Have faith in the living Word of God
Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, today we gather to delve into God’s word and learn about the power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Let us read from Matthew 16, where the Pharisees and Sadducees asked for a sign from heaven to prove the divinity of Jesus. Jesus told them they missed the signs, and instead of giving a sign, he mentioned the story of Jonah as a prophet’s sign. This wicked and adulterous generation seek after a sign, but it was only through faith that we could see the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus in the story of Jonah.
In this chapter, Jesus also warned His disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. However, despite spending so much time with Jesus, the disciples still needed more comprehension and faith. They were only concerned with their lack of bread. And to this, Jesus said, “O ye of little faith!” But He reminded them of the times He had fed thousands with just a few loaves and fishes.
And this is the point of faith, to obey without reasoning things out. Jesus asked Peter to cast a hook into the sea and catch a fish with a piece of money in its mouth. And with obedience, Peter caught the fish just as Jesus had promised. Similarly, faith in God’s Word can heal, as it did for the woman filled with ulceration which was healed instantly after a rebuke of evil powers in the name of Jesus.
Faith comes from hearing and feeding on the Word of God. And as we become more consumed with the glorious fact and the significant presence of the living Christ, our faith in God will grow. Jesus asked His disciples, “Whom say ye that I am?” And Peter answered, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” So, we too must ask ourselves, who do we say Jesus is?
In conclusion, let us not be like the Pharisees and Sadducees, seeking signs, but instead, let us have faith in the living Word of God. Let us feed on the living Christ and let the faithfulness of God spring up within us. May the power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, be with us always. Amen.
