Matthew 9:20-22 (KJ21) says, “And behold, a woman who was diseased with an issue of blood for twelve years came up behind Him and touched the hem of His garment; 21 for she said to herself, “If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole.” 22 But Jesus turned about, and when He saw her, He said, “Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” And the woman was made whole from that hour.”
Matthew 14:34-36 (KJ21) says, “And when they had gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place learned of Him, they sent out into all that country round about and brought unto Him all who were diseased. 36 And they besought Him that they might only touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched were made perfectly whole.”
Kara and her mother came home from a school competition to find that the landlord had evicted them and that all their belongings had been thrown out on the street. Sadly, everything had been picked through, and none of their (already sparse) belongings were salvageable.
Kara’s mother was a single mom who sacrificed a lot to give her daughter a good life. As a result, Kara was spoiled and often appeared to have it all. At the same time, her mother struggled to keep up the lifestyle and pay for essentials like rent and utilities.
The two were forced to live out of their car, and Kara was too embarrassed to go to school. One cold, dreary day, Kara’s mother asked her to go to a local church in the community that was handing out toiletries, coats, accessories, and food. She would have gone herself, but she had to work. Upon Kara’s arrival, she noticed a few of her classmates from school working at the church, handing out supplies. Sadly, Kara was too prideful to be seen by her friends looking disheveled and asking for supplies and food. So, she turned around and went the other way.
Unfortunately, so many of us do this on Sunday mornings. We have a need in our lives and hear the call for prayer to address our desperate needs, but we play it casual as if we have our lives all together. Many of us have lost our radical forms of worship to our King. We are too prideful to be heard singing, crying out to God, waiving our hands, and pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly.
Sadly, we have become more concerned with other’s opinions of us than bringing our sacrifice of praise and worship to the Lord and leaving services with what our souls long for the most. We have become comfortable in discomfort. We have become comfortable with less. We have sacrificed our well-being and wholeness at the altar of others’ perception of us. We come to church to look like we have it all together, right?
Scripture says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” – Hebrews 4:16.
In the main scripture text, there was a woman who had a hemorrhaging blood issue for twelve years. Tired of her situation, she purposed to discretely approach Jesus.
Women with her condition were put outside of the city and forced to live as outsiders until a priest confirmed she was healed. Only then could she live among everyday people again. Those with her issues couldn’t touch others or touch the objects of others, or they would be made ritually unclean. Women with her issue couldn’t attend services at the synagogue or enjoy a time of fellowship with close friends and family. It was thought that her impurity would transfer to others. You didn’t invite her to your house; nonetheless, you walk on the same side of the street as this woman. From her point of view, this was a terrible way to be forced to live.
Additionally, it was common at that time to believe that her sickness was punishment for some type of sin, which made her look even worse in the eyes of man and could make her feel unworthy to approach Jesus, the Holy One. However, when she heard Jesus was coming to town, she took a significant risk, thinking, “Maybe I can just touch the hem of His garment.” She possibly thought there was no way He would lay hands on her to heal her, so maybe if she could discretely approach Him, it would be ok.
When the woman touched Jesus, immediately, He felt virtue go out of Him (Luke 8:46). At that moment, the woman felt within herself that she was healed. After inquiring about who touched Him, the woman mustered up the courage to admit to Jesus that she touched Him.
Then, Jesus declared before all that the woman’s faith had made her whole. Afterward, He sent her to the priest to be declared whole, so she no longer had to live with the old stigma in her life.
The woman’s faith not only healed her body but also brought wholeness to her life and inspired others. Thank the Lord, she stepped forward and bravely declared that it was she who touched Jesus. Five chapters later, in Matthew 14, others began to seek Jesus with the same intention (to touch the hem of His garment), just as the woman with the blood issue did just a short time before.
In churches, we often feel we will be judged for showing a desperation to follow Jesus, which is mostly true. However, in the end, I believe our bold acts of desperation and prioritizing wholeness in Christ over the perception of others will inspire them to do the same. Will you be the believer who comes boldly to the throne of grace and encourages an atmosphere of revival where others become radical in their pursuit of Jesus as well?
“Don’t Sacrifice Your Well-Being for the Sake of Others’ Perception.”
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Take God Out of the Box 