current of opinion among his fellow leaders, and the woman is knowingly seeking to break a religious law by touching a rabbi in her unclean state.
For the woman, the risk is greatest. Where the synagogue leader may lose status or respectability, the woman may lose her life to an angry mob. But both these people know without a doubt that Jesus has the power to help them.
Stop to consider what you might risk by having full and unshakable faith in Jesus’ ability to help you. Would you risk looking foolish if Jesus were to give a different answer than you seek? Would you risk your own sense of control if you gave Jesus free rein in your life? Something else?
For the last minutes of this meditation, consider asking Jesus to show you anything that is in the way of your complete and total faith in him. Then consider surrendering these barriers to him and asking him to increase your faith.
What might Jesus be inviting you to do or stop doing as a result of today’s passage?
What will you do about that?
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