Examples of Faith - Other Examples Prior to Jesus' Death:
In the remaining pages of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, there are several
other examples of the faith of those wishing for Jesus to heal or to forgive,
many of which are included below:
The
Faith of The Ones Bringing the Paralyzed Man:
"And behold, they were bringing to Him a paralytic, lying on a bed; and
Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, "Take courage, My son, your sins
are forgiven." Matthew 9:2 (NAS) This story is also mentioned in
Mark 2:3-5, Luke 5:18-24.
The Faith of the Suffering Woman:
"And behold, a woman who had been suffering from
a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His
cloak;
21
for she was saying to herself, "If I only touch
His garment, I shall get well."
22
But Jesus turning and
seeing her said, "Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well." And at
once the woman was made well." Matthew 9:20-22 (NAS) This story is also mentioned
in Mark 5:25-34 and Luke 8:43-48).
The Faith of the Blind Men:
"And after He had come into the house, the blind
men came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do
this?" They said to Him, "Yes, Lord." 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, "Be
it done to you according to your faith." Matthew 9:28-29 (NAS)
The Faith of the Canaanite Woman:
"And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that
region, and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David;
my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed."
23
But He did not
answer her a word. And His disciples came to Him and kept asking Him, saying,
"Send her away, for she is shouting out after us."
24
But
He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel."
25
But she came and began to bow down before Him,
saying, "Lord, help me!"
26
And He answered and said, "It
is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."
27
But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the
crumbs which fall from their masters' table."
28
Then
Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; be it done for
you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once." Matthew 15:22-28
(NAS)
The Faith of the Blind Man Near Jericho:
And they came to Jericho. And as He was going out
from Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, a blind beggar named
Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road.
47
And when he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48
And many were
sternly telling him to be quiet, but he kept crying out all the more, "Son of
David, have mercy on me!"
49
And Jesus stopped and said,
"Call him here. And they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage,
arise! He is calling for you."
50
And casting aside his
cloak, he jumped up, and came to Jesus.
51
And answering
him, Jesus said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And the blind man said to
Him, "Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!"
52
And Jesus
said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he
regained his sight and began following Him on the road." Mark 10:46-52
(NAS) This
story is also mentioned in Luke 18:35-43.
The Faith of The Woman:
"And turning toward the woman, He said to Simon,
"Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet,
but she has wet My feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair.
45
"You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came
in, has not ceased to kiss My feet.
46
"You did not anoint
My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume.
47
"For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for
she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little."
48
And He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven."
49
And
those who were reclining at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who
is this man who even forgives sins?"
50
And He said to the
woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Luke 7:44-50 (NAS)
The Faith of the Leper:
And it came about while He was on the way to
Jerusalem, that He was passing between Samaria and Galilee.
12
And as He entered a certain village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met
Him;
13
and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us!"
14
And when He saw them, He
said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And it came about that as
they were going, they were cleansed.
15
Now one of them,
when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud
voice,
16
and he fell on his face at His feet, giving
thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan.
17
And Jesus
answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine-- where are they?
18
"Was no one found who turned back to give glory to God,
except this foreigner?"
19
And He said to him, "Rise, and
go your way; your faith has made you well." (NAS) Luke 17:11-19
Question:
Faith in Jesus' power to heal and to forgive caused the people above to do
what? Choose the best of the four choices below:
- To bring themselves or their friends to Jesus.
- To cry out to Jesus for His mercy and help.
- To rely on their own strength or power, rather than on Jesus' strength.
- Both 1 and 2 above.
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