“And (Jesus) said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” — Mark 5:34
In the book of Mark, we see the story of a Personal Savior — Jesus. He healed a woman who had a discharge of blood for 12 years. The woman suffered on multiple levels. Not only did she have an awful physical ailment, but she was also a ceremonially unclean outcast. She couldn’t be near her family or friends; she was looked down upon. Mark tells us that she spent all of her money seeking a cure and nothing worked. In fact, she only grew worse. Talk about despair!
It’s impossible to explain why people suffer like this. The effects of sin and death have robbed us of so much that God intended when He created the world and Adam and Eve. However, the beauty of the Gospel is that Jesus draws near to us in our suffering. He entered into this woman’s world amidst her pain and fear. He does the same for us. He is near.
The words of Jesus in verse 34, “your faith has made you well” could, in fact, be translated “your faith has made you whole.” This is from the Greek verb sozo which is used in the Bible meaning “to save.” We can see this woman’s faith to be healed was saving faith. She was placing her full trust in Jesus to heal her, to save her, from her ailments and ultimately from her sin.
Jesus miraculously heals this woman! Yes, she is healed physically, but Jesus also heals her spiritually. He begins to heal her relationally, emotionally and societally. Jesus takes away her pain; He also takes away her shame. He calls her daughter and pronounces peace over her. What a beautiful interaction this must have been for this woman after all she had been through.
When we place our faith in Jesus, He doesn’t just give us eternal life. He offers us “life to the full” (John 10:10). This “full life” doesn’t mean life becomes perfect, without pain or suffering. But, we can rest assured that the fullest life is lived out in faith, hand in hand with a Personal Savior.
Grace and peace,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor