Seven Lives

May 22, 2023

In Matthew 9, seven lives had a personal encounter with Jesus, and seven lives were forever changed.

It begins with Jesus healing a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. In verse 6, Jesus says to the man, “Get up, take your mat, and go home.” This man’s life was instantly and forever changed.

Then Jesus walks by the tax collector’s booth and sees Matthew. Jesus said to him, “Follow me,” and Matthew immediately left the booth and followed him. His life now had new meaning and new purpose.

Later, Jesus even went to Matthew’s home where he ate with tax collectors and sinners. When the religious leaders asked him why he would eat with such terrible people, Jesus responded in verse 12: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” Because Jesus embraced Matthew, a hated tax collector, Matthew’s life was forever changed.

Shortly thereafter, in verses 18-25, Jesus goes to the home of a Jewish synagogue leader whose daughter had just died. Along the way, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years came and touched the edge of Jesus' cloak. Because of her faith in Jesus, she was healed. Then, when Jesus arrived at the home, he took the dead girl’s hand and she got up. Obviously, the lives of these two women, and many others who witnessed what took place, were forever changed.

Finally, in verses 27-33, Jesus is confronted by two men who are blind, and they ask to be healed. Jesus asks them (v28), “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” When they responded to the affirmative, Jesus touched their eyes and healed them. As they were leaving, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk, was brought to Jesus and was healed. He who was mute was now able to speak. Two men now able to see for the first time in their lives and another man freed from demonic-possession and able to speak. The lives of these three men were forever changed.

As one writer put it:

God may not always give you the ability to solve your own problems, but you can always be assured that Jesus is strong enough to handle it, compassionate enough to feel it, loving enough to care for it, and wise enough to deal with it.

In this one short chapter of Matthew’s gospel, seven lives were changed forever following encounters with the problem-solving and purpose-giving Jesus.

Friends, your life and mine will also be forever changed when we stop looking to solve problems on our own, and cease trying to create our own purpose, and, instead, focus on the ONE who IS the problem-solver and IS the purpose-giver.