08 January 2020

Lady issues. That time of the month. Any men reading this, please keep reading. Hang in there and it will all make sense. Ladies, you will know what I am talking about.

Even in the bible, ‘lady’s issues’ were brought up with the story of the haemorrhaging woman, a woman who bled continuously for twelve years and was described in two of the four gospels. This woman had a chronic condition. No doctors, no money, no treatment had been able to fix her problem.

It is not necessarily the issue of the bleeding that makes this story so wow but what is culturally, practically and spiritually deeper, behind the words, behind the actions of this woman that hits home and affects us.

Firstly, this woman (no name) could be us who interrupts Jesus’ journey to Jairus’ house.

Jairus is a leader of the synagogue. So, he has some reputation, some clout, to go and ask Jesus help. His daughter is at the point of death and he asks Jesus to come and lay hands on her to heal her. Mark 5 21-24.

As usual, wherever Jesus was, a crowd would follow. Amidst this crowd was a woman who should not have been there. If you were bleeding (that time of the month) in those days you had to stay away from people for seven days, for you were classed as ‘unclean.’ You could not touch anyone for seven days. This was their custom. Culturally, women were not out and about when that time of the month came. But hang on, this lady has had each monthly cycle every day for twelve years. So, for twelve years she has stayed secluded. Stayed away from people, from life. NO touch whatsoever. No hug. No caress. No holding of hands.

Her human worth for twelve years was dictated to her by her society – Unclean. Stay away. Nobody wants you.

Emptiness within her drove her. Desperation drove her.

What made her come out today?

JESUS.

Her last hope. She had exhausted all other avenues. She had heard about what He could do. 

Oh, the possibility???

If you were suffering from a chronic illness that had ostracized you from Society and you had spent all your money on doctor’s treatments to no avail, wouldn’t you go to where or to whom you had heard could do something? Yes. We read about this all the time. 

This lady was hesitant to go right up to Jesus as Jairus did. She was unsure? How might Jesus react? Will I be rejected too? Will the crowd laugh at me? I’ll hide in the crowd.

No one will then see me. 

How often do we hide in the crowd? Maybe humanity does not see you, but Jesus knows of your presence. Just like He did here.

This woman gets enough courage to stretch through the crowd and touch Jesus’ outer garment, his cloak. 

Firstly, she should not be in the crowd. When you are in a crowd, is it not crowded? People are bumping each other and touching each other. She decides to go for it. Risk it all. “If Jesus is who Jesus says He is, then I only have to touch His cloak and I will be healed.”

Oh, what FAITH. 

Then she touches Jesus’ cloak. She stretches out to touch. So desperate. I won’t touch Him, but if I touch just his garment. (Religiously this was still not allowed.) Now Jesus’ cloak and Jesus and the crowd were all unclean.

When have you felt so unworthy in Society that you are rejected? You hide in the crowd to not be seen.

Jesus knew this woman. He knew of her complaint, her sickness. He knew of her loneliness, of her rejection and of her desperation. 

But the greatest thing He knew is of her faith. Her risk to reach out and touch Him.

The greatest thing in return He gave to her was acceptance, love and healing. He knew what had happened. Jesus, out of Love, and showing the ‘crowd’ that now this woman could be touched, could be accepted into Society once more, asked out loud – who touched me? And so, she came forward. Jesus not only showed us this story for this woman but for all of us as well. 

When you have faith in God; a belief in Him and what He can do and who He is, we lean into this faith. We may waver and question what is going on? Why am I in these circumstances? Why do I have a chronic disease? Cancer? But stay near the hem of God. Stay in arm’s distance, ready to reach out and touch His cloak. 

The longer you walk with God, the more you know the feel of that fabric. You know the texture of his garment. You know the feel of HIM under your fingers, in your soul, in your mind and in your Spirit. Your trust, your holding on grip becomes greater and more confident. 

You “walk by Faith and not by sight” and know HE IS A GOOD FATHER.

So, I encourage you this year, right now, stretch out your hand and touch Him. Tell Him your ‘ladies or man’s issues. Maybe they have been around for twelve years, or longer. Nothing is impossible for Our God. 

Now is that time of the month. Do it now. 

Just one touch and the possibilities are endless. 

What issues should you bring to the Lord?

WHAT FAITH can I display to show the Lord that I’m letting go? I’m stretching myself and putting my hope in Jesus and having enough faith to hold tight to the hem of His garment and see what He does.