I attend a small independent seventh-day congregation. While there is no pastor , several of the men rotate as speakers. As well, we have an outside speaker about every three months. Well, sometime back I was asked if I would like to join the speaking rotation. Feeling honored, I readily accepted.
Concerned mostly about the timing (about 45 minutes is the usual), I spent considerable time preparing. I wrote up a working draft and downloaded the scriptures in line so that I didn't have to turn to them each time. Then, when the time came, I used this draft as my notes. All went well and afterwards I updated the draft, adding and deleting some things I remembered handling differently as I spoke.
As I said, the sermon went well. Beforehand was something else though. I was sitting down, drinking a cup of coffee, talking to a man beside me, when a two year old boy crawled up into the chair beside me and promptly fell off onto his head. He yelled bloody murder; his mother screamed; I turned quickly; my coffee went up into the air coming down all over my slacks and part of my shirt. When services were about to get underway, somebody finally noticed that the songbooks hadn't been passed out. Then, as the song leader stood there, they couldn't get the music to play. For our small congregation the music has been recorded. So we all waited while they frantically worked to produce sound.
I was nervous anyway, and in the past I'd probably have gotten really upset, but this time I just had to laugh
I'm including that final draft here.
“Your Faith Has Made You Whole”
As the apostles Paul and Barnabus were preaching the gospel in the city of Lystra, they noticed a man… but, let’s read the text…
Acts 14:8-10
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:
9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
This man, then, had done nothing to demonstrate faith. But Paul perceived that he had it, faith sufficient to be healed. And he was. In the Gospels are a number of passages telling of people healed by Jesus, who afterward were told, “Your faith has made you whole,” or something similar. These people had obviously done something to show their faith. Some were Jews; at least one was a Samaritan, a couple were Gentiles. I want us to look at each of these instances in order to learn what each one did to demonstrate his or her faith, a faith that, in Jesus’ own words, was a necessary part of their healing. Faith in action. Let’s begin with some blind men.
The Blind Men following the Healing of Jarius’ Daughter
Jesus had been called on by one of the rulers of a synagogue, one named Jarius, to heal his daughter who was near death. This he did.
Matt 9:27-32
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that
country.
How did these two men exhibit faith. Well, of course, when asked if they believed that Jesus was able to heal them, they replied that they did. However, this wasn’t all. First, they had followed him, crying, “Son of David, have mercy on us.” The men weren’t saying that he was just a son of David, but the Son of David. “Son of David” was a term used by the Jews to refer to the Messiah, the Anointed. People of the day were well aware of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy, where he referred to this person to come as the “Messiah, the Prince”, and they knew that it was about time. Two blind men on the streets of Capernaum believed that Jesus was the Messiah and said so, loudly.
Let’s consider here the messianic concepts of the first century a bit more. Jews of that day were expecting a messiah who was a king and through whom would come national independence and world power, and bring peace, the idyllic wolf and lamb peace described by Micah and Isaiah. The king, as the Biblical text shows, would come from the lineage of David, hence “Son of David,” or Messiah ben David.
But, as we know, there were many other prophecies as well, considered messianic, which showed a much different tone. These instead of a ruling king showed the anointed one as a suffering servant. This other anointed one, the servant figure, was referred to, for lack of a better name, Messiah ben Joseph or the Son of Joseph. These were thought to be separate individuals and this man was to save the nation also, they thought, but in a much different way. Let’s look at John 11 beginning with verse 47. Just recently Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, a fact becoming well known.
John 11:47-53
47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
Caiaphas, the high priest, being a Sadducee, would naturally consider these to be two different individuals since Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife. Obviously, he could see Jesus only as the Son of Joseph. The vision of the blind men extended well beyond that.
The Blind Man at Jericho
Mark 10:46-52
46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
So, blind Bartimaeus, begging by the road, asked what the commotion was and was told that “Jesus of Nazareth” was passing by. He began crying out, “Son of David, have mercy on me,” and when others tried to hush him up, he only cried the more. “Son of David” again. Bartimaeus showed he believed Jesus was the Promised one. And he received sight.
(This passage we’ve just read backs up those scholars that claim all the synoptic gospels were originally written in Hebrew. Strings of independent clauses connected by “and” are poor English and poor Greek, but make perfectly good Hebrew, I’m told. We’ll see this quite a bit.)
The Woman Who Touched His Garment
Matt 9:20-22
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
A woman who had been ill twelve years believed that if she could only touch his garment, she would be healed. She did and she was. Let’s read it again in Mark.
Mark 5:24-35
24 And Jesus went with him (Jairus); and much people followed him, and thronged him.
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Now, let’s consider a prophecy of the Messiah that’s at the beginning of Malachi 4:2.
Mal 4:2
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; …
The term “wings” used here is idiomatic and refers to the corners or fringes of his garment, the garment of “the Sun of righteousness”, the Messiah. They are blue and white tassels explained in Num 15:38-9. Thus, the faith demonstrated by this woman, that faith that had made her whole, was to act upon her belief that this Jesus was indeed the Messiah and that touching his wings could bring healing. And, of course, it did.
Suppose she had been wrong. If Jesus weren’t the Messiah, she would not have been healed, of course, but she likely would have been in more trouble. How would the crowd have treated a diseased person such as she who clutched the clothing of a healthy, respected rabbi? I doubt this possibility even crossed her mind. If it had, she’d probably have talked herself out of it.
The Ten Lepers
Luke 17:11-19
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Jesus healed ten lepers, at least one of whom was a Samaritan. The location is not given beyond Samaria or Galilee. These men loudly proclaimed Jesus “Master” and all were cleansed. One, a Samaritan, returned to glorify God at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. But where were the nine? Did they go to the priests? Did they, too, glorify God, but elsewhere? The text doesn’t say; however, the implication is they didn’t. But the stranger who did is told that “your faith has made you whole.”
Concerned mostly about the timing (about 45 minutes is the usual), I spent considerable time preparing. I wrote up a working draft and downloaded the scriptures in line so that I didn't have to turn to them each time. Then, when the time came, I used this draft as my notes. All went well and afterwards I updated the draft, adding and deleting some things I remembered handling differently as I spoke.
As I said, the sermon went well. Beforehand was something else though. I was sitting down, drinking a cup of coffee, talking to a man beside me, when a two year old boy crawled up into the chair beside me and promptly fell off onto his head. He yelled bloody murder; his mother screamed; I turned quickly; my coffee went up into the air coming down all over my slacks and part of my shirt. When services were about to get underway, somebody finally noticed that the songbooks hadn't been passed out. Then, as the song leader stood there, they couldn't get the music to play. For our small congregation the music has been recorded. So we all waited while they frantically worked to produce sound.
I was nervous anyway, and in the past I'd probably have gotten really upset, but this time I just had to laugh
I'm including that final draft here.
“Your Faith Has Made You Whole”
As the apostles Paul and Barnabus were preaching the gospel in the city of Lystra, they noticed a man… but, let’s read the text…
Acts 14:8-10
8 And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:
9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
This man, then, had done nothing to demonstrate faith. But Paul perceived that he had it, faith sufficient to be healed. And he was. In the Gospels are a number of passages telling of people healed by Jesus, who afterward were told, “Your faith has made you whole,” or something similar. These people had obviously done something to show their faith. Some were Jews; at least one was a Samaritan, a couple were Gentiles. I want us to look at each of these instances in order to learn what each one did to demonstrate his or her faith, a faith that, in Jesus’ own words, was a necessary part of their healing. Faith in action. Let’s begin with some blind men.
The Blind Men following the Healing of Jarius’ Daughter
Jesus had been called on by one of the rulers of a synagogue, one named Jarius, to heal his daughter who was near death. This he did.
Matt 9:27-32
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
30 And their eyes were opened; and Jesus straitly charged them, saying, See that no man know it.
31 But they, when they were departed, spread abroad his fame in all that
country.
How did these two men exhibit faith. Well, of course, when asked if they believed that Jesus was able to heal them, they replied that they did. However, this wasn’t all. First, they had followed him, crying, “Son of David, have mercy on us.” The men weren’t saying that he was just a son of David, but the Son of David. “Son of David” was a term used by the Jews to refer to the Messiah, the Anointed. People of the day were well aware of Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy, where he referred to this person to come as the “Messiah, the Prince”, and they knew that it was about time. Two blind men on the streets of Capernaum believed that Jesus was the Messiah and said so, loudly.
Let’s consider here the messianic concepts of the first century a bit more. Jews of that day were expecting a messiah who was a king and through whom would come national independence and world power, and bring peace, the idyllic wolf and lamb peace described by Micah and Isaiah. The king, as the Biblical text shows, would come from the lineage of David, hence “Son of David,” or Messiah ben David.
But, as we know, there were many other prophecies as well, considered messianic, which showed a much different tone. These instead of a ruling king showed the anointed one as a suffering servant. This other anointed one, the servant figure, was referred to, for lack of a better name, Messiah ben Joseph or the Son of Joseph. These were thought to be separate individuals and this man was to save the nation also, they thought, but in a much different way. Let’s look at John 11 beginning with verse 47. Just recently Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, a fact becoming well known.
John 11:47-53
47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
49 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation;
52 And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
53 Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
Caiaphas, the high priest, being a Sadducee, would naturally consider these to be two different individuals since Sadducees did not believe in an afterlife. Obviously, he could see Jesus only as the Son of Joseph. The vision of the blind men extended well beyond that.
The Blind Man at Jericho
Mark 10:46-52
46 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.
50 And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.
52 And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
So, blind Bartimaeus, begging by the road, asked what the commotion was and was told that “Jesus of Nazareth” was passing by. He began crying out, “Son of David, have mercy on me,” and when others tried to hush him up, he only cried the more. “Son of David” again. Bartimaeus showed he believed Jesus was the Promised one. And he received sight.
(This passage we’ve just read backs up those scholars that claim all the synoptic gospels were originally written in Hebrew. Strings of independent clauses connected by “and” are poor English and poor Greek, but make perfectly good Hebrew, I’m told. We’ll see this quite a bit.)
The Woman Who Touched His Garment
Matt 9:20-22
20 And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment:
21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole.
22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.
A woman who had been ill twelve years believed that if she could only touch his garment, she would be healed. She did and she was. Let’s read it again in Mark.
Mark 5:24-35
24 And Jesus went with him (Jairus); and much people followed him, and thronged him.
25 And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,
26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,
27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.
28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.
29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.
30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?
31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.
33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.
34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.
Now, let’s consider a prophecy of the Messiah that’s at the beginning of Malachi 4:2.
Mal 4:2
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; …
The term “wings” used here is idiomatic and refers to the corners or fringes of his garment, the garment of “the Sun of righteousness”, the Messiah. They are blue and white tassels explained in Num 15:38-9. Thus, the faith demonstrated by this woman, that faith that had made her whole, was to act upon her belief that this Jesus was indeed the Messiah and that touching his wings could bring healing. And, of course, it did.
Suppose she had been wrong. If Jesus weren’t the Messiah, she would not have been healed, of course, but she likely would have been in more trouble. How would the crowd have treated a diseased person such as she who clutched the clothing of a healthy, respected rabbi? I doubt this possibility even crossed her mind. If it had, she’d probably have talked herself out of it.
The Ten Lepers
Luke 17:11-19
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Jesus healed ten lepers, at least one of whom was a Samaritan. The location is not given beyond Samaria or Galilee. These men loudly proclaimed Jesus “Master” and all were cleansed. One, a Samaritan, returned to glorify God at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. But where were the nine? Did they go to the priests? Did they, too, glorify God, but elsewhere? The text doesn’t say; however, the implication is they didn’t. But the stranger who did is told that “your faith has made you whole.”
The Centurion’s Servant
Without altering the point of the story at all, Matthew has apparently shortened it somewhat by having this centurion approach Jesus directly. Luke goes into more detail, and, likely, this is the way it happened.
Luke 7:1-10
1 Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum.
2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die.
3 And when he heard of Jesus, he sent unto him the elders of the Jews, beseeching him that he would come and heal his servant.
4 And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this:
5 For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue.
6 Then Jesus went with them. And when he was now not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to him, saying unto him, Lord, trouble not thyself: for I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof:
7 Wherefore neither thought I myself worthy to come unto thee: but say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
8 For I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
9 When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
10 And they that were sent, returning to the house, found the servant whole that had been sick.
Whatever the centurion knew of Jesus, in no way did he doubt his power. Jesus was stunned at the faith he showed.
He was humble too. My thought would be that a humble Roman centurion was extremely rare, except in the presence of a superior.
Likely the centurion was what the Jews referred to as a “God fearer.” Cornelius, the first Gentile converted, was one. (In Acts 10:2 we’re told that he “feared God with all his house.”) God fearers were non-Jews who accepted the God of Israel as the true God, forsook paganism and its idolatry totally, kept those of the Ten Commandments that were generally referred to as the Noachide laws, i.e., they did not murder, steal, lie, or commit sexual sin. They stopped short of becoming a true Jewish proselyte, though. God fearers were welcome at synagogue. Probably the majority of Gentiles converted early in church history were from this group.
(The next time I speak I want to go more into “God fearers.”)
Healing the Gentile Woman’s Daughter
Matt 15:21-28
21 Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
24 But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
25 Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.
27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
What do we know of this woman? Racially she was a Canaanite woman, living in a Gentile area, around Tyre and Sidon. However, she knows of Jesus, calling him “Lord” and, also, “Son of David.” Another God fearer? The text doesn’t say. I rather doubt it. But she acknowledges him as the Messiah, the “Son of David,” and begs his mercy for her daughter.
The other thing we notice is her humility. Jesus gave her every opportunity to surrender to her pride: Who does he think he is calling us dogs. We’re just as good as anybody. C’mon, girl, we’re out of here. Or her doubts: C’mon, girl. The real messiah wouldn’t treat us like that. We’re out of here. But she knew that the only hope for her daughter was that man standing right in front of her. And she realized that she brought nothing to the table. Canaanites were strangers to any covenants God had made. That was okay. She had no call on Jesus at all, but was completely willing to accept whatever he would provide her and her daughter.
We have looked at a number of instances of persons being healed who demonstrated strong faith, faith that played a part in their healing. In most of these cases the people healed showed that they believed Jesus to be the promised Messiah. This was their faith. And their faith was strong. This was where they showed they “had faith to be healed.”
But What’s the Lesson Here for Us?
These were all familiar scriptures, but I love hearing them. I love stories of faith. I believe they strengthen my own. And that’s good because a little doubt is still doubt.
Also, they show that humility never hurts.
We have an advantage in that we’ve believed in Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah for some time. And while “Son of David” is not a term we use these days, another bible word, Christ, is. “Christ” is the English translation of the Greek word Christos which means “the Anointed One,” another term the Jews used referring to the Messiah.
Often in the past when I referred to Jesus Christ, I would use “Christ” almost as if it were a last name, kind of like, “Mr. Christ, or may I call you Jesus?” Now when I use it, I always want to remember to consider what it really means.
Peter and Martha Show Their Faith
We won’t turn there but I want to read from three also very familiar scriptures showing the faith of disciples Peter and Martha.
Matt 16:13-16 (NIV)
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
When Jesus was in Bethany four days after the death of Lazarus, Martha proclaimed her faith in words very similar to Peter’s.
John 11:23-27
23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
In both these passages note that the phrase “Son of God” is used along with “Christ.” This is the case in a number of places.
John 6:66-69
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
Wrap-Up
Jesus of Nazareth is that Christ, the longed for Messiah, who came with “healing in his wings” and who will return to fulfill the rest of his mission as “Lord of lords, and King of kings,”-- as the “Son of David.”
These are things we believe, just as those we read about today did. They were blessed from their knowledge and belief, and we are blessed as well.
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