Interpretation:
I asked
myself why the woman wanted to touch Jesus secretly?
The disease she had would have
made her unclean according to Jewish Law. This meant no one was supposed
to touch her because whoever touched her would have become unclean. So,
she must have figured that Jesus would not lay His hands on her to heal
her because that would be touching her. She also knew He was a Rabbi and
would be versed in the law.
"'When a woman has a
discharge of blood for many days at a time other than her monthly period
or has a discharge that continues beyond her period, she will be unclean
as long as she has the discharge, just as in the days of her period. Any
bed she lies on while her discharge continues will be unclean, as is her
bed during her monthly period, and anything she sits on will be unclean,
as during her period. Whoever touches them will be unclean; he must wash
his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening.”
(Leviticus 15:25-27, NIV)
But, she was desperate and
wanted the bleeding to stop which was occurring for 12 years. All the
doctors she went to made her spend all she had but she was getting worse
and not better. She heard about Jesus and the miracles Jesus had done.
She figured she could touch the cloak of Jesus and receive her healing
without His permission. Interestingly, there was a cause-effect
relationship that occurred.
I asked
myself what the cause-effect relationship was?
Because she believed and touched
Jesus’ clothes she was healed immediately as the bleeding stopped and
she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
I asked
myself why that is significant?
Even though she did it secretly
wanting to get her healing without making her situation public, healing
power went through Jesus into her life to heal her.
Observations:
I asked
myself what we learn about Jesus?
-
Jesus realized that power had
gone out from him.
-
Jesus turned around in the crowd and
asked,
“Who touched my clothes?”
-
Jesus kept looking around to
see who had done it.
-
Jesus found out who did it.
-
Jesus told her,
“Daughter, your faith has healed
you.”
-
Jesus told her,
“Go in peace”
-
Jesus told her,
“Be freed from your suffering.”
Interpretation:
I asked
myself what we learn about the disciples?
The disciples wanted Jesus to
let go of the situation because there were so many crowding against
Jesus and it could have been anyone who touched him because they were
leaning on to their own understanding.
Observations:
I asked
myself what we learn about the women after her healing?
-
The woman knew what had
happened to her when she touched Jesus.
-
The woman then came to Jesus.
-
The woman fell at Jesus’ feet.
-
The woman trembled with fear
and told Him the whole truth.
Interpretations:
I asked
myself why Jesus asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
Jesus already knew who touched
His clothes but I believe He asked this question for the benefit of the
crowd. As the disciples said, there were so many crowding against Jesus,
so anybody could have touched Jesus, but Jesus is not interested in the
unintentional touching of his clothes when people brush by Him. Instead,
Jesus is very interested in the one who intentionally touched His
clothes.
I believe it was mostly for the benefit of the woman Jesus asked this
question to restore her fully in front of the crowd. The disease she had
would have made her an outcast of those who knew her and they would not
want to have anything to do with her. Even if she told those who knew of
her condition that she was healed, they would not have believed her more
than likely because she had spent all this money on doctors and was
getting worse. Now all of a sudden, she is healed. They would have a
hard time believing that especially since her healing was not done
publicly but privately because of her own faith. They would have
still kept her away for a
couple of days from them and Jesus wanted to address that. Also, Jesus
is making a point that He who makes people clean has the final authority
to declare someone clean or unclean.
I asked
myself why it is significant what the woman did?
The woman wanted her healing in
a private way without asking Jesus for healing because of the stigma
attached to her disease. Now after Jesus deliberately takes time to look
for the one who intentionally touched Him, she comes to Him from the
crowd, falls before Him, and tells Him the whole truth of what happened
to her in front of all the onlookers showing us not only her gratitude
to Jesus for what He had done for her but also revealing to Jesus and
the crowd her own private faith in Jesus that she was afraid to make
public. Now however that changed for her. It is also possible she came
out of fear not knowing what will happen to her if she did not come
forward.
I asked
myself what was the cause-effect relationship here?
Because the woman had done three
things:
-
Came to Jesus.
-
Falls before Jesus.
-
Tells Jesus the whole truth of
what happened to her.
The
result is Jesus tells her three profound things:
-
Daughter, your faith has healed
you.
-
Daughter, go in peace.
-
Daughter, be freed from your
suffering.
I asked
myself why it is significant that Jesus called her daughter and spoke
three powerful things to her?
I
found it so significant because Jesus was letting her know that she
belongs to Him. Jesus does not want her to be afraid. She has nothing to fear. Yes, she had a bad life and
suffered for 12 years where earthly doctors could do no good for her and
made it worse but now she has met the Great Physician who loves her so
much that He adopts her as His own daughter. It is not for any good
works she did that Jesus calls her daughter. If anything what the woman
did was against Jewish law to touch someone with the disease she had but
Jesus looked beyond her actions and into her heart. Jesus healed her and
restored her by His free gift of grace. It is His grace that brought her
freedom.
Jesus also knew that she
had faith in Him and it is that faith that healed and saved her. When
she comes to Jesus, she is trembling with fear and Jesus calls her
daughter, go in peace! Whoa, that is so amazing! Jesus does not want her
to live in oppression or fear anymore. Those days are gone. That is so
amazing and exciting! Praise the Lord! Jesus wanted her to be in peace and be freed from
her suffering. The more I learn about Jesus, the more I see His love for
humanity and His love for me! My prayer is that I will love Jesus
more and more not for what I can get out of Jesus but for who He is!
IMPLICATIONS:
I saw important implications for my own life which are two-fold: BONDAGE
& FREEDOM! No matter what bondage I am in and how many years I have been
in bondage to something, it is not beyond the power of Jesus to release
me and set me free to give me freedom. I praise the Lord for that. Jesus
is all about restoring people from their bondage and has done that for
me too in different areas of my life. I praise the Lord for that. I can
also know that I can always turn to Jesus for my freedom especially
freedom from the bondage of slavery and death due to sin that pervades
humanity. Jesus will be my freedom.
HOW
GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING F.R.E.E.D.O.M:
As we celebrate Independence Day from being in
bondage to the British colonialists, I am so excited to be celebrating
my own freedom on this day. I had severe asthma for probably 12
years until I found Jesus or should I say, Jesus found me. Jesus did
find me and restored me to physical health and spiritual health as he
did for the woman who was cleansed of bleeding. I saw my life transform
before my eyes, as Christ the Lord became part of my life giving me a
new beginning. It was not just freedom from asthma but having FREEDOM IN
CHRIST. Through the years, I have let things of the flesh get in the way
to enjoy my FREEDOM IN CHRIST. This freedom has to do more with being
delivered from the bondage of slavery to sin and death than anything
else. I am so thankful that Jesus saved me by His grace to give me
freedom in Him. That is so exciting to know. I still have shortcomings
in my life but know freedom is beyond physical healing. The best freedom
I can have is being freed from the oppression of Satan and resting in
the Arms of Love of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When I rest in Him,
I will find my true freedom in Christ. I have found freedom in Christ
because when I do things for Christ and His glory, I am so happy because
I see the Lord using me to make a difference in people's lives. That
encourages me more. I am honored and touched to be used by the Lord to
share the freedom He offers with others and to see their lives turn
around. The first sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I ever did
was in 7th grade to help others find freedom in Christ. I wrote to my
Reizenstein Middle School classmates, "Jesus loves you, Jesus loves me,
if you want to know more about Jesus, watch WPCB channel 40" which was
published in the Valentine's Day edition of a school magazine. You too
can have freedom in Christ no matter what has happened to you or where
you have been. Look at the woman's situation and others who Christ
healed physically and spiritually and come to Him for He loves you more
than words can ever express.
You and I are in the same boat as the woman was
without Jesus' healing in our lives. When God looks at us without
Christ's covering over us, God sees us as unclean no matter how many
good things we think we do. Even if we did 99 good things and 1 bad
thing, we are unclean in God's eyes.
"All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like
a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on
your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face
from us and made us waste away because of our sins. " (Isaiah 64:6-7,
NIV)
Here filthy rags actually refers to the
uncleanness of the cloth that has the blood after a woman's menstrual
cycle. That is how God sees our good works apart from having Christ in
our life. Imagine what the woman went through for 12 years without Jesus
in her life. Now she finally became whole and healed because of Jesus'
intervention after she sought Jesus. In the same way, when we seek after
Jesus Christ, we will be made clean too. Our good works that we do won't
be seen as unclean anymore because they will be sponsored and endorsed
by the King of Kings and Lord of lords who helps us by the power of the
Holy Spirit. That is so exciting for me that I had to share the
testimony.
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV)
Amen!
I ask you now dear friend where do you find
F.R.E.E.D.O.M in life?
Dear friend, many try to look for freedom in so many places thinking if
they were away from their parents they can be free, if they are divorced
they can be free, if they did not have to obey God's Word they can be
free, etc thinking their freedom is held in bondage but friend true
freedom can only be found in Christ. We can truly be free only when we
rest in Christ and allow Him to change and transform our lives as the
woman did even though she had 12 years of bondage. I have been freed
from so many things because of Jesus Christ in my life. The things the
Lord Jesus has not freed me from yet that deal beyond spiritual healing,
I know He has His reasons but I can rest in His grace for His grace is
sufficient for me and in my weaknesses, He is made strong and I can get
my strength from Him. You too can get your strength from Him.
No matter what profession you are in, you
cannot find freedom apart from Christ. My medical friends know even
doctors need the touch of Jesus Christ and the power of Christ in their
practice to bring freedom in Christ to others. I am so thankful to Jesus
for Ryan, Cathy, Antonia, Steve, Jeremy, Luke, and Yohko who have
allowed Christ's love to permeate their lives to make a difference in
this world as medical students, residents, etc with the love of Christ
in the patients they come across as they are given opportunities. They
do that because they know too that true freedom is only found in Christ
and His Word.
Friend, God's Word is not their to restrict
your freedom but is their to give you freedom because He who created you
knows what you need and His Word has the answers to your life.
No matter what you are going through or where
you have been, take this Independence Day to find your freedom in Christ
because He wants to free you. Yes, He does friend. Come as you are! Come
to the fountain of blessing and ask the Lord Jesus to reign in your
life. He desires to and wants to do that. You are never out of His
love and never out of His reach.
Lord Jesus loves you and will help you. We need
to take His help daily for our growth for we all need to grow everyday
in Christ for we will never reach that place where we can say, we are
fully grown until 'He who began a good work
in us will finish it to completion!' That
is exciting to know friend. May
you rest in His Word knowing freedom comes from Christ.
Jesus went to the cross to help you find that
freedom friend. May you find that freedom as you focus on the analogy of
the Calvary Hospital of Salvation for you and me.
The deadly VIRUS has infected the mind, body,
and soul spreading rapidly. You and I cannot do anything to heal
ourselves of this virus except come to the HOSPITAL where the GREAT
PHYSICIAN waits so He alone can heal us.
The sick are gathered from all corners of the earth and taken to this
hospital. This hospital is called CALVARY HOSPITAL OF SALVATION and the
EMERGENCY WARD is called GOLGOTHA.
The GREAT PHYSICIAN is not like other doctors who can only treat
patients with physical ailments but this GREAT PHYSICIAN is much more
and knows He has to stay 72 HOURS for every dying person there to be
healed who will come to the ER.
He knows what He has to do! This GREAT PHYSICIAN knew that only His
PRECIOUS CLEANSING BLOOD can wipe away this epidemic VIRUS, so for you and me
He went to the blood transfusion room where people were about to die.
There He lay down on the bed made of WOOD. He who had no sin became sin
for us desiring to save everyone who would come receive His PRECIOUS
CLEANSING BLOOD.
The surgeons walk into the room. They turn this GREAT PHYSICIAN on His
back. Instead of using an IV, a WHIP with sharp glass, etc is used to
draw out the BLOOD from the GREAT PHYSICIAN'S back! It does not stop
there but to elevate the head on the bed of wood, a CROWN OF THORNS is
used which draws more BLOOD.
As the head is elevated, the GREAT PHYSICIAN's hands are stretched wide
on the wooden bed. Then the feet are bound together. This is done for
the BLOOD transfusion to begin. Instead of using an IV, NAILS and a
HAMMER are used. The NAILS are pounded through the hands into the wooden
bed with a HAMMER so the BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved. The NAILS
are pounded through the feet into the wooden bed with a HAMMER so more
BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved. As the BLOOD continues to flow from
the GREAT PHYSICIAN's body, the GREAT PHYSICIAN flat lines. Then the
surgeons insert a SPEAR into the heart to make sure all the BLOOD is
out. All the BLOOD is out!
Now this BLOOD was poured out into 'BLOOD
DONOR' bags to be collected for anyone who wanted a transfusion to be
healed of this deadly VIRUS known as SIN. In essence, it is the BLOOD
that was shed at Golgotha on the CROSS of wood that has the power to
SAVE through Jesus Christ.
The BLOOD is available for all who would come
to Him for NOTHING BUT THE
BLOOD could become the antidote for humanity's deteriorating condition
caused by the DEADLY VIRUS.
Now the CALVARY HOSPITAL OF SALVATION has a
BLOOD DONOR whose BLOOD can be used to save everyone there from this
PANDEMIC VIRUS.
Those dying need to be taken there to receive the BLOOD transfusion that
is available. However, the BLOOD will not be forced upon those dying!
THE PUREST RED ANTIDOTE is only given to those that are willing to
receive the BLOOD TRANSFUSION so they could LIVE.
All that accept the BLOOD transfusion are being CLEANSED of this
PANDEMIC VIRUS in their system that is infecting the mind, body, and
soul. This BLOOD goes into the dying person's mind, body, and soul and
eats away at the virus, cleaning them and making them pure. This VIRUS
is known as SIN. The BLOOD is the PRECIOUS CLEANSING BLOOD OF THE GREAT
PHYSICIAN, JESUS CHRIST.
72 HOURS LATER, there is a commotion at the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA MORGUE.
THE GREAT PHYSICIAN is not there anymore and the ANGELS that visit tell
loved ones who came there, that THE GREAT PHYSICIAN IS ALIVE.
Those at the CALVARY HOSPITAL OF SALVATION come to realize that His
CLEANSING BLOOD will never run out. Anyone infected who wants to be
healed can accept what JESUS did for them that one day on the CROSS of
WOOD at CALVARY near the ward called GOLGOTHA and be covered in His
precious CLEANSING BLOOD forever.
Friend, this happened 2000 years ago! It needed to happen only once! JESUS paid the
price for you and me so that we could have the ANTIDOTE forever, for His
cleansing BLOOD shed on the CROSS of WOOD will never deplete but will be
available for all races of humanity forever until the JUDGMENT DAY.
We need to accept the ANTIDOTE through a
TRANSFUSION before JUDGMENT DAY because after that the BLOOD won't be
available anymore to SAVE.
Now is the TIME OF SALVATION while you are
alive! Don't let the BLOOD JESUS SHED be in vain. JESUS became the DONOR
for you so accept the TRANSFUSION free of charge. It is given as a GIFT
OF GRACE!
You can forever be SAVED and allow JESUS to
TRANSFORM you. JESUS did not remain in the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA MORGUE
forever but after 72 HOURS came back to LIFE to SAVE. So let us
accept what Jesus did for us and be SAVED! There is a reason it is
called CALVARY HOSPITAL OF SALVATION!
Jesus did it so we can have a relationship with
Him and find our freedom in Christ.
"This is my blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28, NIV)
"Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have
no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:53-54, NIV)
"For all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice
of atonement, through faith in his blood." (Romans 3:23-25a,
NIV)
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in
this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now
been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's
wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were
reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having
been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!" (Romans 5:8-10,
NIV)
"In
him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in
accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with
all wisdom and understanding." (Ephesians 1:7-8, NIV)
"But now in Christ
Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the
blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:13, NIV)
"For God was pleased to have all his fullness
dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his
blood, shed on the cross." (Colossians 1:19-20, NIV)
"How much more, then, will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that
we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a
new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal
inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the
sins committed under the first covenant." (Hebrews 9:14-15, NIV)
"May the God of peace, who through the blood of
the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that
great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing
his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus
Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (Hebrews 13:20-21, NIV)
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he
has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to
proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the
blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's
favor."(Luke 4:18, NIV) (My friends Daniel
and Amy used this verse at their wedding which is one of my favorite
verses too!)
"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke
of slavery." (Galatians 5:1, NIV)
"In him and through faith in him we may
approach God with freedom and confidence." (Ephesians 3:12, NIV)
May you all hold on to Jesus
knowing forever Redeemer everyday excitingly delivers omnipotent
message!
“Forever,
Redeemer Everyday Excitingly Delivers Omnipotent Message!” (F.R.E.E.D.O.M)/”Where
do you need F.R.E.E.D.O.M in life?”
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you know the things I am overwhelmed with and you find time
for me to help me. Thank you so much Jesus! And thank you Lord when the
crowd was brushing against you as you were going to Jairus house to heal
his little daughter who was dying, you noticed healing power going
through you because someone touched you intentionally for healing. Thank
you for healing the woman and calling her daughter and giving her a
sense of belonging after 12 years of suffering. You freed her from her
suffering when she came to you. She touched you and you healed her.
Thank you Jesus! You know Oh Lord where we are suffering. Some are
suffering because of a broken relationship in their life that only you
can mend, others are suffering because of a loss of a loved one to whom
only your comfort can get them through, others are suffering because of
a lost job, career, game, etc. Some can seem trivial to others but
you care for us in all our suffering. Thank you for that Jesus. You
freed the woman and you want to free us. Most of all Oh Lord, all are
suffering and being held captive to sin. We need your deliverance so we
can have an independence day from sin that captivates. We know you Oh
Lord you can give us freedom, freedom from sin and make us win. You are
all we need so help us to remember that when we are suffering in pain
and silence for you know us inside out. Thank you for loving us so much
that you will not keep us from your wonderful blessings as we wait upon
you. Sometimes it is so hard to wait Lord when we want to have answers
immediately, situations solved immediately, etc but we know our timing
is not your timing nor or your ways our ways we like to see things done.
So, please forgive us and help us to wait on you in faith so you will
bring answers on the perfect date for you are never late. Thank you so
much Jesus since you are directing our steps we need not try to
understand everything that happens along the way. I love you Jesus and
rest in you and wait upon you in my life to have peace from things that
give me strife. I know you are my Prince of Peace and have called me to
be your very own. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and
Personal Savior! Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior! Thank
you that you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray
Jesus! Amen!
May you experience the POWER OF
CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him the LOCKED areas of your
life too so you can experience His PEACE as you become an ACTOR in the
film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR, JESUS CHRIST who comes
to give JOY and PEACE.
You
don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and
give you peace to live out your actions.
How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?
One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this
example one Sunday at the
RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh
Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:
If
you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin
and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no
peace.
But
as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to
tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.
Yes,
friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life
through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on
the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and live
with us.
Yes,
friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE
& LIVING GRACE.
When
we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive
us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.
"Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the
world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he
has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore
Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)
"For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his
Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)
Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our
sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge
so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the
finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.
"For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not
by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)
Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your
Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the
Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!