Encounters with Jesus #4
As Jesus was saying this, the leader of a synagogue came and knelt before him. “My daughter has just died…”
… So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment. (Matt 9:18-22 NLT)
Here we see faith as a last resort. But faith is faith no matter when it occurs or what provokes it, and faith is always transformational.
We do not know the timeframe between Jesus’ two visits to the area but this much is clear, on the first occasion the residents were very self-confident and self-reliant (while we don’t like to, I’m sure we can readily see ourselves in them… even now). However, the whole area seems to have changed; we don’t know how or when but the spiritual climate had become desperate for God – a mini Revival was breaking out, if you like. In fact it had started before Jesus arrived but he was the spark to finally ignite it.
So much was happening that Matthew seems in such a rush to tell about it all that he manages to omit so much detail. Luke’s account of this encounter paints a much more vivid picture of this woman for us; she was a woman at the end of her rope on every level.
When we encounter her chances are she had woken up that morning with suicidal thoughts, just as she did every morning for the past 12 years. Not that she would have gone through with them for fear of God but such thoughts plagued her constantly since her life had been consumed by her illness. This is not an overly dramatic description – her life had been consumed! Her bleeding instantly made her ‘unclean’ according to Jewish law and this was how people now viewed her, but worse than this she began to view herself in this manner too. Day by day it consumed her self-confidence; she was loosing more than blood each day, her sense of worth was draining from her too.
She had been a woman of means, whether this was through business acumen or inheritance we don’t know, but what we do know is that it had all gone; consumed on doctors bills and failed treatments. Ultimately her bleeding had consumed her wealth, her resources. It also consumed her relationships. When we encounter her she is alone in the midst of the crowd. The chapter opened with a cripple surrounded by friends desperate to see him walk again. This woman had no-one. We don’t know how old she is or whether this all began in her youth, perhaps it resulted in her being overlooked for marriage and now she was too old to be a bride. This illness had consumed her future, her dreams. She was left with nothing, not even hope.
Such devastation can sometimes destroy us, but it can also be the unlikely ‘compost’ in which faith can grow and flourish. Her faith, born out of desperation had created determination. She had been ill on Jesus’ last visit and so the only real fact she had was that Jesus was not able to heal in her neighbourhood. Despite this a faith to the contrary now burned within her. As she approached Jesus she encouraged her faith, speaking faith over her faith, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
She may not have viewed her faith as great, indeed she may have been in awe at the demonstrations of faith we have already read about in this chapter, but her’s was by far the most spectacular; it had triumphed over her bleeding before Jesus had even healed her! Her faith burned with such… well, faith that as soon as she had touched Jesus he said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." (Luke 8:46 NIV). Jesus had not prayed over her as he had done in previous encounters; her faith had drawn a healing out of Jesus. Jesus was excited by her faith that all he could do was encourage her.
No matter what your situation is today, it will not destroy you. Allow it to fuel your faith, let your faith burn so vibrantly that it consumes your situation. At that moment you will hear Jesus’ words echoing over your life: “…be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.”
… So Jesus and his disciples got up and went with him. Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment. (Matt 9:18-22 NLT)
Here we see faith as a last resort. But faith is faith no matter when it occurs or what provokes it, and faith is always transformational.
We do not know the timeframe between Jesus’ two visits to the area but this much is clear, on the first occasion the residents were very self-confident and self-reliant (while we don’t like to, I’m sure we can readily see ourselves in them… even now). However, the whole area seems to have changed; we don’t know how or when but the spiritual climate had become desperate for God – a mini Revival was breaking out, if you like. In fact it had started before Jesus arrived but he was the spark to finally ignite it.
So much was happening that Matthew seems in such a rush to tell about it all that he manages to omit so much detail. Luke’s account of this encounter paints a much more vivid picture of this woman for us; she was a woman at the end of her rope on every level.
When we encounter her chances are she had woken up that morning with suicidal thoughts, just as she did every morning for the past 12 years. Not that she would have gone through with them for fear of God but such thoughts plagued her constantly since her life had been consumed by her illness. This is not an overly dramatic description – her life had been consumed! Her bleeding instantly made her ‘unclean’ according to Jewish law and this was how people now viewed her, but worse than this she began to view herself in this manner too. Day by day it consumed her self-confidence; she was loosing more than blood each day, her sense of worth was draining from her too.
She had been a woman of means, whether this was through business acumen or inheritance we don’t know, but what we do know is that it had all gone; consumed on doctors bills and failed treatments. Ultimately her bleeding had consumed her wealth, her resources. It also consumed her relationships. When we encounter her she is alone in the midst of the crowd. The chapter opened with a cripple surrounded by friends desperate to see him walk again. This woman had no-one. We don’t know how old she is or whether this all began in her youth, perhaps it resulted in her being overlooked for marriage and now she was too old to be a bride. This illness had consumed her future, her dreams. She was left with nothing, not even hope.
Such devastation can sometimes destroy us, but it can also be the unlikely ‘compost’ in which faith can grow and flourish. Her faith, born out of desperation had created determination. She had been ill on Jesus’ last visit and so the only real fact she had was that Jesus was not able to heal in her neighbourhood. Despite this a faith to the contrary now burned within her. As she approached Jesus she encouraged her faith, speaking faith over her faith, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”
She may not have viewed her faith as great, indeed she may have been in awe at the demonstrations of faith we have already read about in this chapter, but her’s was by far the most spectacular; it had triumphed over her bleeding before Jesus had even healed her! Her faith burned with such… well, faith that as soon as she had touched Jesus he said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." (Luke 8:46 NIV). Jesus had not prayed over her as he had done in previous encounters; her faith had drawn a healing out of Jesus. Jesus was excited by her faith that all he could do was encourage her.
No matter what your situation is today, it will not destroy you. Allow it to fuel your faith, let your faith burn so vibrantly that it consumes your situation. At that moment you will hear Jesus’ words echoing over your life: “…be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.”
-Andrew Carey
posted by Andrew at 8:51 am
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