我要坦白说：我读这个故事，心情好时我会感到困惑，心情坏时则足以令我发怒。我认识很多信心比我强、但却因癌症、心脏病、和肺炎等等疾病逝世的人。我仍然记得有一次，我坐在一间细小乡村教会中，聆听牧师表达他的信念。他相信如果有人正在和例如癌症的疾病搏斗，他们只需要更恳切祷告和有更大的信心，便会得医治；当时我太太费很大劲才安抚我不致动怒。
然而，耶稣清楚指出，这个妇人的信救了她。那么，在这件事上，我们应该怎样看信心扮演的角色呢？
第一，神在我们里面栽种、培育信心，又叫它成长，因为耶稣在我们生命中作工，这是祂亲近我们的成果。我们尽力培养我们的信心，这信心是完全关乎神和不是靠我们的行为的。信心乃是从神而来，这个妇人得医治，是关乎神和藉着基督成就的。
第二，耶稣说这个妇人的信救了她，但祂不是说每一个人的信心都能挽救一切；认为所有疾病都可以和应该因病人的信心得医治，不是耶稣在这里的意思，耶稣乃是要指出，信心是我们生命中重要的一环。
神赐给我们的信心，能够为我们和周围的人行奇妙的事，今天就让我们求神加添我们的信心吧。
父啊，求祢藉着你赐给我们的信心，医治我们因生命中的罪带来的创伤；使我们的信心成长，好叫我们更亲近祢。阿们。
马太福音 9:18-26
18 耶稣说这话的时候，有一个管会堂的来拜他，说：“我女儿刚才死了，求你去按手在她身上，她就必活了。”
19 耶稣便起来跟着他去，门徒也跟了去。
20 有一个女人患了十二年的血漏，来到耶稣背后，摸他的衣裳穗子，
21 因为她心里说：“我只摸他的衣裳，就必痊愈。”
22 耶稣转过来看见她，就说：“女儿，放心！你的信救了你。”从那时候，女人就痊愈了。
23 耶稣到了管会堂的家里，看见有吹手，又有许多人乱嚷，
24 就说：“退去吧！这闺女不是死了，是睡着了。”他们就嗤笑他。
25 众人既被撵出，耶稣就进去，拉着闺女的手，闺女便起来了。
26 于是这风声传遍了那地方。
“Your faith has healed you.” — Matthew 9:22
I have to be honest: this story confuses me on my best day and angers me on my worst. I have known many people with faith much stronger than mine who have died from illnesses like cancer, heart disease, and pneumonia. I can remember sitting in a small country church and hearing a pastor express his belief that if anyone was battling an illness like cancer, all they had to do was pray harder and have more faith and they would be healed. My wife had to work hard to keep me calm.
Even so, Jesus says quite clearly that this woman was healed because of her faith. So how do we understand the role that faith plays here?
First, faith is planted and nurtured by God and grows in us because of Jesus’ work in our lives. It is a product of his closeness to us. While we do things to develop our faith, it is all in relationship to God and not by our own works. Faith is from God, and this woman’s healing happened in relationship with God through Christ.
Second, Jesus says that this woman’s faith healed her. He doesn’t say that everyone’s faith heals all things. To think that all illness can and should be healed by the faith of the sick person isn’t what Jesus means here. But Jesus is pointing out that faith is a strong and important component of our lives.
God’s gift of faith in us can do amazing things for us and for those around us. Let’s ask God to increase our faith today.
Father, by your gift of faith in us, heal us of the damage of sin in our lives. Grow in us faith that brings us closer to you. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
