Luke 8:43-48

Luke 8:43-48

And a woman, while being in a flow of blood for twelve years, after expending all of her livelihood for physicians, was not strong enough to be healed from any of them.  After coming near from behind, she was touching the edge of his cloak and immediately the flow of her blood stood still.  And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched me?”  And while all were denying, Peter and the ones with him said, “Master, the crowds constrain you and press in.”  But Jesus said, “Who touched me?  For I know a power having departed from me.”  And after the woman saw that she did not stay hidden, while trembling she came and fell down before Him and she declared in the presence of all people the reason for which she touched Him as well as that she was being immediately healed.  And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.  Depart in peace.”

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I find the contrast between this woman and Jairus’s situation striking.  She is an unknown woman in the midst of a selfish crowd, whereas Jairus was a known man that the crowd let be humble before to Jesus.  This woman suffered from a blood condition for twelve years, which is the same amount of time that Jairus’ daughter had been alive and well.  The woman tries to hide in the crowd while Jairus was not afforded that opportunity.  The woman couldn’t be any more different than Jairus.  But she is still healed.  Jesus is willing to be will all people in any situation.

Why is it important to see that Jesus can be known by the well-known and the anonymous?  To which situation do you feel the most similar?

Second Thought:

As we get to the end of this passage, we notice that Jesus compliment the woman on her faith.  Look at what this woman does.  She comes up and touches Jesus from behind.  She doesn’t need to bother Jesus.  She doesn’t need Jesus to do anything.  She simply knows that Jesus’ power is strong enough to heal her.  She doesn’t even seem to want any sort of popularity.  She doesn’t want to catch Jesus’ eye.  She simply wants to ease her condition and move along.  That’s incredible faith!

Do you have faith that the mere presence of Jesus can heal?  How does faith like that play out in your life?

On a side note, there is a dark side to this.  The woman doesn’t want to be noticed.  In a way, this is her own form of selfishness.  She is imposing her will on Jesus.  She wants her healing and then wants to get on with her life.  This could be why she remains anonymous.  She is healed.  She becomes a great teaching point.  But as far as we know, she doesn’t become a disciple.  Of course, she might.  We aren’t told either way.  And who am I to judge?

Third Thought:

As we backtrack this story from the end to its beginning, notice also that this woman had spent her whole livelihood on physicians.  I can’t even imagine her frustration.  She experienced 12 years of no results.  That’s over a decade of disappointment.  Yet, she still comes to Jesus.  This woman exemplifies not only faith but hope.  She doesn’t give up.  She sees an opportunity and is willing to try.

Are you resilient like this woman?  When disappointment comes into your life, how long does it take you to move on and try again?

Passage for Tomorrow: Luke 8:49-50