In this passage, Jesus calls Matthew as a disciple and heals a woman and a girl. Following this past week’s Holy Trinity Sunday, this is truly the first of our ‘ordinary Sundays’ after Pentecost. This summer will be many Sundays of hearing about Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. This passage is like much of the material we get during this time in that it’s a collection of sayings and actions by Jesus that’s held together by a loose theme. Mathew, the woman, and the girl all need God’s mercy in healing and acceptance. 

Matthew, of course, is the disciple associated with writing this gospel. The fact that we hear his call by Jesus, and get to see a dinner at his house right after, does suggest that Matthew’s story is important to our author and his audience. Matthew was a tax collector and would have been hated by his fellow Jews for essentially collaborating with the occupying Romans to collect their taxes. This is why the Pharisees were offended that Jesus would eat with him. Jesus, however, shows Matthew mercy by calling him into God’s service. 

We then get a double healing. This part of our passage is found in Mark and Luke as well. On his way to raise a little girl, Jesus is touched by a woman with a bleeding disorder who is then healed. Unlike in Mark’s version, Jesus does not ask around to find out who touched him in a large crowd. Also in Mark’s version we hear that the woman had spent all her money on doctor’s treatments which had been ineffective. It is part of Matthew’s style to strip away what he feels are unnecessary details to get to the heart of the story: this woman touches Jesus’ clothes, is healed, and Jesus tells her that her faith has made her well. It is interesting that Jesus says this to the woman. In Matthew’s version, this wasn’t just a last, desperate gamble by a woman with nothing to lose, but rather a bold action taken by a person with ironclad faith that merely touching Jesus’ clothes would bring about her healing. Such faith is worthy of Jesus’ praise.

Finally, Jesus gets to the house where the little girl has died. Mourners, some who are professionals at this, are already present at the home. They laugh at Jesus for saying the girl is sleeping. Matthew does not describe how they are “put outside”, but I wouldn’t want to be caught laughing at Jesus and his ability to heal. I’d imagine that it wasn’t exactly a pleasant shove out the door that he gave them! Jesus then raises the little girl with tenderness by taking her by the hand, and this action spreads far and wide about him. 

I believe that there are several takeaways from this passage for us. Like Matthew we should listen for the call of God and answer. Like him and the Jewish leader, we should seek to get close to Jesus and invite him into our homes and lives. And like the woman who was healed we should be bold to reach out to Jesus, trusting in his power through faith.