Faith, Healing, and New Life: From the Fringe to the Family of God - Mother Nan Doerr's Sermon for the Second Sunday After Pentecost, June 7, 2026

Summary

Mother Nan Doerr reflects on three condensed stories from Matthew's Gospel, exploring how Jesus reaches out to sinners, the sick, and the outcast with mercy and compassion. Through the calling of Matthew, the healing of Jairus' daughter, and the woman suffering from bleeding, she reminds us that Jesus came to restore the lost and the forgotten. In return, we are called to share that same love and mercy with those on the fringes of our own society.

The Gospel

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, “Follow me.”

And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” But when he heard this, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”

While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, for she said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well.” Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, “Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And instantly the woman was made well. When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And the report of this spread throughout that district.

Artwork: "The Resurrection of Jairus' Daughter" by Vasily Polenov, 1871

Transcript

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Mother Nan Doerr:

My mouth. In the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Please be seated. We are at the beginning of the season after Pentecost sometimes called the long green season. I think of it as a season of growth where we get stories that help us grow in our faith and our knowledge of God. We get stories of the things that happened between Jesus' baptism and his death. We are in year A, which means most of the gospel readings come from the gospel of Matthew. In today's reading, we get the shortened form the condensed version of three familiar stories.

The long forms are actually found in the gospel of Mark. For Mark, telling the story is important. He gives us a clear picture of who Jesus is through the things that Jesus does, but that is not the focus for Matthew. For Matthew, the narrative stuff is something to be rushed through so that he can get to what he considers to be important the long sermons or teachings that Jesus gives. Mark gives us a picture of Jesus through his actions. What Jesus does is important. But Matthew gives us a picture of Jesus through his words. What Jesus says is important. So here we actually have three separate episodes tied loosely together by short sayings.

First, Jesus calls Matthew and says, "Follow me. He eats dinner at Matthew's house with tax collectors and sinners. And when the Pharisees complain about Jesus's actions, he tells them, I have come to call sinners, not the righteous." I think it might be important to unpack that statement. Jesus is not saying that the righteous cannot enter heaven. Obviously they can. They're righteous. But that's the point. Jesus doesn't need to reach out to those who are already going to get into heaven. Where the righteous get into trouble is in not having compassion on those who through circumstances or through their own actions are not bound for glory.

These are the ones that Jesus came to save. Those who are on the outside, who need a way to come home. Jesus tells them, "Listen to my words. You too are worthy of salvation. Jesus reminds the Pharisees that scripture tells them, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. You cannot bargain with God and sacrifices are always often used as a bargaining point. Not all but too many of the Pharisees looked down upon those they considered unworthy. They ignored the poor, the sick, the outcast, and the foreigner in their midst. And Jesus is telling them what God wants is for you to show your love for God by having compassion on those who are less fortunate. Those who are in need, those on the edge of society. Just as Jesus reached out to those who were unacceptable to Jewish society so he expects us to reach out to those who are on the fringes of our society.

The next part of the story shows the living out of Jesus' words. The wonderful story of Jurus' daughter is boiled down to five sentences and Jerius is not mentioned by name. And the story about the woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years is reported in two sentences. Both of these stories are about mercy and compassion. Both of these stories are about the renewing of life lost. Both of these stories are about faith. We begin with the report of a dead girl and the great faith of the Father who says, "If you just lay your hand on her, she'll live." And Jesus got up and followed with his disciples. Before they get there, a woman comes up also with great faith. If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well. This is also a story of faith in new life. This woman has been spiritually dead for 12 years, an outcast on the edge of society.

She has not been allowed in the synagogue or to associate with me. She has been cut off because of her illness.

The whole point of these two stories is to show that Jesus can raise us from the dead spiritually, emotionally, and sometimes even physically. When we are cut off from others, when we don't belong, when we have nowhere to go or to turn for help, Jesus himself is there for us. Jesus reaches out to us and lifts us up, restoring us to our place in society. It is the love of God that reaches out to us and enfolds us in the arms of mercy. Theologian Paul Tillick claims that there have been three fears in Western humanity. The first fear is the fear of death.

This fear has been relieved or conquered or overcome by the resurrection. The second fear was the fear of judgment or guilt, which is relieved by Paul's justification of grace through faith. Your faith has made you well. The third fear in 20th century is the fear of meaninglessness. Where do our lives find meaning? So many of us at some point in our life have felt alone, abandoned, lost, forgotten, or unimportant. But to God, we are each a precious child of God created in his own image and cherished as his own forever. In return, we are asked to share that love, that mercy with those who are less fortunate. Amen.