Just when she reached the end of her resources...
How does he inspire you? When he
lived in Galilee two thousand years ago, he attracted enormous crowds, who
followed him everywhere he went. Throughout every generation, he has drawn followers. What sets him apart from everyone else? His love and compassion are
exceptional. The most desperate or humble the person may approach him and
expect to receive his love and compassion.
But he gives more than sympathy. He heals, restores minds and bodies, and by his example,
reveals the character of his Father in a new light.
While Jesus lived on earth, how did he heal?
He performed
miracles. How? While it’s impossible to know how he did them, it’s more
important to realize he is God who can restore the people he created because
his intelligence and power outshines ours by zillions.
On such an occasion, the two people who sought Jesus’s healing powers were a rich synagogue ruler and a very ill woman. The prominent ruler came to Jesus with confidence, and the people let him pass through their midst. At the back of the crowd, a desperate woman quivered in fear and weakness. After twelve years of constant bleeding, anemia and depression wracked her body and soul. Her doctors had no cure for low blood pressure, weakness, and cramping pain despite the huge fees she’d spent on their services. The Levitical laws prohibited her socializing while she bled, and everyone shunned and shamed her. Her depleted resources had failed to address her needs. Alone and devastated, she came to Jesus. She’d seen his miracles, but could she face him or expose her shame to public scrutiny?
“Take heart, daughter. Your faith has healed
you.” Matthew 9:22. “Go in peace.” Luke 8:48.
She needed his encouragement and his healing power. Physical suffering destroys our confidence, but ostracism from our family or neighbors breaks our spirit. Jesus affirmed her faith and received her into his family as God’s daughter, the daughter of the King of kings, a royal princess. The Father loved her and now he welcomed her. While Jesus, the Son of God, represented his heavenly Father, he performed these miracles, obeying God’s will to God's glory.
How long
have you waited for the Lord’s healing touch? This woman waited twelve years. Suffering
is never good, but when relief arrives, our appreciation is proportional to our
experience. When we understand how others feel, we can comfort them and direct them to Jesus,
knowing he may heal or provide the grace to endure.
Jesus' reputation had gone before him, and inspired this woman's desperate trust. As we know him better, trust grows. Jesus told a parable about a mustard
seed. Although this seed is minuscule, it develops into an enormous tree. If
your faith is small, place that tiny hope in Jesus and he will expand it.
Water it with Bible words, and it will grow into a lasting relationship with
him, bearing eternal fruit.
‘For who has despised the day of small things?’ Zechariah
4:10.
Does doubt and fear pollute your faith? Since Jesus’s
opinion of us is true, we can ignore the false criticism people shower on us, and trust him.
What attracts us to Jesus? It’s his ability to
forgive our sins and stay with us because he loves us.
Why is he worthy of our trust? He died, rose
again, and kept his promises to his disciples. God sent him into the world and
he obeyed his Father, as his perfect ambassador. He never fails, and he is
unique because he is sinless.
Whether I’m the daughter of a king or a labourer
makes no difference to Jesus. It is our faith in his power that saves us. Ephesians 2:8-9.
‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I
will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and
learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls.’ Matthew 11:28.
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