Today’s chapter is Matthew 9.

Tom writes:

When Jesus says “your faith has healed you” to the bleeding woman it sort of sticks in my throat a little bit. I mean it wasn’t her faith that healed her; it was Jesus. If she had gone and touched the cloak of one of the Pharisees with the same level of faith I don’t think she would have gotten much back from them, except maybe a kick in the head for violating the purification laws. So here’s the thing; Jesus should never have let this lady touch her; it officially made him unclean for the rest of the day (or longer I can’t remember the specifics I think they are in Leviticus somewhere), and yet when she did so, not only did he heal her but he also praised her for her understanding of where to go for help in this world. The “faith” that Jesus lauded was an appreciation that Jesus is the New Wine and to come to him for help is the New Wineskin. Jesus is the one and only place for people to turn and receive real transformation. The bleeding lady saw that and acted - and this is what Jesus was celebrating. Matthew is celebrating it too.

He wants you to embrace it. He places the bleeding lady alongside multiple miracle stories and bustles them around Jesus’ new-wine-saying like paparazzi around a celebrity. All eyes on the New Wine. Why? Because the New Wine is the New Way to receive New Results. Humble trust in Jesus as New Wine makes you a heretic to who you once were, acting in ways that seem preposterous and even offensive to people who are still trusting the old wineskins. But it opens the door to a bounty of blessings. So what are you leaning on to sort out your problems? What wineskins are you using to seek to do well in life? What rules won’t you break because they are the cultural norms? No matter what you used to do, and no matter what those around you do, if you keep coming to Jesus with humble trust that he is the solution to your trouble, you may cop some flack from others, but you will see miraculous healing and he will praise you for your excellent faith.

Question for reflection

When you are in trouble, what coping mechanism do you use? Is it one that Jesus advocates? If not, what would he say to you?

Matthew 9 - Thursday 15th August