Illustrative Stories

An order of traditional worship for this reflection can be found here: Bulletin-06-11-2023 P5 YA

Scripture References: Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth, the material of this reflection, and the meditations of all our hearts through your Holy Spirit guide us to hear what it is you want us to hear, O Divine Love, Nurturer of Souls.  Amen.

In today’s gospel story we have multiple illustrations. It begins with Calling Matthew the tax collector, followed by an interesting literary device called an intercalation, where one story begins, interrupted by another, then both conclude with a lesson informed by all of them held together.  For today’s texts, the theme appears to be faith and healing. Or, is that only the surface theme?

For the time in which these passages are set, perhaps the more provocative illustration is the changed nature of Matthew the tax collector.  He is characterized as a Jew who has sold-out to the Romans and become a member of the oppressors – exacting money from the families of his own tribe. Perhaps he was just trying to make a living for his family by getting along with the Romans and doing work in their name; nevertheless, this choice alienated himself from his own people. Jesus comes, sees him, and says, “Follow me.” Immediately, Matthew gets up and leaves his tax booth; such is the power of Jesus inviting him into a deeper relationship.

More provocative for us in today’s world perhaps is the intercalation. The synagogue leader arrives, belief intact, and asks Jesus to come raise his daughter to life. The forward movement to his house is arrested with the healing story of the unnamed woman in the crowd, before concluding with the daughter being restored to life. With all three illustrations, a changed outcome for the main characters points to the power of faith in Jesus at work. However, the reality we more likely recognize and experience is this:

“Equally present to both pastor and [congregation] is the shared awareness that some are healed and some are not. The synagogue leader’s daughter was raised, but other children die. A desperate woman plagued by years of illness was restored, but equally desperate men and women are not….”[1]

I have struggled with this in my own life; but – and this is important – I still exercise my faith!  So what, exactly is – or should be – God’s message for us today?  Diving a little deeper and adjusting our lens of interpretation, we might discover that “to ask something of God is to edge into deeper relationship with God. God’s mind may or may not be changed, but [our] mind[s] and heart[s] – may be”[2] (Emphasis added).

Let us contrast Matthew’s intercalation with the same set of stories in the Gospel of Mark. Mark’s version records, “Then one of the synagogue rulers, a man named Jairus, came there. Seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, ‘My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.’” Matthew’s gospel reads, “…suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.”

In Mark, the synagogue leader has a name, Jairus; and unfortunately, like Matthew’s account, the woman does not.  In Mark, Jesus and Jairus have a longer conversation – and in Mark, Jairus’ belief is strengthened and drawn out by the extended time he spends with Jesus. First, on the way to his house, they are interrupted by the woman’s healing, which he occurs before his very eyes, then the report arrives of his daughter’s death. I can just imagine his reaction: “O God, all is lost!” But then, Jesus takes Jairus, his wife, and closest disciples into the house and raises the daughter back to life. That is Mark’s version.

Matthew, the later gospel, changes the story slightly and deletes some details. Why?  I wonder, if it is a matter of focus for the benefit of the intended audience. Perhaps for Matthew’s community, having been cast out of the local synagogue, needs to hear “…peace and acceptance in the face of disappointment, and as awareness of the continuing presence of God”[3] in our lives through all times and seasons of life; times of transition, anger, sadness, or despair just as surely as times of anticipation, graduations, happiness, and joy.

What connects all three vignettes in Matthew’s gospel is clear faith in Jesus. When Jesus responds to the woman, “Your faith has made you well,” it,

“is a powerful echo of what Jesus has said to the Pharisees in Matthew 9:12-13; [in effect,] the one who is healed is the one who recognizes her [or his] need and has faith….in these passages, Jesus comes to those who are in need and recognize they are in need…, providing the rich and fertile soil from which the acts of Jesus may grow [and] bloom”[4] (emphasis added).

To conclude, let me challenge you with this: apply this kind of faith to the life of this congregation here and now in this time of multiple transitions.  Let your faith lead the way, and your mind, body, heart and soul will follow; and I promise you, God will be in the midst of all of it.  May all glory be unto the one who lived, died, and rose again for us; even Him who is the Christ.  Amen?  May it be so.

[1] Michael L. Lindvall, “Pastoral Perspective, Mark 5:21-43” in Feasting on the Word – Year B, (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008). 0

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Stephen Butler Murray, “Theological Perspective, Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26” in Feasting on the Word, Year A (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).