Matthew 9:35
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, pro claiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
Scripture Insights
Matthew wanted to show that Jesus was the Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us, ushering in the kingdom of heaven on earth. In chapters 8 and 9, we see Jesus bringing the kingdom into people’s lives—engaging with them by teaching, preaching, and healing.
When I moved to Bethany, Oklahoma, I began to learn the history of the community. The city was established in 1909, by cofounder C. B. Jernigan, who facilitated the purchase of a piece of land located west of Oklahoma City on the El Reno Interurban Railway. Bethany became the new home for the Oklahoma Holiness College (now Southern Nazarene University), Bethany First Church of the Nazarene, and The Nazarene Rescue Home for Unwed Mothers and the Oklahoma Orphanage (now Bethany Children’s Health Center). The commitment was to teach, preach, and heal. Today, the church, university, and children’s health center continue the pattern established by Jesus of teaching, preaching, and healing.
How do we bridge the gap between our friends and Jesus today? We invest in our community at the point of people’s intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs.
Today’s Prayer
Father, give us the grace to invest in those you have brought into our lives. May we follow the life and teachings of your Son, Jesus, who became a servant, meeting the needs of others.
—Rick Harvey
Lead Pastor, Bethany First Church of the Nazarene (Oklahoma)
