Holy Week: Who is Jesus?

   

Jesus by the Jesus Painter

 Today, I want to focus on Jesus' kindness.  Perhaps, through this story you can find yourself.  Perhaps you can see that you are not far from healing, even if it seems like you have been suffering a long time.  Where ever you may be, I pray that above all, you see Jesus' kindness in this encounter he had on earth.
      Before we get into Jesus's encounter, we have to have a brief Biblical history lesson.  I know, I know.  Total snoozefest for some of you.  But trust me, you have to KNOW in order to SEE.
      Women during the time of Jesus had very specific roles to play.  They were homemaker, wife, and  mother, which often made them the voiceless gender.  Jewish women were under very specific guidelines according to the laws given in Leviticus.  Because women experienced monthly bleeding through her periods or childbirth,  the laws provided a way for women to become clean again. Let’s read these laws in a paraphrase from the Message:
          Leviticus 15:19-30:  "When a woman has a discharge of blood, the impurity of her menstrual period lasts seven days. Anyone who touches her is unclean until evening. Everything on which she lies or sits during her period is unclean. Anyone who touches her bed or anything on which she sits must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he remains unclean until evening.   "If a man sleeps with her and her menstrual blood gets on him, he is unclean for seven days and every bed on which he lies becomes unclean. If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, but not at the time of her monthly period, or has a discharge that continues beyond the time of her period, she is unclean the same as during the time of her period. Every bed on which she lies during the time of the discharge and everything on which she sits becomes unclean the same as in her monthly period. Anyone who touches these things becomes unclean and must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he remains unclean until evening. When she is cleansed from her discharge, she is to count off seven days; then she is clean. On the eighth day she is to take two doves or two pigeons and bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. The priest will offer one for an Absolution-Offering and the other for a Whole-Burnt-Offering. The priest will make atonement for her in the presence of God because of the discharge that made her unclean.”  
        Women would be considered unclean during the duration of a period, even if the blood did not touch anything.  By simply sitting on a mat or sleeping on her bed, those items were considered unclean and not to be touched by anyone wishing to remain pure.  To become clean again, both men and women would go to the mikvah, which is basically a shallow pool often near the temple and bathe.  Once a women’s period was over, or she finished her allotted time after childbirth, she would go to the mikvah to bathe and pray.  This action signaled to her family that she was clean again.  The places she sat upon are no longer unclean, she could go to temple, and her family could touch her.
     OK, so are we all caught up on our Jewish law?  Basically if a woman was bleeding, she was unclean, which meant that she was not a part of everyday society until she was clean once again.
     Which brings us to our story in Luke 8:40-48.  We find Jesus at a height in his popularity among the people.  Word had spread about this amazing religious teacher who spoke with such wisdom and also had the power to heal people from all kinds of conditions.  Jesus and his group were on their way to visit a family whose daughter was very sick, on the verge of death.  You can imagine the crowd surrounding him as he traveled, with people following, just desperate to get a glimpse of Jesus.  There was poor woman in the crowd who had lived a very isolated life for the past 12 years because she had a  bleeding condition that would make her unclean in society.  If she had a family before her condition, they probably did not have much contact.  Luke writes in verse 43 “that no one could heal her.” She probably had spent many years looking for someone to help her.  You can imagine that when she heard about Jesus, a hope was renewed.  She went to find Him, and knowing that he couldn't touch her because of the Law, she chooses to touch the edge of his clothing, hoping to finally be healed.  In response to her doing this, Jesus wants to know who touched Him because he felt his power heal her.  The women comes forward, probably very fearful that her secret would be exposed.  She explains what happened. Jesus, responds to her in KINDNESS!  He tells her that her faith has allowed her to be healed.  He then says she can go in Peace.  Jesus doesn't add to her shame, but has not only healed her physically, but emotionally as well.  She can now have a peaceful life. Remember, he is the PRINCE OF PEACE.   Jesus doesn't reject her for her uncleanliness nor get upset because she didn't follow the law in Leviticus.  He also doesn't let her encounter stop him from where he was going.  He doesn't stop and go to a mikvah because she touched him before continuing on his mission.  Jesus lets this interruption become an example of God’s kindness to all of us.
     Where do you need Jesus' kindness for your life?  Is there a wound you have been carrying around for the past twelve years?  Do you need to just reach out and touch Jesus?  Do it today.  He will show you love and kindness just like He did for the bleeding woman so many years ago.  He can heal you, just believe.