The world was alive. Passing by people walking down the sidewalk, aisle at the grocery store, hallway at your workplace… people and community were everywhere. Until…..
We recall all too well the time of COVID-19. The world seemed to have come to a screeching halt. None of us knew what to expect, and we all had to venture through that season alone. Staying a minimum of 6 feet apart was tragic for just about everyone. I knew some families who even secluded themselves from each other in their own homes. Walking around in fear, we didn’t want to become victim to what we couldn’t see… the thing that was given the power to halt a nation. So in fear and isolation, we navigated through a time in history that we pray we’ll never have to face again.
Made for community
We were never meant to be alone. We were made for community and fellowship. In Genesis 2:18, we see that God states that it is not good for men to live alone. So, He made a woman to be Adam’s companion- Eve. This is why such isolation impacted so many of us during that time. We were made for community.
There’s a certain story in the Bible that I begin to view a bit differently now having experienced the isolation that came with COVID. You might have already heard this story before; you’ll find it in Luke 8:43-48.
The woman with the issue of blood
43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
Nameless. Sick. Alone. Desperate. This woman’s story made it into the Bible, and this is all we have to describe her. Though sad as it is, it paints a picture worth a thousand words… one that relates to more of us than we’d like to think it does.
In those days, bleeding was considered unclean. Anything that was bleeding or had blood on it could not be touched; and if it was touched, there was a long process (7 days in fact) to go through to be cleansed. So for 12 long years, this woman lived in complete isolation because she was “unclean”.
As if this isn’t bad enough, it does in fact get worse. Another to note in those days is that a woman’s value was strictly based on child baring. She had no job or purpose outside the home. She was to tend to the home, and birth children into the home. If you weren’t baring children then, you bore shame. For these 12 years of having a never ending menstrual cycle, it was obvious no child bearing was going to take place.
It wasn’t like she was sitting at home twiddling her thumbs during these 12 years either. Mark 5:26 says that she had spent all of her money seeing many doctors in pursuit of finding healing. It even states in this passage that her condition got worse rather than better.
This woman had gone through all of her resources. She literally had nowhere left to turn. Everything had failed her. Any hope that was there at the beginning was gone…until Jesus stepped into her story. Word was beginning to spread like wildfire that Jesus could and was healing people right and left. Thousands of people began seeking Him for healing; and in one final attempt for healing, this woman was one of them.
Touching anyone in her condition was a huge “no” in that day; but she had faith that all it would take was a single touch. So she threw jewish custom to the wind and touched His garment. Jesus immediately noticed and turned around asking who had touched Him. He already knew, but I think this part is just as powerful as the part where the woman reaches out in faith. He’s calling her out of her hiding. He’s letting her know that for the first time in 12 long years, someone recognized her presence rather than ignored it.
The transformation
You could end this story right here and label it as one of the greatest healing stories in the Bible, but it gets even richer. When she comes forth and admits she’s the one who touched Him, the first word out of His mouth when He begins to speak directly to her is “daughter”. She was most likely expecting rebuke of some kind due to breaking Jewish protocol, but instead she is met with love.
Her health had defined her for 12 years until this very moment that Jesus changed everything. And that’s it. This is where the Bible ends the story. Jesus called her daughter, told her that her faith had healed her, and told her to go in peace. We don’t have to know more of the story to know her life was forever changed after this short encounter with Jesus.
So what’s your story? Have you ever been in a place of hopelessness as well? How did God reach down into your story to help bring you into hope?
Or… maybe you’re still in the thick of it, wondering if hope is even possible.
Jesus wants us to reach out to Him. He wants to step into our hopelessness and pull us out into His saving grace just like He did for the woman He called daughter. She didn’t let her social disgrace keep her from seeking Him, so don’t allow Satan’s lies to hold you back from seeking Him too. He wants you just as you are.
Please leave a comment if you’d like to share some of your story. I’d love to hear from you! And don’t forget to check out my last blog “Embracing Grace: Lessons from the Running Trail” if you missed it!
Always cheering you on,
Cassondra