How I Connected With This Woman

Read Luke 8:43-48. What do you notice about the girl and the woman? One thing is this woman had been bleeding for the same amount of years the little girl had been alive. That’s a long time to be ill. Rewrite this story from the point of view of the woman.

I think this could be classified as a meditation exercise. I certainly came away with a deeper understanding of what the woman went through, who Jesus is and how much He cares for us.

What follows is my attempt…
I have been bleeding for 12 years. Twelve years!

• I’ve spent all my money on finding a cure for something incurable.
• I didn’t give up though! I couldn’t give up.
• I was ceremonially unclean – because of the bleeding, but I just had to get to Jesus.
• No one else could heal me.
• Maybe He could; He’s healed many others.
• Maybe He would; He’s had compassion on other unclean people too.

Somehow I made my way through that swell of humanity and was able to purposefully touch the fringe of His cloak.

When I did that! When I did that, the bleeding stopped immediately!

Jesus asked, “Who touched me? Power has gone out from me!”

• His disciples chided Him saying that many people were crowding and pressing against Him.
• But He knew.
• And I knew what had happened.
• I was hoping I could go away unnoticed, but seeing that I couldn’t, I fell to His feet. Right there in front of everyone, I told Him why I touched Him and how I was instantly healed.
• I was mortified and frightened and I couldn’t look at anyone. I wondered what the Master would do.

“Daughter,” Jesus said.
He called me daughter?! 

• Maybe it’ll be okay that I purposefully touched Him in my unclean state.
• Daughter? A term of endearment?
• All these years I have suffered rejection from my family and friends because of my unclean state.
• They said I must be sinning and that God wants nothing to do with me. And that’s why they’d stay away from me too.

Daughter? This Master, this Healer cares about me? All these years I’ve been going to doctors who couldn’t help me. I was no-one.

And now Jesus calls me daughter.

• “Daughter,” He said, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”
• Oh, I’ll go in peace all right. And in joy and thanksgiving.
• Thank you, Son of Man.
• Thank you for looking at me as a person and not as a sin or a disease.
• Thank you for looking at me as a daughter and healing me.

I’ll look at You as more than a master. More than a Healer. To me you are my salvation.