Matthew 9:18–38

Family Bible Study
Chair of Theatre, Samford University; Southwestern Seminary graduate

Life Matters
Matthew 9:18–38
All of us are guilty of taking life for granted — that is until something shocks us, and we become suddenly and keenly aware of just how very fragile and fleeting our time in this world is. Recently the head coach of a successful NFL franchise lost his 18-year-old son. His grief was possibly made worse by the fact that he was in the public eye, but he handled the event with such dignity that I could not help but admire him. He turned the tragedy into an expression of faith and affirmation of life.

I wondered if I could have been so mature, so whole in my understanding. This coach urged everyone to cherish each moment they have with their children. He was right. We should cherish every moment with everyone. Treat each moment with the righteousness that a gift like life implores. So what does that mean? Matthew 9 can give us a good insight.

Life is important — all of life. From the cradle to the grave, the pilgrimage we have is a precious gift. In Matthew 9, beginning in verse 18, Christ is approached by a ruler who asks Jesus to come to his home and touch his daughter who has died, believing that she will be restored to life. Christ’s response is as simple as any in the Bible. He offers no verbal response here, no parable.  The Scripture simply says, “Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.” The message? “Of course I’ll come. The life of this child is important.” If the story ended there, then we would have enough but it doesn’t. The writer of Matthew slips in a subplot. A woman suffering from a hemorrhage touches the hem of Christ’s garment seeking healing. Jesus turns to her and says, “Take heart, daughter your faith has healed you.” Now why does the writer of Matthew slip this story in with the account of the ruler’s daughter? Well probably because it happened this way, but it also makes a point. Yes the child’s life matters but no more or less than this middle-aged woman, who because of her condition would have been considered unclean, untouchable under Jewish law. The love of Christ extends far enough that we can cherish the lives of the clean and the innocent and the lost and fringe dwelling. In fact, we must — it is the model Christ leaves us. Where do we start? A great place is with issues of health. Take care of your own body, and become involved in efforts that promote healthy living in your community. In my own church, we have a missions project that partners with a church in Mexico. A part of this project is tending to the health of the villagers. No doubt your church has taken on similar projects. Christ’s example asks us to be involved with these projects, not simply to sit on the sidelines. 

Life is also a question of wholeness. In Matthew 9:27, we find the account of Jesus meeting with two blind men. They were persistent and Jesus healed them. Jesus healed them and then implored them not to tell anyone, a request they promptly ignored. The Bible says they told every one they saw. The men were restored physically, but what of their spiritual health? Christ asked something of them and they did not obey. We must make more of our life than just physical health. We must seek relational health as well. We must tend to our relationships with God and with those around us if we are to be whole and healthy.

In Matthew 9:36, the writer describes what Christ did after the series of healings found in the first part of the chapter: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” To me, the key words here are “he had compassion.” So often Christians approach issues of life with anger and indignation. The model Christ gives is that we champion life out of our love for one another and out of compassion for everyone. If our heart is in that state, we can then truly understand why life matters.