Text: Matthew 9:18-26
“My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” —Matthew 9:18
After Aaron Rodgers went down with a season ending injury on Monday night football, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ well wishes for the 39-year-old New York Jets quarterback took on a completely different meaning—all because of a lack of punctuation.
Joining countless other players who shared social media messages after the 4-time league MVP sustained the devastating injury, Mahomes wrote that he was “praying” for Rodgers, but the absence of a comma changed the sentiment of the post significantly.
“Hate that man… Praying for the best,” the two-time Super Bowl champion wrote.
Quickly realizing how something as simple as a comma can change the whole meaning of a post, Mahomes edited the post to read “Hate that, man…” and acknowledged it in a subsequent message. But appropriate commas aren’t just critical to a well-intended social media post, they are also essential to how we live out our faith.
A comma is a commonly used punctuation mark that is used to separate two words, phrases or clauses in a sentence. A comma also indicates a short pause, meaning the statement is not over and that there is more to come. It’s been said, “Never put a period where God has placed a comma.” In other words, the comma means there is still more to the story God is writing.
In Matthew 9:18-26, we see a game-changing comma in two separate situations involving desperate people. The first one is found in verse 18, as a ruler named Jairus kneels before Jesus and pleads for his daughter’s life. This man had worldly power, influence, and money – none of which could help his daughter on her deathbed. After she has taken her last breath, he says to Jesus, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” While this man’s heartache was on the front side of the comma (his circumstances), his faith was on the other side of the comma (Jesus’ death-defying power).
A few verses later we see a corpse coming back to life!
Sandwiched in between this game-changing comma and its happy ending, we find a woman suffering with a discharge of blood. She had been in this hopeless, anemic, and weakened condition for more than twelve years. Moreover, her hemorrhaging would have made her ceremonially unclean, stigmatizing her as an outcast in most social and religious relations. Yet she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Wellness and wholeness were on the other side of the comma, but she couldn’t get beyond that comma apart from the healing touch of Jesus. Her faith is met with an amazing healing.
The psalmist wrote: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). Christ puts a comma where our suffering tells us to put a period. He puts a comma where our failure tells us we are finished. On the front side of the comma, we may see an uncertain future, financial hardship, sickness, fractured relationships, a broken marriage, a prodigal child, persecution, addiction, or a particular sin that has dominion over us. But on the other side of that comma, Jesus has already conquered it all.
I’m determined today that I’m not going to put a space or a period where God has intended for there to be a comma. I’m not going to live on the wrong side of that comma, either. How about you? Think about that as you seek to abide in Him, and trust in His promises this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, forgive me for those times I have lived on the wrong side of the comma—those times I have focused far too much on my circumstances over Your sovereignty. Forgive me for my worry, my fear, my anxiety, my cynicism, and my sin of unbelief. Holy Spirit, teach me what it means to live on the other side of the comma, in the resurrection life of Jesus. In His name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection and/or Group Discussion:
- Have you ever been embarrassed by something you mistakenly posted on social media?
- When have you put a period on something, that looking back now, you realize God intended to be a comma?
- What can we learn about the faith of Jairus and the suffering woman in Matthew 9? What can we learn about Jesus?
- What situation in your life right now are you tempted to put a period on, when God might be trying to grow your faith?
- Is there a particular sin the Holy Spirit is convicting you of right now, that needs to be confessed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus?
Text: Matthew 9:18-26
“My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” —Matthew 9:18
After Aaron Rodgers went down with a season ending injury on Monday night football, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ well wishes for the 39-year-old New York Jets quarterback took on a completely different meaning—all because of a lack of punctuation.
Joining countless other players who shared social media messages after the 4-time league MVP sustained the devastating injury, Mahomes wrote that he was “praying” for Rodgers, but the absence of a comma changed the sentiment of the post significantly.
“Hate that man… Praying for the best,” the two-time Super Bowl champion wrote.
Quickly realizing how something as simple as a comma can change the whole meaning of a post, Mahomes edited the post to read “Hate that, man…” and acknowledged it in a subsequent message. But appropriate commas aren’t just critical to a well-intended social media post, they are also essential to how we live out our faith.
A comma is a commonly used punctuation mark that is used to separate two words, phrases or clauses in a sentence. A comma also indicates a short pause, meaning the statement is not over and that there is more to come. It’s been said, “Never put a period where God has placed a comma.” In other words, the comma means there is still more to the story God is writing.
In Matthew 9:18-26, we see a game-changing comma in two separate situations involving desperate people. The first one is found in verse 18, as a ruler named Jairus kneels before Jesus and pleads for his daughter’s life. This man had worldly power, influence, and money – none of which could help his daughter on her deathbed. After she has taken her last breath, he says to Jesus, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” While this man’s heartache was on the front side of the comma (his circumstances), his faith was on the other side of the comma (Jesus’ death-defying power).
A few verses later we see a corpse coming back to life!
Sandwiched in between this game-changing comma and its happy ending, we find a woman suffering with a discharge of blood. She had been in this hopeless, anemic, and weakened condition for more than twelve years. Moreover, her hemorrhaging would have made her ceremonially unclean, stigmatizing her as an outcast in most social and religious relations. Yet she said to herself, “If I only touch his garment, I will be made well.” Wellness and wholeness were on the other side of the comma, but she couldn’t get beyond that comma apart from the healing touch of Jesus. Her faith is met with an amazing healing.
The psalmist wrote: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19). Christ puts a comma where our suffering tells us to put a period. He puts a comma where our failure tells us we are finished. On the front side of the comma, we may see an uncertain future, financial hardship, sickness, fractured relationships, a broken marriage, a prodigal child, persecution, addiction, or a particular sin that has dominion over us. But on the other side of that comma, Jesus has already conquered it all.
I’m determined today that I’m not going to put a space or a period where God has intended for there to be a comma. I’m not going to live on the wrong side of that comma, either. How about you? Think about that as you seek to abide in Him, and trust in His promises this week.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, forgive me for those times I have lived on the wrong side of the comma—those times I have focused far too much on my circumstances over Your sovereignty. Forgive me for my worry, my fear, my anxiety, my cynicism, and my sin of unbelief. Holy Spirit, teach me what it means to live on the other side of the comma, in the resurrection life of Jesus. In His name, Amen.
Questions for Personal Reflection and/or Group Discussion: