What is "Faith" anyway?
(Free Version), Second Sunday After Pentecost- Genesis 12:1-9; Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26
Our readings (found here) this week speak to the nature of “faith.” What is faith and what does it mean to have it? In this week’s “Deep Dive,” we look further into the role of tax collectors in first century Palestine, purity codes, the story behind Abraham’s journey, and unpack more of the complex argument Paul is making. We also look at these stories through a pastoral lens, thinking about how our congregations might hear these readings.
Our Old Testament reading (Genesis 12:1-9) does not include a word for “faith” specifically, but it tells us of God’s promise to Abraham: that he, an older man with a similarly old wife, will be the father of a great nation. He will be blessed in order to be a blessing. And through him, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
Abram’s “faith” is shown in his actions: “he went as the LORD had told him.” And later, “he built an altar to the LORD and invoked the name of the LORD.” Both the going and the building of an altar are acts of faith. Our story shows us that faith is a journey, and that it extends for generations. Faith always takes place in the context of a people, a family, and God’s promises extend beyond the individual. Likewise, your journey and mine are not disconnected from one another. We are part of the people of God, walking out God’s promises together. This is evidenced in the fact that Abram finds himself in the land God has promised to his family, but not in possession of the land. The possession will come many generations later.
In our epistle reading (Romans 4:13-25), Paul reflects on the story of Abram/Abraham in light of the resurrection of Jesus. Abram was called before God’s people were given the law and, therefore, his membership in the convent is not on the basis of his faithfulness to the law; it is, instead, only on the basis of faith. This is important, Paul says, because it provides space for “all nations,” to be children of Abraham, not only those who were given the law. God’s promise to give his people the land, for Paul, refers not only to a specific tract of land, but to the whole world!
Though barren, Abram “hoped against hope” believing that God could bring life out of emptiness. He is the God who brings life from death, and he has done so decisively in Jesus Christ, raising him from the dead. Just as faith “was reckoned” to Abraham, so it is to all of us who believe in him who raised Jesus from the dead.
In our gospel reading (Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26), we see that Jesus crosses the boundaries of sinfulness, status, and “cleanliness” in order to heal. This is what God does, always going to “the far country” to rescue and to make things new.
Jesus’ words to Matthew, the tax collector, are simple: “Follow me.” And, like Abram, Matthew shows his faith with his actions. He simply follows. This causes a problem for some Pharisees who see “tax collectors” in the category of riff-raff, those who are not faithful to what it means to be part of God’s people. When he overhears them asking his disciples why he eats with such people, Jesus responds by saying that he has not come for the healthy, but the sick. Indeed, Jesus, the Great Physician, has come to heal the world of its disease. Those who do not acknowledge their own sickness will not be able to receive His medicine.
Speaking of sickness, we are then given two stories sandwiched together in verses 18-26 about illness, death, and recovery. A synagogue leader throws protocol to the side, kneeling before Jesus in desperation, trusting that Jesus can heal his daughter who has died. On the way to the man’s house, a woman who has been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years pushes through the crowd and touches the edge of his garment, believing in faith that he can heal her. Instantly, she is made well. Jesus tells her that it is because of her faith in him.
Jesus brings health to sickness, and also death to life, which is illustrated in his healing of the synagogue official’s daughter. She “gets up,” a resurrection word. In both cases, healing is brought about by way of faith (the girl’s father’s faith and the woman’s faith).
Where is your place of pain today? Perhaps you have suffered from a kind of exclusion not to dissimilar to what Matthew experienced. Perhaps you have wrestled with something for years and have not seen resolution. Perhaps the pain is acute, and you have run to Jesus as quickly as you can. Perhaps, like Abraham, your life seems dead, useless, unable to be of any value to anyone. The good news is that God always meets us at the point of our need.
“Faith” is not something that we “muster up.” It is certainly not the denial of real pain, suffering, or evil in the world. Rather, it is acknowledging the brokenness while acknowledging that God is the one who brings life from death.
One of the great confessions of the Christians is that God is faithful. God will be true to his promises. Faith is always a journey—from the home country to the promised land, or from the crowds, back home to the place of pain. We are not welcomed into God’s family on the basis of our ethnicity or other badges we have accrued. Rather, we are welcomed in by faith in the one who has raised Christ from the dead.