Trinity 24

Matthew 9:18-26

November 14, 2021

“Don’t be Afraid. Only Believe”

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

I’m going to be talking about how powerful the very touch of Jesus is. His very body and skin is so powerful that He touches people or they touch Him and they’re healed. But even our human touch has an almost magical, supernatural power to it. When you have a baby you’re told all about this, how powerful skin to skin contact is for a baby. It’s essential to their development.

And that never really stops for us. A human touching another human has powerful effects. It releases chemicals inside of us such as oxytocin, dopamine, and other endorphins that make us feel good. And not only feel good, but they even lower blood pressure, relieve stress, reduce pain, and connect you to others. Did you know you had these “super-powers”? Shaking a hand, giving a hug to your children or grandchildren, giving a massage?

Now the power of Jesus’ touch is so far greater, of course. When He touches or when people touch Him, evil takes flight and runs away. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever one time when Jesus came to his house. So Jesus touched her. Took her by the hand. Luke tells us He also spoke, of course, not to take any power away from His speaking either. But Matthew and Mark simply say He touched her hand. The fever left.

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