{"id":11603,"date":"2026-06-07T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=11603"},"modified":"2026-07-03T22:32:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T12:32:54","slug":"called-touched-raised-by-jesus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au\/?p=11603","title":{"rendered":"Called, Touched, Raised by Jesus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scripture Readings: <\/strong>Matthew 9: 9-13, 18-26<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Slide 1) Although Matthew 9:9\u201313 and 9:18\u201326 contain several different stories, they are united by a common message: Jesus continually moves toward people whom others avoid, reject, or consider beyond hope. Jesus calls the unexpected. As Jesus passed by, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth and simply said, \u201cFollow me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Slide 2) Matthew was not the kind of person people expected to become a disciple. Tax collectors were viewed as traitors, collaborators with Rome, and notorious sinners. Yet Jesus did not see Matthew merely as he was. He saw who Matthew could become. Where others saw a sinner, Jesus saw a disciple. Where others saw a tax collector, Jesus saw a future Gospel writer. Where others saw failure, Jesus saw possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grace of Christ is not limited by a person’s past. Jesus sees hidden potential where others see only brokenness, and He delights in giving people a new purpose and a new future. May we be devoted followers of Jesus, remembering His invitation: \u201cFollow me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus values mercy more than religious respectability. After calling Matthew, He shares a meal with tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees ask, \u201cWhy does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?\u201d Jesus did not ignore sin; rather, He loved people and offered them grace, healing, and a new direction. Unlike the Pharisees, He never treated people according to human standards or personal preferences. Jesus makes room at the table for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus said, \u201cIt is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick,\u201d and quoted Hosea 6:6: \u201cI desire mercy, not sacrifice and acknowledgement of God rather than burnt offerings.\u201d The church is not a museum for the righteous; it is a hospital for those who need grace. And Jesus is saying here that a Church that rejects sinners is just like a hospital that rejects the sick. He reveals that God welcomes those in need of grace. No one is beyond the reach of God’s mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus was not lowering God’s standards; He was revealing God’s heart. While the Pharisees focused on maintaining religious boundaries, Jesus focused on restoring lost people. Holiness is not about distancing ourselves from broken people but about bringing God’s healing presence into broken places. If Jesus welcomed people whom others avoided, how might we become a more welcoming and compassionate community?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Slide 3) The next scene introduces two people in desperate situations. A synagogue leader pleads for his dying daughter, while a woman who has suffered from bleeding for twelve years reaches out to touch Jesus’ cloak. Both come to Jesus in faith and find hope, and Jesus responds to desperate faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faith is not measured by its size, but by its direction. The synagogue leader comes publicly. The woman approaches quietly and anonymously. Yet Jesus receives them both. God is often less concerned with how impressive our faith appears and more concerned with where our faith is placed. Even trembling faith can become the doorway through which God’s power enters our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Slide 4) For twelve years, the woman had been considered ceremonially unclean and socially isolated. When everyone else saw her condition, Jesus saw a daughter. He stopped, noticed her, and spoke directly to her: \u201cTake heart, daughter; your faith has healed you\u201d (v.22). And she was healed. Grace not only heals bodies; it restores dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Slide 5) By the time Jesus arrives at the ruler’s house, professional mourners have already gathered. Everyone assumes the story is over. Yet Jesus says, \u201cThe girl is not dead but asleep.\u201d The crowd laughs at Him. Then He takes the girl by the hand, and she rises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Death never has the final word when Jesus is present. What others see as an ending, Jesus often sees as the beginning of something new.
The same Lord who calls sinners, restores the broken, heals the sick, and has authority over death itself. May we recognise the authority of Jesus in our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are situations in life that seem beyond repair. Dreams die. Relationships break. Health declines. Loved ones pass away. Yet Jesus is not afraid to enter places of grief, sorrow, and apparent hopelessness. He brings resurrection hope where people expect only endings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today’s text introduces three people living on the margins: Matthew, a rejected tax collector; a woman excluded because of illness; and a young girl separated from life itself by death. Yet Jesus moves toward all three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story moves from a tax booth to a dinner table, to a crowded road, and finally to a house of mourning. Yet wherever Jesus goes, life follows. At the tax booth, He gives a new purpose through His call. At the table, He extends mercy. On the road, He restores dignity. In the house of mourning, He brings new life. Wherever Jesus goes, life follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Slide 6) Jesus is constantly interrupted but never distracted. Matthew interrupts social expectations. The meal with sinners disrupts religious customs. The bleeding woman interrupts Jesus on His way to help someone else. The ruler interrupts Jesus with an urgent request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Jesus never appears rushed or annoyed. Every interruption becomes an opportunity for grace. Often, we see interruptions as obstacles, but Jesus sees them as ministry opportunities. Sometimes God’s work happens not in our planned schedules but in unexpected moments when someone needs compassion, attention, or hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This passage reminds us that Jesus still walks into places that seem beyond hope. He still calls people whom others have given up on. He still welcomes those who feel unworthy. He still responds to desperate faith. And He still brings life where the world sees only endings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew was seen as a sinner, but Jesus saw a disciple. The bleeding woman was seen as unclean, but Jesus saw a daughter. The ruler’s daughter was seen as dead, but Jesus saw a life that could be restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus is not only the healer of physical bodies; He is also the healer of wounded hearts and souls. He restores dignity to the excluded, healing to the broken, and hope to the desperate. As we follow Him, He continues to transform our stories and reshape our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wherever Jesus goes, He brings mercy, restoration, and new life, and He calls His followers to do the same. Are we willing to follow Him, trust Him, and join Him in extending His mercy to others? We have been called, touched, and raised by Jesus. May we become a church that sees people as Jesus sees them with eyes of grace, mercy, hope, and new life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks be to God! Amen.
<\/strong>(Ref. Bible, commentaries, theological books, UCA materials, and a Vanderbilt Divinity Library Resources)Top of Form<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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