How far will I reach for Jesus?
She was isolated and alone; an outcast because of her condition. But when she heard about Jesus, nothing would stop her from reaching Him. The hemorrhaging woman was determined to touch Jesus, this healer she had heard about. I wonder if it took her time to muster up the courage to seek Him or was she so desperate that she was determined to find Him no matter the cost. What was the cost? I’m sure she was recognized by some as the hemorrhaging woman, for scripture tells us she had been seen by countless doctors and spent all her money in search of a cure, and her condition was worse because of it. She must have endured so much suffering. Did people look at her with disgust, scorn or contempt whenever she went out? Was she mocked, judged or insulted? Or was she ignored, avoided, invisible? Whatever the treatment, it must have been crushing. She was considered “unclean” in her day and age and people stayed away from her. I try and imagine what that walk to Jesus must have been like.
The scene was crowded, people everywhere, following and “pressing” against this man named Jesus. He was on His way to heal Jairus’ daughter, as the hemorrhaging woman worked her way through the crowds towards Jesus. She must have been jostled and pushed. How much strength did she have given her condition? She fought the crowds regardless. Her eyes on the Healer. She would not give up until she reached Him and touched Him. Jesus must have been touched by so many as he walked through the town. Were many healed and we just don’t hear about it? Was she the only one who received healing as Jesus walked to Jairus’ home? The afflicted woman makes her way through the crowd and touches Jesus, finally. She touches the edge of his cloak for she knew in her heart that if she could just reach him, if she could just reach him, she would be healed.
I may not be afflicted with the condition of the hemorrhaging woman, but I am afflicted. Aren’t we all? We may be afflicted by a physical condition, maybe an emotional or mental one. Our afflictions could stem from painful experiences in our childhood. Our afflictions may be broken relationships that cause us great suffering or afflictions of present day worries and anxieties. The list of afflictions goes on and on. In my afflictions, do I reach out for Jesus, do I even look for Him? What makes that walk to Jesus, through the crowds, so difficult?
We may not battle crowds per se to reach Jesus in this day and age, although I wish it were just crowds we had to push through. In some ways, I believe that what we have to push through today is even more difficult than crowds. I ask myself, “what stands in the way of my reaching for Jesus?” The list I can devise seems endless- family, commitments, work, to do’s, chores, school, errands, technology, busyness, distractions, etc. These are real things of the world that we must deal with when we live in the world, but do they in some way prevent me from reaching for Jesus? Sadly, they do, but somehow, they shouldn’t.
I think of that list as external obstacles that stop me from reaching for Jesus. I am guilty of hiding behind even greater obstacles, which I could name internal, or just plain sins of my heart. There is pride and self-sufficiency – I can handle this on my own. Don’t need anyone. Stubbornness – it’s my way or the highway. Doubt – will Jesus really show up or what can He do anyway? Selfishness – I want it my way. The internal list of obstacles is also lengthy as I look into my heart and see what’s in me, that prevents me, from reaching for Jesus.
It wasn’t until the hemorrhaging woman reached for Jesus that she heard the words, “Daughter (Son), your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Why would it be any different for us? May we pray for determination to reach for Jesus, for a reminder to invite Him into the midst of our afflictions and for an increase in faith so we might be freed from our afflictions and go in peace.
