Luke 2:1-Luke 9:62
(Focus Passages: Luke 7:36-50; Luke 8: 43-48)
Two women, two different stories, same results.
Luke 7:50 Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace"
Luke 8:48 And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace"
Both verses contain the same Greek words that are transliterated as:
"pistis sozo se poreuomai eis eirene"
1) The Evidence of Faith
So what does the common ground of faith look like. Let's look at each woman's story.
In the first story, the sinful woman kneeled down at his feet and with tears in her eyes wiped His feet with her hair, kissed His feet, and poured perfume on them. And the scripture tells us her sins were forgiven because she loved much.
In the second story, the sick woman touched the fringe of Jesus's garment. When asked who touched Him, the woman came trembling and fell down at his feet. And the scripture tells us she was healed.
So what was the evidence of Faith? Tears, Trembling, Kneeling, Humility, Service, and Love. To be quite honest, I haven't seen much of that in my own life lately. And I haven't seen an abundance of that in our churches.
But the faith that saves, is the one that is continuously humbled in the presence of Jesus. It is the faith that is brought to tears by our sin and the thought of those dying in the world. It is a faith that trembles in the presence of the Lord. It is a faith that kneels in submission to God's authority. It is a faith that serves the Lord's purpose and plan. It is a faith that comes from a love for God and our neighbor. That is the common ground of faith.
2) The Product of Faith
The sinful woman received more than just forgiveness of sins, and the sick woman received more than just healing. They both received peace. And peace is more than just a tranquil feeling, or the absence of hosility. It is freedom to be with God.
The Greek word for peace (eirene) comes from the verb "eiro;" which means "to join." And the word we translate "go" (poreuomai) means to "walk" or "journey" in a continuous manner. Both women received the gift of "joining with God" and "walking with God" because of their faith. Romans 5:1-2 tells us that this faith in Jesus gives us access to God and His grace. It also gives us joy and hope.
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
And the same peace is given to all those who have faith in God to save. We have access to a "walk with God." We have the ability to stand in His presence because of His grace through Jesus Christ. We have a hope that our sinfulness and sickness can be cured. We have a joy because the glory of God is made manifest in His Son. And His Son, Jesus sits at His side to make intercession for us. Faith brings more than forgiveness and healing, it joins us in a journey with a loving God.
Two women, two different stories, same results.
What did they do the same?
They both reached out for Jesus in faith that He could save.
And they both received more than they could ever imagine; a walk with God.
