Passage: Matthew 9:18-26
Intro: PP) “Hurricane Destruction”
1. look around, there are storms everywhere.
2. big ones and little ones, global and individual.
3. if there is one thing true of life here on earth, its trouble.
4. a few weeks ago, we saw Jesus involved in a real storm on the Sea of Galilee
5. and we are going to see the same response to situations of personal desperation.
6. sometimes desperation is very hidden, and sometimes it is very obvious.
7. but Jesus is like the eye of a hurricane, a place of peace in the middle of the storm.
PP eye of the hurricane.
8. we can join Jesus in the eye of the hurricane, and respond as he responded to these desperate people in desperate circumstances.
I. Two Desperate People
1. when we read something, it can be difficult to get the full impact.
2. there’s nothing like being there.
3. yet in this passage, there are ample clues that help us taste the desperation of these people.
4. first clue right here in the first words of v18…”While he was saying this…”
5. this, of course, refers to the teaching we looked at last week in vv15-17
6. so this guy came in a interrupted Jesus
Il) if someone ran into this room right now and interrupted me, we would assume there was a problem.
PP) Special Report
7. now this man was a ruler in the synagogue, so he was used to people treating him with respect
8. but this guy bowed to Jesus.
9. in addition, the word “idou” is used, which we have come to see injects a note of urgency into the matter.
10. then he says, “My daughter has just died”, the greek word=right now, just now”
11. in fact, the event is so recent that this father believes there is time for it to be reversed.
Il) you’ve seen the medical shows like ER where the desperate parent is in the corner of the room while the doctors and nurses work frantically, and they are desperate. “Do Something!!”
12. so off they went to the rulers home, but they didn’t get far before running into another desperate person.
13. she was a woman with a chronic problem.
14. “subject to bleeding”-menorrhagia= abnormally heavy or persistent menstrual flow.” For 12 years.
15. who knows how far she had walked, how many times she had missed Jesus.
16. and now, within feet of him, he was leaving!!
17. look at the time signals!
18. v19, Jesus got up (probably still in Matthews house, reclining at the table.)
19. “Went with him”, and the father was in a hurry
20. v20 “just then”=our old friend “idou”
21. “came up behind him”; so she caught up to him. Running? Probably.
22. and she grabbed to touch the part she could touch, the hem of his robe flying out behind him.
23. “if I can only touch even his robe, I don’t have to stop him, I just have to touch something that is touching him.”
24. she was desperate! This might be her only chance to be healed.
25. you might be pretty desperate this morning; desperate with anxiety, financial pressures, health issues, relationship issues, fear of what is happening in our world.
26. there is an eye in the middle of your storm.
II. The Eye of the Storm (with picture next to words)
1. in contrast to all this desperation, there is Jesus.
2. embracing their need, but not their panic.
3. when this desperate father comes, up Jesus gets up and goes with him.
4. no words are recorded, just a response to the need.
5. the hemorrhaging woman touches, him, and he speaks words of tremendous power and comfort. “Take heart, Daughter (family) your faith (in me) has healed you”
6. word not the typical, refers to wholeness, perfect tense=you are perfectly healed and will remain perfectly healed.”
7. she was desperate but he was not.
8. she came by faith in desperation into the eye of the storm, and found peace.
9. and when he gets to the house, he finds more turmoil.
10. now for a death in the family, the poorest people were required to have 2 flute players and one professional mourners.
11. for a ruler of the synagogue, more would be expected.
12. it would have been something like this.
PP professional mourners.
13. v23, Jesus entered the house and broke up the wake, sent them away. Why?
14. “not dead, but asleep.” What does this mean?
15. “sleep” and death” often connected in the Bible.
PP John 11:11
PP John 11:14
16. clearly to Jesus, death did not have the finality we think it does
Il) he broke up every funeral he went to, including this one.
17. he walked right into the face of our greatest enemy, and calmly defeated death with a touch.
18. Jesus even faced His own death with peace, because He knew His death and resurrection would be the death of death.
19. now how did the desperate people gain entrance to the eye of the storm?
III. How Do We Know We Are In The Eye?
1. when we are walking with Jesus thru these storms, there will be some identifiable differences in our lives.
2. because we will be acting more like him, with attitudes more like His.
3. first, prayer will become our 1st response to turmoil rather than our last.
4. Jesus was in a state of constant communication and communion with His Father. It was like breathing.
5. second, we will trust God and be flexible in our activities and plans.
6. have you noticed that God has a way of changing your plans?
7. like this woman interrupting him on his way to save a young girl.
8. he walked in faith, knowing that the events of his life were orchestrated by God.
9. and this, of course, brought him great peace. I’m sure it was great to be around Jesus!
Il) Campolo story. (from Sermon Central.com, "Healing for the Hopeless, submitted by James Drake)
10. There are always going to be tough times, but the person of faith will find their way to the eye of the hurricane, and rest in Jesus.
11. this woman did, and found healing.
12. this father did, and his daughter was raised.
13. and even though being the eye of the storm does not always mean the hurricane will diminish, we will have peace and joy and wholeness.
PP eye of the storm
Conc. I want to give you an opportunity this morning to come into the eye of your hurricane.
1. Tim and I will be up here in the front to pray with you, to pray for you.
2. you can pray where you are, you can pray with the person next to you.
3. come to where Jesus is, and find great peace.
