And behold, a woman who had suffered from a discharge of blood for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. – Matthew 9:20-22 ESV
Warrior;
Nobody responds to reality; we respond to our MAP OF REALITY. In other words, we don’t respond to what is going on necessarily, we respond to what we BELIEVE is going on. When we couple that with the understanding that EVERYTHING we do is driven by a BELIEF SYSTEM- our current situations get some clarity. The “frame’ through which we see something brings its meaning. The frame is; The way in which a thing is put together, an established order, to shape and form, it is a controlled focus and discussion. Frames give meaning to words. It changes our internal representation. The meaning of any experience in life depends upon the frame we put around it. The Bible was written Polemically, to confront the LIES of the WORLD. Here is a woman who has suffered for over a decade with sickness, with a disease. She has spent all her money on many different doctors, and nothing has helped. She is helpless and hopeless and just needs something to LOOK FORWARD TO. She needs the hope that money and doctors couldn’t provide. She needed JESUS! If she could just TOUCH HIS GARMENT! Jesus is on his way to heal a Centurion’s daughter, and he stops to help and speak about this poor, hopeless wretch.
Leader, Jesus publicly affirms her faith and restores her dignity. Jesus cared when all others had stopped. Jesus brought hope to a hopeless person. Jesus challenged the LIE of the world that says the unclean, the broken, the medically disadvantaged are unworthy of investment, or even life. In John 14:6 when Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life….”, he was saying I AM your EXAMPLE! It is the GREAT I AM statement; HE IS IT ALL! There are at least 5 times that Jesus said, “Be of good cheer, Take courage or Take Heart. Jesus is being the GREAT ENCOURAGER. The words that JESUS is using mean to be BOLD, CONFIDENT, UNAFRAID! Jesus is our POLEMIC-in-chief! Jesus is confronting the LIES OF THE WORLD: Fear, Shame, Suffering, and Uncertainty with DIVINE ASSURANCE! Earlier in this 9thChapter of Matthew Jesus speaks to the paralytic. It is written; And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” (v1-3) Jesus responded not just to this man’s physical paralysis but also to his spiritual shame. As the man is lowered through the roof, Jesus first addresses his spiritual needs, before his physical needs. This same story is more intimated in Mark 2:3-12. Jesus dealt with the lies of the religious leaders and the lies of the world. Jesus affirmed His personal DIVINE authority to forgive sin, and He refutes the lie that physical healing is more urgent than SPIRITUAL RESTORATION.
Conduit, in the book of Mark we read about the disciples in the midst of a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Hear the Word of the Lord; When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land. He could see that the disciples were straining to row, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. He intended to pass by them, but when they saw Him walking on the sea, they cried out, thinking He was a ghost— for they all saw Him and were terrified. But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” (Mark 6:47-50) In the STORM and in the disciples FEAR, Jesus WALKS on WATER and speaks PEACE into their PANIC! Again, Jesus refuted the LIE that CHAOS and FEAR are stronger than the PEACE OF GOD that surpasses all understanding! See Philippians 4:7 which states, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” This peace envelops believers when they entrust their worries to God, providing comfort and assurance in difficult times. This is the PEACE that the PRINCE OF PEACE offers us! A profound sense of peace that comes from KNOWING JESUS, which is beyond human comprehension! The World is using all kinds of things from the pharmacological, to the psychic to find peace within! Take Courage believer, be of good cheer, TAKE HEART! KNOW JESUS, KNOW PEACE. No Jesus, No Peace!
