PrayerBits for Tuesday

PrayerBits

A bite sized devotional program
produced by the West Side Presbyterian Church

Tuesday

Scripture lesson: Matthew 9:18-26 A story inside a story

Time to reflect:

Based on the language, scholars are sure that the “hemorrhaging” was a vaginal discharge. This made her and anything she touched ritually impure and excluded from the Temple. Her touching Jesus was shockingly offensive at the time and should have made Jesus ritually impure. Instead, he made her ritually pure – she was cured. He then clarified, that it was her faith in him that cured her.

Moving through the day: Who are our society's “ritually impure?” Excluded or viewed as a threat? Pray that the Church and you as an individual can see past the “problem” to the person.

Matthew 9:18-26

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

18 While he was saying these things to them, 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.’ 19And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. 20Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, 21for she said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.’ 22Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well. 23When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute-players and the crowd making a commotion, 24he said, ‘Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. 25But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26And the report of this spread throughout that district.