Matthew 9:14-26
Faith That Touches the Hem and Raises the Dead
Matthew 9:14–26
In Matthew 9, we see faith at work in three powerful ways—faith that transforms, faith that reaches out, and faith that raises the dead.
The chapter begins with a question: why don’t Jesus’ disciples fast like others? Jesus replies that you can’t pour new wine into old wineskins. He didn’t come to patch up old religion—He came to bring new life. Rituals and traditions can’t contain the transforming work of Christ. He makes us new.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Faith also reaches out in desperation. A woman who had been suffering for twelve years pushed through the crowd just to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. She believed, “If I only touch His garment, I will be made well.” And Jesus stopped, saw her, and said: “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.”
She didn’t wait until she was “together.” She came in her brokenness. That’s what real faith does—it reaches for Jesus right now.
Finally, faith raises the dead. A ruler asked Jesus to come lay His hand on his daughter who had just died. When Jesus arrived, the crowd laughed at Him for saying she was “just asleep.” But Jesus took her by the hand, and she arose. Where the world saw an ending, He brought new life.
Jesus is still the same today. He transforms, He restores, He raises what seems lost.
Reflection for today:
- What “old wineskins” is God asking you to let go of so He can do something new?
- Where in your life do you need to reach out to Jesus in faith?
- What “dead places” do you need Him to bring back to life?
The same Jesus who touched the broken woman and raised a dead girl is still at work. He doesn’t just patch up our past—He makes us new. He meets us in our desperation. He conquers even death.
Take heart. Reach for Him today.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7).
“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).
Let us live as people of faith—new, desperate for His touch, and confident in His resurrection power.
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