faith

Mark 5:25-34 (New International Version)

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?"

"You see the people crowding against you," his disciples answered, "and yet you can ask, 'Who touched me?' "

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

---------------------------------------------------




As the scripture says, the woman had been to many doctors and her condition had never gotten any better, in fact it had only gotten worse. There were many reasons why she should have never touched Jesus. At that time, it was unlawful for a woman to touch a man in public. On top of that, her illness, probably a menstrual or uterine disorder made her “ritually unclean.” If she touched anyone she would be defiling them, making them unclean. Being unclean made her an outcast. She had spent 12 years on the outskirts of society unable to commune with her friends, family, or anyone else except others who had been marked unholy by the ritual law.

Twelve years of not touching anyone or having anyone touch her.

She spent her days in darkness, in the solitary confinement of her own physical prison. Until one day a ray of hope shone through her thickening despair. That one day was when she heard that hope would be passing through her town.

This was probably the first time she had ventured out into a public since the onset of her illness. She knew the consequences. She risked being beaten, stoned, and killed for endangering the cleanliness and holiness of others. She bore the shame of soiled clothing, mockery, pointing fingers, appalled faces, and obscene remarks.

Yet, she edged her way to where He was. She laid eyes upon his face and her heart leapt. She knew that if she could only reach him, if she could maybe just grasp his robes, she would be healed. Back bent, hand stretched, she leaned down and grabbed the hem of his robes. She was instantly healed. She probably praised her Healer above and on the ground silently, but her praise was suddenly halted as her entire body froze in fear, for He had noticed that someone had touched him.

He turned around and asked who had touched him. The crowd gasped and the disciples were puzzled, as they so commonly were. Knowing that she was probably breathing her last breaths of air, she came forward and fell down at his feet for mercy, for hope that He would spare her life.

But he didn’t scold her.

Instead, He knelt down, grasped her hand and pulled her up.
He touched her.
He gave her a name, on that was very dear to him.
He called her family.
He called her daughter.
And with the few words that he said, “My daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. You have been healed,” he gave her something that she could not have attained on her own.
He gave back her dignity.
He pulled her out the crowd, pulled her out of her darkness, her despair, her shame, and he introduced her back into society.
More important than her physical healing, Jesus healed her community.
He gave her his community.

Women at this time were already on the outside of society looking in because they had no voice in how their daily lives were orchestrated. Men were in charge of making every decision. Although women were considered to be the keeper of the household, without a man, their household did not exist. The faith that this woman showed is remarkable. She suffered for a long time and had exhausted every hope of recovery. When she heard of this man named Jesus, she was immediately filled with hope and set out to find him even though it might cost her life. She didn’t ask for Jesus’ permission for healing because she figured he probably wouldn’t touch her, but she believed he was capable of the miracle. She reached out to touch him to test this faith, and her faith has become one of the most inspiring examples to date.

and in all of this, all of this, return to me

"You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand--
You don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
Then I said, 'Look, I have come.
And this has been written about me in your scroll:
I take joy in doing your will, my God,
for your law is written on my heart"

-Psalm 40:6-8

--------------------------------------------

And as for me, I am poor and needy
A weary traveler on your path
Find my broken heart, barely beating
Not too gone to save, but too shamed to ask

What can I do to honor you?
For my words are too and my burdens too many
And yet you seek me in the dark
And carry me back into your heart

I could sing a thousand songs and offer up my voice to show I know you
I could give up all I have and strip my pride and wealth to show I care
But of all these things you've no desire
There's nothing I could do to make me holy
And in all of this I hear you say my child, come back to me
So I fall before your feet to give that life that you so loved
Here I am Lord, I have come
Return to me.