Matthew 9:18-26
As he finished saying this, a local official appeared, bowed politely, and said, “My daughter has just now died. If you come and touch her, she will live.” Jesus got up and went with him, his disciples following along.
Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well.” Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.” The woman was well from then on.
By now they had arrived at the house of the town official, and pushed their way through the gossips looking for a story and the neighbors bringing in casseroles. Jesus was abrupt: “Clear out! This girl isn’t dead. She’s sleeping.” They told him he didn’t know what he was talking about. But when Jesus had gotten rid of the crowd, he went in, took the girl’s hand, and pulled her to her feet—alive. The news was soon out, and traveled throughout the region.
January 22nd, 2007 at 2:58 pm
“Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.”
I am feeling like I am taking a lot of faithful risks at the moment. So, this passage was a great encouragement. Sometimes it is difficult to step out in search of healing. This story gives us hope. Whilst the healings are miraculous in themselves it is the ordinariness of the faith of the father and the woman who is hemorrhaging that strikes me. They just got on with acting in faith. It is a challenge to me to stop theorising and get on with the stuff of God.
January 22nd, 2007 at 3:02 pm
i dont understand why it was a RISK of faith please explain this to my simple mind!
January 22nd, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Ellen - those were the exact words that spoke out loud and clear to me too when I read this amazing passage.
January 22nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
That’s an excellent question Diane.
I think it was a risk in at least 2 ways.
1. In that culture, as a woman who was bleeding, she was ‘unclean’and therefore shoudn’t have touched Jesus, becasue that would make him unclean too. It’s interesting that one of the few things more unclean than a woman with bleeding back then was a corpse - which Jesus then goes on to touch later that day! In both cases, rather than Jesus being made unclean, he makes the person he touches ‘clean’. That’s why he’s willing to otuch me too!
2. Maybe it is also always a ‘risk’ to dare to get our hopes up in faith?
January 22nd, 2007 at 6:23 pm
“Courage daughter!” - those are exactly the words I needed to hear today. Logged on to comment and find Ellen & Julie there ahead of me!!Perhaps it’s unusual to hear Courage and daughter in the same sentence that makes it so striking! I’m not particularly feminist, but courage is more of a blokey word isn’t it? When the Bible is full of courageous women. Number one in my book being Mary - but this anonymous lady feaures highly too!
January 22nd, 2007 at 7:48 pm
If you want to see a courageous woman of faith, go read Esther! My heroine!!
January 22nd, 2007 at 11:43 pm
It feels strange (but good) when someone makes the exact comment that you planned to make. It’s almost like a group cuddle off the Father.
January 23rd, 2007 at 2:08 pm
funnly enough i have just read Phils “Freshbread” cant remember when he wrote it, but i quote his words, he wrote, “He wanted people to have a faith in God rather than faith in faith it self” so maybe that is the answer i was looking for thanks to everyones in put.