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She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his clothes, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. Then Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" Luke 8:44-45
Can you imagine her frustration? She had a flow of blood for 12 years. She had spent every last penny on doctors to heal her, but to no avail and with no solution. Her condition just continued day after day, and year after year.
Besides her medical condition, her anemia, and her lack of energy, she was ritually unclean. Anyone or anything she touched would become unclean. It was her religious duty not to touch anyone or anything, as it would become immediately contaminated. She was socialized by her world to think of herself as dirty, as soiled, as filthy, and untouchable.
What gave her the courage to think that her life could possibly be different? Why didn’t she just accept the place in life that she had been given? Just who does this unclean, unworthy woman think she is?
What gave her the courage to do what she did? It was her total confidence in the ability of Jesus to change her life. She knew beyond a shadow of doubt that if she touched him, she would be made well.
She strained through the crowds, this unworthy, dirty, untouchable woman, pressing on with her conviction that Jesus could bring her wholeness. She came to Jesus with the expectation that Jesus was the answer to the question that she had been asking.
As she got near, she reached through the crowd and touched, just barely touched, the fringe of Jesus’ clothes. Immediately she was healed! Her flow of blood ceased and she knew that her life was being transformed before her eyes.
“Who touched me?” Jesus must have known, but he still asked. And when she came, trembling and falling down before him, she declared before everyone there that she had touched him and that she was immediately healed. And Jesus blessed her, and told her that her faith in him had made her well.
Who does this unclean, unworthy woman think she is? She is a child of God with utter confidence in the ability of Jesus to heal, to restore, to forgive, and to give new life even when it seems impossible.
Who is this unclean, unworthy woman? Perhaps she is us; each of us who begin this journey through Lent, seeking to come close and touch Jesus and receive the amazing healing that only He can give.
Besides her medical condition, her anemia, and her lack of energy, she was ritually unclean. Anyone or anything she touched would become unclean. It was her religious duty not to touch anyone or anything, as it would become immediately contaminated. She was socialized by her world to think of herself as dirty, as soiled, as filthy, and untouchable.
What gave her the courage to think that her life could possibly be different? Why didn’t she just accept the place in life that she had been given? Just who does this unclean, unworthy woman think she is?
What gave her the courage to do what she did? It was her total confidence in the ability of Jesus to change her life. She knew beyond a shadow of doubt that if she touched him, she would be made well.
She strained through the crowds, this unworthy, dirty, untouchable woman, pressing on with her conviction that Jesus could bring her wholeness. She came to Jesus with the expectation that Jesus was the answer to the question that she had been asking.
As she got near, she reached through the crowd and touched, just barely touched, the fringe of Jesus’ clothes. Immediately she was healed! Her flow of blood ceased and she knew that her life was being transformed before her eyes.
“Who touched me?” Jesus must have known, but he still asked. And when she came, trembling and falling down before him, she declared before everyone there that she had touched him and that she was immediately healed. And Jesus blessed her, and told her that her faith in him had made her well.
Who does this unclean, unworthy woman think she is? She is a child of God with utter confidence in the ability of Jesus to heal, to restore, to forgive, and to give new life even when it seems impossible.
Who is this unclean, unworthy woman? Perhaps she is us; each of us who begin this journey through Lent, seeking to come close and touch Jesus and receive the amazing healing that only He can give.
Questions to Ponder
- Have you ever experienced emotional or spiritual healing? What was it like? What were you like, what happened, and is it like now?
- In Jesus’ time some people were called “unworthy” or “unclean.” Today some people still feel that same way, though they’re not often called those names. What might you do to help someone feel “worthy” of the healing touch of Jesus?
Prayer for Today: Almighty and Merciful God, reach into the depths of my heart and find where I feel unworthy. Touch me with a word of grace and healing. Bring me closer to your heart, and touch me with your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Here's a wonderful song: That's What Faith Can Do by Kutless.
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