Wednesday Woman: The Bleeding Woman With Faith (and Fear)

I used to think that having faith meant you’re not afraid.  After all, if I really trust God, I won’t live in fear, right?

Then I read the story of the bleeding woman.  Yes, she had faith.  But she was also scared to death.

She had a hemorrhage for twelve years.  The doctors only made her worse.  And Jesus was her only hope.  So she reached out and touched his cloak in a crowd of people thinking,

If I just touch His garments, I will get well. (Mark 5:29)

Immediately, she was healed.

What recently struck me about the story – I had previously read it many times before – is that, despite her faith, she was still afraid.  When Jesus inquired, “Who touched my garments,”  she didn’t raise her hand and jump up and down.  She didn’t say, “Yippee, it was I Lord.” 

Even after she was healed, she was still afraid.  She was even trembling:

But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. (v. 34)

Did Jesus hold her fear against her?  Hardly.  Instead, he applauded her faith:

“Daughter, your faith has made you well.”

I’m thankful that faith and fear are not mutually exclusive.  In fact, I think they might even go together.  After all, if we’re going to ask God for something big – like changing a circumstance, opening a door that is locked shut, or healing an illness – we’re going to have to face our fears head on. 

If Jesus were standing right in front of you, would you be afraid?  Would you be trembling?  I know I would be.

But, the better question is, like the Bleeding Woman, do you have the faith to touch his garment?

This Wednesday, I’m praying for all of you out there who are reaching out and touching his garment.  And I'm praying for those of you who need the faith to do so.  I’m right there with you.  Sure, I’m afraid.  But let’s not miss out on a miracle.

Jesus The Fatherless?

When Jesus was ready to launch his public ministry, his earthly father, Joseph, was likely dead.  For how long?  We really don’t know. 

The last time Joseph is mentioned in the New Testament is in Luke 2, when Jesus was about 12 years old.  So, sometime between age 12 and age 30, Jesus lost his earthly father.

Jesus already had to overcome the prejudice against him in his hometown.  Some of the folks in Nazareth likely questioned the propriety of his “virgin” birth.  Maybe they even considered him illegitimate.  After all, Mary and Joseph weren’t married yet when Mary conceived.  Was Joseph really Jesus’ father?

After he launches his ministry, Jesus returns to his hometown to teach in the synagogue.  But he isn’t exactly welcomed with open arms.  Instead, the leaders proclaim, “Isn’t this the carpenter?  Isn’t this Mary’s son…”  (Mark 6:3)

In a male-dominated society, the fact that they referred to him as Mary’s son speaks volumes.  Jesus was on his own, without a “man” of the family to support or defend him. 

In human terms, Jesus knew what it was like to be fatherless.  He feels our pain when our earthly fathers let us down.  And no matter how wonderful our earthly fathers may be, they can never be perfect.  They can never take the place of our Heavenly Father.

Jesus shows us, in spiritual terms, what it means to be in perfect relationship with our Heavenly Father.  And what a better time than Father’s Day to restore or renew that relationship.

What does it mean to you to know that your Heavenly Father is fully able to meet your needs, regardless of the imperfections of your earthly father? 

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.  Psalm 68:5

Why Did He Do it?

Prior to his death, Jesus had a handful of followers.  Maybe a couple hundred at best.  He had been rejected by the religious leaders, the powerful, and the elite.  And on Good Friday, his only followers outright deserted him. 

That’s right, on Good Friday, Jesus’ disciples were running scared.  One of his closet friends – Simon Peter – even denied Jesus publicly not once, but three times.  And when Jesus asked his disciples to watch and pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, they instead fell asleep.  And worse yet, one of his own betrayed him for 30 pieces of silver.

Can you imagine what it would be like to have every person you know – every close friend and family member – abandon you prior to your death?

Most of us have at least someone in this world we can count on.  Someone who will never reject us or betray us.  Someone who stands by us, even when no one else will – a parent, spouse, friend, sister, brother, son, or daughter.

But not Jesus.  Jesus went to the cross alone.  And not only was Jesus completely deserted, he was facing a brutal, painful death. This would have been reason alone to back out and say, “enough is enough.”

So why did he do it?  Why not call it quits, throw in the towel, and beam up to heaven?  Surely, if he was God, he could have stopped the pain and torture.  He could have called a legion of angels to rescue him, or rained fire from heaven on his accusers.

But instead he chose to stick it out – even willingly. 

Why?  He did it for you and for me.  It wasn’t suffering for the sake of suffering.  It was suffering – the ultimate sacrifice of giving one’s life -- for your sake and mine.

Why would God allow his only Son to pay the ultimate price for nothing?  In considering who Jesus is, consider this – his death is meaningless unless it served a greater purpose.  Could that greater purpose be to bring you back to God?

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. – John 15:13