But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Mark 5:32-34
If you had to guess, what would you say is one of the things I like LEAST about life. Now take your time. You might want to look back at prior chapters. Or even look forward. But, if you look down, you’ll find the unsurprising answer. The whole truth.
One of the things I like LEAST is waiting. I’m not sure that there’s anyone who wakes up in the morning and says, “Good morning God. I’m so glad to be alive. Nothing would make my day better, happier, or more blessed than having to wait for someone, something today. Please bring many opportunities to wait into my life today. Amen.”
If I had the chance to ask, I’m betting that God’s never heard that prayer in the morning, or at any other time throughout all history.
Some people seem to be able to handle waiting better than others. Some people seem to just float along in life. And when they have to wait, they just go with the flow.
Jesus seems to be able to handle waiting. Here he keeps looking and looking. Turning his head all around, trying to find the person that touched his cloths. No one raises their hand, so he waits and keeps looking.
Finally, the tension gets so unbearable that the newly healed woman can’t hold it in any longer. She starts to tell the story of what happened “to her.” Not what happened to the person next to her. Not what happened to her sister. Not what happened to anyone else. But what happened “to her.”
Her words and story were deeply personal. She told the whole story from the beginning. From her point of view. Once upon a time she was happy, healthy, wealthy. But then she started to bleed, and her world unraveled like a ball of string rolling down a hill. Nothing was going to stop it. Nothing could stop it. She talked about all the doctors, false cures, and losing her money.
Up to this point I bet there was nothing but silence, gasps, moans, and tears. And then her voice gets excited, she started talking about Jesus. How she worked her way closer and closer, coming from behind him. And then there was that once-in-a-lifetime moment when she touched his cloths, and she was healed.
I wonder if she was thinking about what happens next. Was there fear, or even terror in her? After all, she had interrupted Jesus’ trip to heal a little girl. She had touched his cloths without permission. Some might argue that this would make Jesus himself clean. What would he say? How would he respond?
His response to this poor woman, who had suffered through torment for all those years is remarkable. She had suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to help and heal her. She lost her health, lost her money, lost her hope. What could Jesus possibly say?
He says three things.
1. To her - He speaks “to her.” Not to the crowd. Not to the disciples. Not to the leaders. He speaks “to her” and her alone.
2. Daughter – He calls her “daughter.” Words fail me to clearly explain the significance of this. Jesus says something to her that he never says to another human being. It’s a term of tenderness. It’s a term of endearment. It’s a term of compassion. He’s telling her that she’s part of his family. Jesus speaks not as teacher to a student, or even as a man to a woman. But as a loving father to his child.
3. Go in Peace – He says that her once broken and shredded life has been made whole again. Not only through her restored health, but through her restored faith.
When was the last time that God spoke “to you” like he speaks “to her?” Think long and hard. There was a day, there was an hour, there was a set of circumstances when God broke through and spoke “to you.” Not to the pastor. Not to the leader of some worldwide ministry. Not even to a missionary. But “to you” and just you.
You’d come to the end of your rope. You tried everything. Called everyone. Spent everything. Called in every favor. Took every precaution. Took every cure. And there was nothing but silence.
Jesus so wants to have this kind of conversation with you. To speak “to you” directly.
But it starts with us telling him everything that we’ve gone through. Telling him the whole truth. So, what’s holding you back from telling him the whole truth?
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