But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall. ~Malachi 4:2 (NASB)
We gather around the table.
The new widow.
The exhausted young mom.
The heart-broken grandma.
The financially stressed and the health shattered.
Light seekers, hope clingers, and tassel touchers.
And we talk about her (Luke 8:43-48 NASB.)
Bleeding from body and heart.
For years.
Unclean.
Woman.
A physician’s failure.
She was emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially broken.
Clinging to her last shred of hope, she jostled her way through the crowd that pressed around Him.
She hid her face and prayed the stench of her issue would go unnoticed.
Her eyes glued to the swaying target and, hand splayed, she felt searing pain in her arm and shoulder as she stretched.
Reaching.
Reaching.
With one last lunge her fingers fastened around the corner (wing) tassel (Numbers 15:38-41 NASB) that hung from His cloak.
One of four containing a blue thread that reminded Him of His responsibility to fulfill God’s commandments.
That revealed His commitment to walk in the law.
The same law He had come to fulfill.
She who lived on the fringe had dared to touch the fringe.
Of . . . the Messiah?
She felt a fire kindle deep inside.
Warmth flooded her body.
And.
He.
Stopped.
She gasped, released her hold, and shrank back.
“Who is the one who touched me?”
He noticed.
The wounded one in the throng who risked to reach.
Who touched not Him but His garment.
Same thing.
“Not me.”
“Not me.”
Everyone denied it, though they had all churned against Him.
“Yes. Someone clung to me. I felt power flow from me.”
She’d been found out, and she nearly fainted.
Trembling, she stumbled back through the crowd and threw herself at His feet.
She told Him her story in front of everyone.
And He called her “daughter.”
Accepted.
Protected.
Beloved.
Healed by faith.
Saved from suffering.
To walk in peace.
********************
We get sick.
Loved ones die.
Hurt wrecks families.
Life tsunamis wash away money and possessions.
Words shatter hearts.
But in the midst of our sufferings, we can reach for Him.
Stretch out to grasp the tassel, to touch just the corner of His garment.
He knows the one.
And though healing may not come in our way or our time, we can walk in His peace.
In the shelter of His wing.
For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings, I sing for joy. ~Psalm 63:7 (NASB)
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Good to remember, a touch is enough. And for another mom, crumbs were enough. Powerful words.
We both shared the same Psalm today! And yes, He knows … each uniquely His.
life giving touch…
bless you, Sandy.
Oh, how I love this! I don’t know how I missed it the first time around. I’m so glad I got to read it this time! Most people do not realize that Jesus wore a tallit (prayer shawl). This is one of my most favorite topics. So glad you replayed this!
Oh, Sandy. Thank you so much for re-posting this beautiful, heartfelt reflection. Only a touch – but we sometimes have to reach to make it.
I love how you’ve found a woman with the issue of blood in all of us…you are gift. Thank you for joining us at Painting Prose.
He will heal us, maybe not the way we expect, but He will heal. We only to trust, and believe as the woman in scripture did. Beautifully written, Sandy.
So powerful, Sandy. The self-consciousness of the stench caught my attention…