The God of Last Resort, Part 4

Imagine that you are in a very difficult life situation and have been for many years. You can't go out in public, and people don't come to see you. The only ones who do come around mean well and try to help while emptying your bank account. You are desparate, but there is no help anywhere to be had. What would you do? What could you do? But then, when hope is all but gone, you hear of a miraculous remedy for your situation. The only problem is that you will have to compete with hundreds, maybe thousands of people to get the attention of the one person who can help. Are you desparate enough to try, or have you given up? Welcome to the challenges faced by the woman with the issue of blood.

Mark 5:25-26 "And a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years

and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all

that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse,"

She has tried everything. But now she is out of options. She is also out of money, so probably the doctors are no longer coming around....but

Mark 5:27-28 "after hearing about Jesus, came up in the crowd behind

Him and touched His outer garment, for she was saying, 'If I just touch

His garments, I shall get well.' "

I wonder how much physical strength this poor lady had after her twelve year ordeal? How do you suppose she heard about Jesus? In vs. 27 in the KJV it says she came up in "...the press behind," which means that there were people all around Jesus trying to get close to Him and touch Him. She probably heard the commotion from her home and asked someone what it was all about, and whoever that was probably told her that it was the healing prophet Jesus. She made up her mind that she was going to get her healing from this Jesus. The crowd had to be like a brutal gauntlet for her to run, walk, crawl and claw her way through. But she knew that she was finished if she didn't get her healing. She was determined to take it for herself. Let me say that again: She was determined to take it for herself. Jesus had no clue that she was coming for her healing. He was busy with the Temple official, Jairus, and was on His way off the Jairus' house when she touched him. She could have said, "Well, maybe there will be a better time...I don't want to bother Him... I wouldn't want to make a scene"......all the normal socially acceptable reasons we don't receive from God.

Consider this: This woman was taking a huge risk. Jewish law required a woman with an issue of blood who went out in public to be stoned to death. How badly do you want your healing? Would you take such a risk to get what you needed? And, remember who Jesus was walking off with when she touched his garment? Jairus, the Temple official. Jairus had the authority to order her stoned. Sometimes the risk we have to take is judgement and criticism from those we care about and love, even people in our own church. Sometimes it is our own pride that is the obstacle.

See this reason why she got her healing: She was determined to get

it and didn't care what anyone else thought about it.

Because Jesus had turned to walk away to the home of Jairus, in my imagination it seems that she must have had to dive to grab ahold of the hem of His garment. Literally, she had to almost tackle Him! Here's what happened next:

Mark 5:29 And immediately the flow of her blood was dried up;

and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.

She was healed! She knew it! And you might find this interesting: It is possible that this miracle was prophesied in Malachi 4:2. It reads, "But for you who revere My name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in its wings;" Jesus was wearing a Rabbi's robe. Supposedly the bottom of the garment was finished off with four distinct corners at the bottom. From the corners, the garment curved down toward the earth at the center and rose back up to meet the next corner. Each of the four curved parts of the base of the garment were called "wings." But I digress.

Mark 5:30-34 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself

that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned

around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?"

And His disciples said to Him, you see the multitude pressing in

on You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?' " And He looked around

to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and

trembling, aware of what had happened to her, and and fell down

before Him, and told Him the whole truth.

And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well;

go in peace and be healed of your affliction."

The word she used in verse 28 to describe her healing, and the word Jesus used in verse 34 were the same word, "sozo." There are many different words for "healed" or "healing" in the New Testament, and some of them describe different levels of healing, some better than others. This word describes what would be considered to be the highest level, or best result imaginable, for healing. Interestingly enough, it is also used to describe redemption in Romans 10:9: "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be sozo. This word is translated "saved" (which means in the church, "redeemed from sin"), and also means "made complete" and "healed." Amazing isn't it? And Romans 10:9 says you have to "confess (it) with your mouth." That is exactly what the woman with the issue of blood was doing, and exactly what you did when you received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour--and by extension--Completor and Healer.

If you took Jesus as your saviour, you have your healing.

Be as bold and determined as this woman, and take what belongs to you!

And then, learn how to give it away!