It is Time to Get Up!

Patterns in scripture are important. Here is one that I came across in Matthew 9.

The chapter begins with Jesus healing a paralyzed man. During this event, the phrase “get up” is used twice (verses 5 and 6) and the story ends by stating, “The man got up and went home” (verse 7).

Next, Jesus sees Matthew the tax collector and says, “Follow me”. We are told that “Matthew got up and followed him” (verse 9).

Later, a man comes to Jesus because his little girl is sick. Immediately, “Jesus got up and went with him” (verse 19). By the time Jesus arrived at the man’s house, the little girl was dead, but Jesus went in, took the girl by the hand and “she got up” (verse 25).

I do not think that it is a coincidence that the phrase “get up” or “got up” is six times in twenty-five verses. I believe this pattern is there to remind us that faith is not just about what you believe or think, it is about what you do. Faith is an action.

The chapter concludes with Jesus saying, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (verse 38). In other words, the problem is not the field. The field is ready. The problem is the lack of harvesters. Jesus’ point is that someone needs to get up and go. The next chapter starts with Jesus sending his disciples out to share the good news (Matthew 10:1-42).

It is easy to feel like we have done something because we have talked about it, but that is only half of the story. We must go! We must live and share the good news. We must get up!

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19).

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