SCRIPTURE:
20 “Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. 21 She said to herself, ‘If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.’ 22 Jesus turned and saw her. ‘Take heart, daughter,’ he said, ‘your faith has healed you.’ And the woman was healed at that moment.” Matthew 9:20-22
REFLECTION:
“If only I touch his cloak” . . . can you hear that desperate cry? Maybe you know that desperate cry? Maybe you’ve said it, maybe you’ve grown weary from saying it.
On crowded streets, bumping of shoulders, voices loud, there is the silence of a woman, a woman who is unclean, unwanted, and desperate. Desperate for a touch of the cloak, desperate for a healing touch.
I wonder if the cry of the heart in this scene is “I’m unclean . . . I’m unwanted . . . everyone stay away . . . don’t come near me.” I wonder if she thinks, “What could I do to go unnoticed, to be out of the way in this crowd, and yet to be healed? If it means crawling where feet stomp on me, where I’m kicked and pushed further to the ground, I’ll go. I’ll do whatever it takes to just touch Him, even the hem of His garment – that’s all I need.”
She inches closer and closer to the robe, now in sight, until finally, her hand touches
the hem. Suddenly, she feels eyes on her. Movement slows and stops, and her heart seizes.
“Am I seen? Am I noticed? I certainly will be ridiculed. I will cause a scatter as they all run from me. My heart hushes as I stare at the eyes gazing back at me.”
“Take heart, daughter . . . your faith has healed you.” He speaks words that fill my heart and soul.
“I have been seen. Without speaking a word, I have been heard. I have been healed. Who would give the time to see me, the time to heal me? Who would call me their own? Yet, He called me Daughter. He has healed me!”
There is stillness in these moments, while crowds move on, and the noise continues as they follow Him. The woman remains. Stunned. Watching Him as He moves on, His gaze finds a way to her heart. The imprint of Jesus is burned into her soul. His tenderness, His willingness. She has been healed. He called her His own. He’s healed her sickness and He has made her clean.
The eyes of Jesus, who sees this woman, sees you today. Right as you are, His tender voice is calling you, His heart reaching towards you, His hand making a way. Turn, see the one who sees you. Live in the healing He has brought you. He has made you clean!
RESPOND:
- How have you been met with the tenderness of Jesus?
- To the woman He speaks, “Take heart daughter, your faith has healed you”? What does He speak to you?
- What does it look like for you to live out the tenderness of Christ?
PRAYER:
Lord, have mercy on me. Ensure my eyes meet your gaze, and ensure my ears hear your call. Ensure my heart receives your healing. Form yourself in me, Jesus. Ensure I know of your ways in my inner being and that you are made known through me. Praise and glory to your name. Amen
