How do we paint Jesus the Christ? The stories in the Gospel of Matthew contribute to the answer; they add a color, an expression, a trait of great intensity, they paint him as the healer: It is astonishing that this vivid expression has more and more been lost in our time. The grayish colors of a moral teacher, the tense expression of a social reformer, the soft traits of a suffering servant have prevailed. The gospels abound in stories of healing; but we have forgotten that “Savior” means “healer,” he who makes whole and sane what is broken and insane, in body and mind. The woman who encountered him was made whole. Those who are disrupted, split, disintegrated, are healed by him.

And because this is so, the kingdom of God has come upon us.