OUR FAITH MATTERS
Matthew 9:20-22 NKJV
20 And suddenly, a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind and touched the hem of His garment. 21 For she said to herself, “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” 22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.
There is a repeated theme to the ninth chapter of Matthew. Faith. Three times, Jesus makes a direct reference to the faith of the people He encountered. And on another occasion, we see faith in action. When the ruler of the synagogue comes to Jesus in verse 18 and says, “my daughter has just died, but come lay Your hand on her, and she will live.” There is a massive amount of faith in that statement. Jesus does go with the father, and the little girl is raised from the dead. Wherever you see faith, you see good things going on.
In our verses for today, we see the story of the lady who had a blood flow problem. Mark and Luke also cover this story in their books. And once again, I am struck by how abbreviated Matthew’s version of this account is. I was always under the assumption that Mark’s gospel was the most parred down. Mark does have less chapters but gives more detail than Matthew. We learn something new all the time.
This lady had a problem that Mark tells us was ongoing for 12 years. She came through the crowd to touch Jesus. Mark tells us that the crowd around Jesus was thick, and yet this lady pushed through. Why would she attempt such a challenging feat knowing that it was illegal for her to be out in public with her condition? The simple answer was that she had faith. We see evidence of her faith in her action of pushing through a crowd.
Another evidence of her faith was in what she said to herself. She said, “If only I may touch the hem of His garment, I shall be whole.” Jesus confirmed that it was her faith that made her well. The other gospels tell us that many people were touching Jesus that day. So much so that when Jesus stopped to find out who touched Him, the disciples were astonished. Uh, Jesus, like everybody is touching You. But Jesus knew what He was doing. He was not asking to condemn; He was asking to confirm. When the lady finally told Jesus the truth, He reassured her heart. Be of good cheer or be courageous and confident, daughter. Your faith has made you well.
Sometimes, people protest at this saying, but remember who said it: Jesus. And remember that He also said something very similar to the two blind men in the same chapter. Mark tells us He said something along those same lines to the ruler of the synagogue when Jesus instructed him to not be afraid, only believe. Our faith matters.
Of course, our faith is in Jesus. And if not for His word, we wouldn’t have any faith. But He has given us His word and His Spirit so that we can believe. So now it’s our choice.
APPLICATION
God provided salvation for mankind through what He did for us through Jesus. Now, all a person must do is believe and receive the salvation available. By grace, we are saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8). We know faith matters when it comes to salvation; why would it be different in any other area? Wisdom, healing, direction, strength, provision - what God has provided by His grace we receive by our faith.
Spiritual things have not changed. Faith mattered when Jesus was on the earth, and faith still matters today.
PRAYER
Thank You, Heavenly Father. My faith is in You and in the Lord Jesus. My faith is in Your word and Your Holy Spirit. What I believe matters, and I believe You.