Newsletter—July
Tuesday we celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is a day when we celebrate our freedom. But there is a different kind of freedom that we need to talk about today. Freedom that only Christ can bring.
This woman comes to Jesus. She has heard that this is the physician she has been looking for. There she is in the crush of the crowd. She is in a delicate situation. She can’t cry out about her condition to get Jesus’ attention. The crowd would push her off to the side. No one’s supposed to even touch her. How can they help touching her in a crowd like that? “Unclean! Unclean!” She might even get injured. Who knows what an angry crowd might do? She can’t risk speaking up and having Jesus reach out to touch her, but, she thinks to herself, if I can just get close enough to touch him, just touch the hem of his garment, then maybe I will be healed. Probably the physician won’t even know.
But he does know. Jesus always knows. You’ve got a problem, you’ve got a need. Jesus knows. You kneel down by your bed and pour you heart out over some situation that seems to have no solution, Jesus knows. You take your deep concern to God, he knows. This woman came up behind Jesus and touched his cloak. Immediately her bleeding stopped and she was freed from her suffering. And Jesus knew. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
The disciples are mystified by Jesus’ statement. “You see the people crowding against you,” they said, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’“ But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.
The woman is mortified. She thought she could hide in the crowd, but it didn’t work. She’s been found out, exposed. Mark tells us, “Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth.”
We can feel for her, can’t we? Her condition was humiliating, and socially isolating. She’s probably kept it hidden as best she could for many years. But now it’s out there. No more hiding. No more pretending. Now everybody knows. Why couldn’t Jesus just heal her in private? Why couldn’t he allow her to keep at least a shred of her dignity?
But see, here is the point: exactly because the community had shunned her due to her condition, the community needed to know that she was now free from that condition. Confession is not only good for the soul, it helps us to be restored to our rightful place in the community. Jesus was not exposing her so she would be embarrassed, he was giving her the opportunity to come forward and to truly be set free.
He speaks to her. “Daughter,” he says. This is the only time recorded in the Scriptures that he ever used this term “daughter.” “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
“Be freed from your suffering.” Be freed physically. Be freed socially. Be freed spiritually. Be freed!
What a beautiful and important story.
There is someone reading this today who is feeling hopeless about some situation in your life. Maybe you’ve kept it a secret from your family, even your closest friends, but Jesus knows. Maybe it has to do with your health. Or your marriage. Maybe there is a situation in your family that defies healing. Perhaps there is a son or daughter you are concerned about. Maybe your business is failing and you are at your wits’ end to know how to reverse your financial slide. Maybe there is a secret sin that has you in its grip. And you think to yourself, if only there was something I could do. If I could touch even the hem of his garment, I would be set free.
Our story today offers us hope.
First of all, Christ knows about your concern. If you have any question that Christ knows and is concerned about your situation, let me put your mind at ease. He knows. The depth of his knowledge is unsurpassed, and what he knows best is people.
Jesus is the supreme lover of people. “He can sense a person’s true needs immediately and speak just the right word to heal a hurt.” He knows your situation.
But there is a second thing to be said: It is very difficult to carry a heavy burden alone. Is there a trusted friend or counselor with whom you can talk? Yes, you can talk to Jesus, but sometimes it is helpful to have a human being to whom we can unload our troubles.
Is there someone you can turn to? Someone who will not break your confidence? Someone who will listen sympathetically without judging?
Jesus knows about your situation, but sometimes it helps to share the hurt with at least one other person.
Here’s the final thing to be said: Don’t forget your faith. Jesus said to this desperate woman, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” So often the answer to our problem is our faith in God.
Only Christ can heal a broken marriage. Only Christ can heal broken relationships within a family. Only Christ can give us hope when everyone else is telling us that there is no hope to be found. Only Christ can deliver us from sin. To be sure, we need to take our problems to trained professionals. We’re especially grateful to live in a time when medical science can do so much for us. And many people have been helped by marriage counselors and credit counselors and addiction programs and all the resources that are in our community to help those who are in distress. But when the doctors tell you there is nothing more they can do, don’t forget your faith. Jesus knows. Jesus cares. And he can speak words of freedom to us. “Daughter,” he said to this woman who had suffered so much, “your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” That is a word he speaks to us today. Be freed through faith in him. Whom Christ sets free is free indeed.
Blessings