Christ Came for Sinners, the Suffering, and the Dying
Text: Matthew 9:9–13; Matthew 9:18–26
In today’s Gospel readings, Matthew presents three very different people: Matthew the tax collector, a woman suffering from bleeding for twelve years, and a synagogue ruler whose daughter has died. At first glance, they seem to have little in common. Yet each one comes before Jesus with a deep need, and each one receives mercy.
These passages reveal the heart of the Gospel: Jesus comes for sinners, for the suffering, and for those facing death itself.
First, Jesus comes for sinners.
Matthew was a tax collector, a man regarded as dishonest, unclean, and unworthy. Yet Jesus simply says, “Follow me,” and Matthew follows. The Pharisees are offended that Jesus would eat with tax collectors and sinners. But Jesus replies, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”
The Pharisees believed righteousness came through their own religious achievements. Jesus teaches the opposite. The Church is not a gathering of people who have earned God’s favour. It is a gathering of people who know they need God’s mercy. Do I and you acknowledge we need God’s mercy?
This is the heart of Lutheran teaching: we are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We are not saved because we are good enough. We are saved because Christ is merciful.
Second, Jesus comes for the suffering.
On His way to help Jairus, Jesus is interrupted by a woman who has suffered bleeding for twelve years. She probably had continuous menstrual bleeding with associated medical (anaemia, fatigue, pain), social (marital, fertility) and religious (unclean) complications. She has been isolated, and likely hopeless. Yet she believes that even touching Jesus’ garment will help her.
Jesus does not rebuke her. Instead, He speaks tenderly: “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.”
What is faith? I remember my mother Noela going to a weekly Christian healing service for 20 years in Sydney. It was led by Anglican priest Cannon Glennon.
I listened to his audio recording while driving with Noela back from Orange, and he said Faith is “Believing before Seeing.” Perhaps Jesus was referring to this level of faithfulness?
Her faith is not a work that earns healing. Rather, faith is the empty hand that receives what Christ freely gives. She trusts in Jesus, and Jesus responds with compassion.
Many people today carry burdens that are not visible to others: grief, illness, anxiety, loneliness, guilt, or disappointment. This woman reminds us that no suffering is hidden from Christ. We can bring every need to Him in prayer, trusting that He hears and cares for us.
Third, Jesus comes for those facing death.
When Jesus arrives at Jairus’ house, the mourners believe all hope is gone. The girl is dead. Yet Jesus says, “The girl is not dead but asleep.” He takes her by the hand, and she rises.
This miracle points beyond itself to something even greater. It points to Christ’s own death and resurrection. Jesus is Lord not only over sickness but also over death itself.
For Christians, death is a real enemy, but it is a defeated enemy. Because Christ rose from the dead, those who trust in Him have the promise of resurrection and eternal life. What Jesus did for Jairus’ daughter is a sign of what He will do for all His people.
These three stories therefore tell one Gospel message. We are all like Matthew, sinners in need of forgiveness. We are all like the suffering woman, needing Christ’s healing mercy. We are all like Jairus’ daughter, unable to save ourselves from death.
Yet Jesus comes to each of us. He calls us through His Word. He forgives our sins. He strengthens us through Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. He promises that even death will not separate us from His love.
Today we are reminded that Christ did not come for the self-sufficient. He came for those who know their need. He came for sinners. He came for the suffering. He came for the dying.
And because He came for them, He came for us.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
