Faith that has feet

Matthew 9:18-26

In the sterile or refined places of worship of today, it may be hard to place us in the setting of disrupting the pastor or priest with a question, but that was not the case with Jesus.  For one thing, it would be considered rude, out of place, and also it would add to the time and that would not work in our services.  Most Sunday church services in a large Baptist church has more than one service, and then many of those go on to a Bible study group, and it is all on a tight time schedule. 

As we visit this account that Matthew is recording, it is amazing, Jesus is speaking on fasting and has made a great point about God looking on the heart and how to honor God by seeking His approval and not man’s.  Matthew reports that it is not after He has finished speaking but while He is speaking, a ruler came in and knelt before Him saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hands on her, and she will live.”  Did you hear what the ruler said, not that she is really sick, but she has died, left the body, but if you will just come to my house and touch her she will live.  Have you known anyone with that kind of faith?  That is faith that took on feet, that is Abraham’s kind of faith, when he offered up his son Isaac, and in the book of Hebrews 11:19, we have this report of that kind of faith; “He considered that God was able even to raise him for the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.”

When reading of such faith, I am exposed, my faith in a big God who is faithful, and I am either stupid in not putting feet to my faith as this ruler has done, or I’ve been deceived into believing that Jesus is not interested in my concerns or needs, but is that true?  The answer is found in the verses that follow with a women who had for 12 years suffered from a discharge of blood.  You may not understand that this was much greater problem for this lady being a Jew than just her health, she was unclean, she could not enter the temple, and she could not be part of her community of faith.  In fact, if she entered the temple while unclean she could get 40 lashes to death by stoning.  Look at Leviticus 15:25, “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean.”

We find Jesus on the way to this rulers home, now today we would have a police escort but not Jesus, it just Him, the ruler and a few disciples, and the unthinkable happens, this unclean women touches the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.”  It is reported in another gospel that she had been to many a doctor over the twelve years with no help, the rulers daughter was dead, both of these people had little reason to hope, but this is what Jesus said to the women; “Take heart, daughter, your faith has made you well.”  And Matter reports, “And instantly” the women was made well.  And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion.”  You and I may miss this small fact but the flute player indicated that the girl had been dead for sometime and her funeral had begun.  So when Jesus shows up and he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” (Note: sleeping implies that death is a state from with believers will be awakened at the resurrection, 1 Thessalonians 4:13)  This is how the crowd replied, “And they laughed at him.  But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her hand, and the girl arose.  And the report of this went through all that district.” It become clear unbelief has to be put outside, then faith will work.

I wonder what will happen when you and I get faith with feet, believing faith, faith that believe and acts on this fact; Jesus tells the truth.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice