Relationships Redeemed
by Lisa Wallover, Guest Writer
Today’s Treasure
And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
Suggested Scripture reading for today: Mark 5:25-34 or Luke 8:43-48
He was her last hope.
Her money was gone. Her health was gone. Her family and friends were long gone, a result of her twelve years of continued uncleanness. The requirements of the law prevented them from touching her—or even touching a cushion she had sat upon—lest they, too, be considered ceremonially unclean.
She was alone.
Twelve years of a flow of blood, which neither she nor the physicians could cure, had made her an outcast in her own land and even prevented her from entering the Temple or synagogue to worship the one true God, her God. The law of Moses was clear (Leviticus 15:19-33).
But she had heard of another man of God, a teacher, and a healer, and He was here, walking the streets of her city! Jesus had just been approached by Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, who had asked Him to heal his dying daughter. Jesus was on His way there, to do the very thing she longed for.
She had no champion to ask for her. She dared not speak. But she would not need to. The throng grew larger with the anticipation that a healing would be witnessed; more and more people pressed in on Jesus as He made His way through the streets. In the crush of the crowd, she could be invisible.
Now. Now would be the time she might touch Him and still be unseen. No one would need to know that she had made them unclean…that she had made the Teacher unclean…not if she could just come up from behind and brush His garments with her hand. Just touch the cloth, she thought, perhaps even the tassel of His prayer shawl…and she would be healed. Now!
Immediately she knew. Immediately she felt it. After twelve years of continuing in her uncleanness, after that one touch, she was freed from her suffering. And now…to get away. To get out of the crowd. After enduring what seemed a lifetime of agony alone in her shame, she desperately wanted to be alone in her healing. Her secret healing.
“Who touched My garments?” His voice rose above the crowd. “Who was it that touched Me?”
She froze. How did He know?
“You see the crowd pressing around You, and yet You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” His disciples asked. Yes, perhaps they would dissuade Him. Certainly, Jairus desired Him to continue quickly. But Jesus would not move from there.
“Someone touched Me, for I perceive that power has gone out from Me,” He said. He had felt it, too. The power had not been in the cloth. It had been in Him.
In fear and trembling, she stepped toward Him. What would happen now? Would she lose her healing? Would the crowd, so many of whom were now unclean because of her, turn in anger?
It did not matter; she would tell Him her story. She would tell them all. She fell to her knees and declared both her humiliation and her healing. She told what Jesus had done for her: He had made her clean.
And then, she waited.
One word. One word told her everything. One word completed her healing. The one time in all of Scripture Jesus would address someone saying this word, and He said it to her: “Daughter…”
In that word, Jesus proclaimed to her and to all who were there that she was under His care and His protection. She was not alone. Gently, He removed any lingering fear or doubt: she was a daughter of the Covenant, a child of the King.
Having restored the relationship, He then taught her. He teaches us all:
Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.
There was nothing remarkable in His garment. It was her faith in Him that connected her both to the Person and to the power of God. Jesus had made her clean. No longer hiding nor hidden, she was freed to live out her new life of faith in His peace. Her healing was complete.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
It is the same for us. Jesus, our Priest, makes atonement for us before the Lord, fulfilling the law and restoring our relationship with God. We are adopted as God’s sons and daughters. Under the cloak of Christ, we receive a spiritual healing that begins on earth and carries us into eternity.
How does your own adoption, and your new identity as a son or daughter of God, free you to live life more fully?
How does Jesus gently and kindly reassure you of His care, and restore you to God?
Who else might need to hear this same good news?
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for knowing exactly what I need and for so graciously and patiently
meeting me there. Your care for this woman encourages me to honestly bring all my hidden hurts to You. Thank You for this remarkable picture of faith and the promise of Your unfailing companionship.
More free resources for help, hope, and healing:
Help & Hope audio stories produced by MARKINC address some of life's darkest circumstances that are often difficult to discuss yet need to be faced as we help one another walk by faith. These are the real-life testimonies of people who have walked through these experiences and have found their strength in Christ. Listening to these resources is also a way to sure up your foundation for those uninvited moments when your faith is challenged. We hope you will be encouraged and that you will share these stories with others to help them persevere in faith. Listen to the first Help & Hope podcast, a private interview with founders Chuck and Sharon Betters as they talk about the loss of their son, Mark: Loss of a Child
About the Author: Lisa Wallover loves writing and creating gospel-centered resources for the local church. Married to PCA pastor David Wallover, she is author of the Post Tenebras Lux Series of five Good Friday services, published by the Presbyterian Church in America. This series was created within the context of a local church community which deeply embraces the rich truth that God’s grace is greater than our sin and shines all the brighter against the darkness. Lisa also assists with Midwest Alliance Readiness Seminars for church planting couples, and is a member of both the Parakaleo Leadership Community and the PCA’s WE (Wives of Elders) Connect Team. She has contributed articles to byFaith online and the enCourage blog.
As empty nesters, Lisa and David love traveling to visit their kids’ new nests.
Connect on fb: LisaWallover1 Connect on IG: lisawallover
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Wednesday, 11 September 2024.
SHARE
