PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 9

What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?

“Take heart, daughter, your faith has healed you.” (Matthew 9:22)
In Leviticus 15 we read the many laws relating to uncleanness.
These laws symbolized unholiness, and kept people from God.
Their uncleanness would defile God’s dwelling place (Leviticus 15:31).
To break these laws would be defiant, rebellious, unacceptable.
Jesus represents God’s dwelling place among us.
This woman should have known better; how dare she touch Jesus???
How dare she be present in the crowd, defiling others.
Yet Jesus does not treat her as defiant or rebellious.
He sees in her action a desperate and sincere faith.
The shadows of Moses Law give way to the reality of Jesus.
Grace, not judgment, is the last word for God and Jesus.
The church today struggles to separate itself from sinners.
Desperate, sincere, unclean sinners eagerly needing hope and help.
Maybe instead of judging them, we should honour their faith.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, you draw sinners to yourself; I know that because I am one of them. Make me as open to unclean seekers as you are. May they take heart and be encouraged because of how I respond to them.