Peace That Almost Passed By

Everyone wants peace but it seems so elusive. Anyone who has ever tossed and turned in the middle of the night with their stomach twisting in knots or the employee who can no longer focus on work because their thoughts are on a broken family or bills that won't be paid or the medical diagnosis that ripped apart their life... they know that sometimes peace is hard to find.

Maybe peace doesn't always look peaceful.

"And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him (Jesus) and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, 'Who was it that touched me?' When all denied it, Peter said, 'Master the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!' But Jesus said, 'Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.' And when the woman saw that she was hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.'" (Luke 8:43-48)

This is one of the greatest passages in the Bible. Check out the context of this encounter between Jesus and the "woman with the issue of blood".

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First a bit of background on all that is going on:

Jesus has had a pretty big day. So far, he has tamed a raging storm (Luke 8:22-25) and cast a legion of demons out of a man which subsequently got him kicked out of town for the casualty of the pigs involved (Luke 26-39). Now he returns to the shore only to find a ridiculously large crowd awaiting him and asking for more miracles (Luke 8:40).

Upon stepping out of the boat, Jesus is approached by a man named Jairus (Luke 8:41) who is a ruler of the synagogue. Jairus was not a rabbi or a teacher but most likely a layperson in charge of administration at the synagogue. His responsibilities would have included anything from service arrangements, selection of teachers, building maintenance, community affairs and so on. The reason that Jairus' profession is mentioned is to stress the fact that he is indeed, important.

The synagogue is the center of Jewish culture and if someone is interested in having an influence within society, this would be an important man to align with.

Jairus has a critical need. His only daughter is dying and she doesn't have much time left. She doesn't have months, weeks or even days left... she has hours left to live. His daughter is at home and that home is a distance away. Time is of the essence (Luke 8:49). Jairus approaches Jesus and Jesus instantly heads that way. (Luke 8:42b)

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Now contrast Jaruis's reputation, integrity and his critical need against those same attributes of the woman in the passage (Luke 8:43-48). If Jairus is marked by his great importance inside of the community, the woman is marked by her lack of significance to her neighbors.

We never hear her name. She is simply referred to as 'a woman', 'she', or 'the woman'. It is true that women were not regarded highly at the time, but it seems relevant that at the beginning of this same chapter in Luke, three women were randomly pointed to by name:

"...and also some women who had been healed... Mary, called Magdalene... Joanna.. and Susanna... who provided for them out of their means." (Luke 8:1-3).

There was no apparent reason for the specific naming here, other than to point out their significance. In the same way, this woman's lack of a name seems to only further her insignificance within the culture and the community at the time.

She had been suffering from a continuous flow of blood from her womb for twelve years, ironically, the same number of years that Jairus's daughter has been alive.

Old testament law (Lev. 15:25-30) states that because of this condition of blood, the woman is to be considered unclean with the community. To say that this affects EVERYTHING in her life would be an understatement.

The combination of this law and this condition has made the following true for the last twelve years:

• She is unable to have physical contact with anyone. She is not allowed to touch anyone and no one is allowed to touch her. 12 years without physical contact. Not a hug, not a handshake, not a pat on the back, not a high five. And it's not just the avoidance of purposeful physical contact, it's the fact that everyone else must avoid incidental contact with her.

She was the first test case for 'social distancing' as people would fear brushing by, bumping shoulders or rubbing elbows. It's not just that people would not touch her... people wouldn't even come near her.

• If she touches something, that item is deemed unclean. If she sits in a chair, you are unable to sit there, if she lies in a bed, it is unclean because of her presence there.

• We do not know if she was married, but if she was, she was in a marriage in which her husband could not touch his wife for the last twelve years. There was no contact in the bedroom or the dinner table. If she cried, he could not dry her eyes, if she fell from her weakened state, he could not help her up. Even sitting in the same room, there would have been a chasm between them for the last twelve years.

Whether she was married or unmarried, she was utterly and completely... Alone. There were no friends or family members approaching Jesus on her behalf. She was hiding in the shadows, on the edge of society... Alone.

So she is sick, she is alone, and oh yeah, she is bankrupt from all of the medical bills. (Luke 8:43b)

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She must have heard that Jesus was coming to town. The buzz was everywhere so she went outside of the house and tentatively walked down the street, awaiting his arrival from the shadows.

She's heard that when Jesus comes by, the lame walk and the blind see. More than that, Jesus has touched a leper (Luke 5:12-16) and their skin became as smooth as a baby's bottom. Don't miss that. He touched a leper! Jesus can touch the unclean! Maybe he would pass by and touch her as well. Maybe he would come into the shadows. So she has positioned herself there... alone... and waiting.

She can seem him coming, but suddenly Jesus is heading in the other direction. The moment had passed. Her opportunity is slowly slipping away! He is heading the other way with Jarius, and they are moving quickly. Jarius was important and his need was critical. Surely Jesus would not stop his journey to talk to this unnamed outcast. There is a social order to everything. Why would Jesus be any different?

Not just that, Jesus was surrounded by people. People that she was not allowed to touch! She would never make it to Jesus without making contact in the crowd.

"The woman" had a decision to make. She could stay in the shadows and keep what little dignity she had left. She could hope that maybe another doctor would come to town with a new cure, that maybe Jesus would come back through again privately, that maybe the condition would just go away... or maybe there was no cure and she should just give up. She could just go back home and resign herself to a life without people, without companionship, without love, without peace.

Or she could risk it all and move.

The woman moved. And with that jump, she made one of the boldest and desperate jumps in the Bible. Remember, the religious leaders are always watching. They are always waiting for someone to break a law for public instruction, and they always seem to be present when Jesus is around. The punishment for contacting others in this unclean state will be swift and could be severe.

She moved anyway. (I love everything about this woman.)

She moved quickly (it had to be quickly), navigating her way the best that she could into the crowd that was pressed tightly against Jesus (8:42b). Under full belief that she was not important enough for Jesus to stop his trip for an interaction with an unnamed, unclean woman, the passage says that she came from behind him and reached for the fringe of his garment (8:44), likely the tassel on his tunic that was thrown over his shoulder as Jesus hurried to Jarius's house. She stretched in desperation, quickly, silently - CONTACT! She touched the fringe of his garment and the bible says that she was healed immediately (8:44).

Roll the credits boys! Cue the inspirational music. Great story: "Sick woman, healed by the healer- all is well, move on to the next town." Right?

Not even close. The real healing has yet to begin.

The woman was healed. There was no more flow of blood. This is what she had wished for everyday for twelve years. Twelve years of agony and torture! She is healed. Twelve Years!

Some context for those of us with mashed potatoes for brains: 'Seinfeld' and 'The Office' lasted for 9 years, 'Friends' lasted for 10 years, 'Mash' lasted 11 seasons. Instagram is about ten years old. Facebook is about sixteen years old. On a personal level, I had one kid instead of four... twelve years is a long time. She had been suffering for twelve years with the same affliction and she was just cured.

Every time she saw a shooting star, every time she picked up a four leaf clover, every time she dreamed of rubbing a lamp and getting three wishes - they would all have the same end goal: 'Make the bleeding stop.'

It had finally happened. So what did she do? Did she shout for joy? Did she hug Jesus? Did she run home to celebrate? No... She ran back to the shadows, along. She hid. (Luke 8:47a) She hid! She was healed but she had still broken the law. She was healed but she had touched the crowd when she was unclean. She was technically still unclean! She was supposed to wait seven days before entering back into society after the flow of blood stopped.

She was healed. But she was still alone and living in the shadows. That's why Jesus didn't let the story end there.

Jesus called after her, "Who touched me?" (8:45) She thought that it was an accusation so she remained hidden. But Jesus wouldn't leave her alone. That's just like Jesus. He continued after her (8:46).

Can I tell you something? Jesus knew who touched her. Heck, Jesus knew what people were thinking before they said it! (Mt. 9:4) He wanted her to come out from the shadows. He wanted to meet her... No, He wanted her to meet Him. So He called her out.

He kept calling until she finally came out from the shadows. Trembling, scared out of her mind, she came (8:47). And that's when it happened: This 'woman', who had no name, who had no companions, who had no life... came face to face with someone who would fulfill all of that and more.

She confessed that it was her. And Jesus looks at her and makes the grandest statement that could possibly be made to a woman with no one to lean on in her life:

"Daughter, your faith has made you well..."

Don't miss it. He didn't say, "Woman". Not "mam" or even her given name! He called her "Daughter". "Daughter." Listen, I have two daughters. That name is special. Sacred. So sacred in fact that I would never call anyone who is not my daughter by the title of 'daughter'. That name is reserved only for those who are just that. I have two daughters and they mean everything to me.

Jesus called her 'daughter'. It was not said without thought and it was not a mistake, because Jesus does not participate in either of these practices. He calls her daughter because she was His daughter.

Jesus was there when his daughter was knit together in her mother's womb.

Jesus was there the day that his daughter was born.

Jesus never missed any of his daughter's birthdays.

Jesus was there when she scraped her knee.

Jesus was there when she got her first crush.

Jesus was there when she got her heart broken.

Jesus was there when the condition developed.

Jesus was there when she got healed.

And now Jesus wants more for his daughter. He wants her to know that she is His. He is the family that she has been missing. He is the healing that she needs. He is the life that will fill her heart.

He wants more for his daughter. He wants, what she needs.

"Daughter... Go in peace." (Luke 8:48)

He offers peace in the middle of her storm. Don't miss the fact that the healing was not the fulfillment of peace. If it were, then the story would have ended when she touched his garment. She thought that she needed healing from the flow of blood. She need fulfillment. She needed 'life' in her life. The fulfillment of peace came when she met Jesus. Jesus brings life. He introduced her to a life with Him. A life in which she will never be alone again. (Heb 13:5)

Don't miss this. He is calling you home, He wants you to have peace. Come out from the shadows that you have been hiding in. We do not have to have to walk alone because we have been adopted into His family. (Romans 8:15; 9:26; Galatians 3:26) We are His sons and daughters and He wants what we need.

Peace.