"And while He was going, the crowds were nearly crushing Him. A woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years, who had spent all she had on doctors, yet could not be healed by any, approached from behind and touched the tassel of His robe. Instantly her bleeding stopped." Luke 8:42-44
Of all the gospels I like reading Luke's the most. Why? For two basic reasons: 1) Because Luke makes sure that you know that the Christ that we serve is an inclusive God, the Lord that loves all of us, all of humanity; and 2) Because Luke is the only gospel writer who was a gentile like me. I can relate to how he sees things. Look at this passage.
Luke tells us of a woman who dares to get close to Jesus and touch his clothes. This Jesus, a Jew and identified as a holy man. I say "dares to" because everything she was doing was against the Jewish law. First as a woman she was not to approach a teacher of the law directly, much less in public. And second, as a woman who was bleeding internally she was viewed to be unclean and was not even to be out in the streets, much less in a crowd of persons pressed together.
But why did she dare to do that which was unlawful? . . . Because she had no place to go.
See she had reached the end of herself. She had done all that she knew how to get healed. She had gone from specialist to specialist. She had been bleeding for 12 years!
As a side note, theologians sometimes argue if it really was for 12 years. A theologian may ask if Luke was trying to say somethingelse, to make a different statement. If Luke was not trying to say that all of Israel was ill, was hemorhaging from within . . . all 12 twelve tribes. If Luke was not trying to say that all that they had tried to do to clean themselves from their sin was not working. That Isarel, like all men, can not heal themselves, ourselves. That in order for us to be whole, in full and complete health like we were created to be, inorder for us to have a full life, to be "made whole," mentally, physically, socially, in all our relationships with man and with God . . . we had to come to the end of ourselves and come to Christ. That it is in Christ and Christ alone that we would find life, and that abudantly!
Well I don't know if Luke was trying to say that or not, but it is worth saying. Yeah?!
In any case, she was at that point. In examining the point that she was act I find myself thinking of where I may stand.
Do I have to have spent all before coming to Him? For me it oftentimes seems like it takes all of that. That it takes me reaching such a point of desperation. Indeed, as long as we think that we can do a better job than God, why should we run to him? Why would I give the control of my life to someone else if I think I can do a better job? Would you? As my good friend and brother Marvin would say . . . ""indeed you would not!" And that is probably why it seems like God does not show up until we are at the complete end of ourselves. Do you get what I am trying to say?
We like to say that God is never early but always on time. And yet, I must admit, I would REALLY like for Him to show up a little bit ahead of times. Because I want Him to act NOW I get upset with Him when He doesn't. But, just perhaps it is not God's fault that He doesn't act sooner but ours? Because we still think that we can do it, that we do not need Him to direct our steps, order our ways, . . . that we do not need to be obedient to His word, study and do what we know to do . . . because we refuse to "love the Lord our God with all our heart soul and might" . . . That because we so think, believe, and live, . . . well . . . God's hands are tied to act on our behalf. He is waiting for us to come to the end of ourselves.
She did. She came to the end of herself. She was willing to do anything necessary to get to Jesus. She was willing to press in, violate the religious laws of the day and get to Jesus and touch Him. Nothing would stand in her way in touching Jesus! Nothing! Even herself, what society "thought" of her - a second class citizen - or what she thought of herself and her right to be whole.
See sometimes it is not others that prevent us from being made whole it is ourselves. We come to believe our own lower self identity. We come to think of ourselves as not deserving of God's love, His blessing or His care and concern. We are bleeding from within. And as we have been hurting for a long time, we have come to believe our own unbiblical talk about our selves. Do you remember what David said to the Lord:
"I will praise You Lord because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. Psalm 139:14
Perhaps it is time for us to start saying and believing what God says and believes about us. She started to, and in so doing, she pressed forward to Christ.
Go back and read the whole story in Luke. I won't write it all here. You go read it for yourself. When you do, you will see that there were many pressing Jesus, but only she was healed. And He knew she had touched Him. Her having come to the end of herself, and having reached out to Jesus believing that He alone could heal her . . . well . . . you saw it . . . she was instantly healed!
I oftentimes have not come to the end of myself. I oftentimes still believe that I can do it myself, even while praying to God to lead me. He knows my inmost parts and many times then lets me get to the end of myself so that He can do the work that no one else can do in making it all right, making me whole! When Jesus healed her she had no scar, she was as He intended her body to function when God made her. When Christ does the healing in our lives (and don't think I am focussing on physical, . . . there are all sorts of illnesses in our lives, financial immediately comes to my mind, but don't stop there also . . . relationships . . . self-talk . . . just feeling loved, wanted, desired, not alone) He does so without causing a scar. It is not His fault that we may not be whole yet. Do like I did today . . . look in the mirror. There you will find the culprit.
But don't worry, Jesus is waiting, He is willing and He is able. He will do. You are worth it to Him. Just truly give it to Him. Get to the end of yourself.
Got Word?
Love yah,
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