Have you ever received a gift, or a recognition or award, and known that you really didn’t deserve it? Maybe the words spoken were a bit larger than the reality. You didn’t think what you did was anything special, and yet others are saying all these nice words about you and your accomplishments. Maybe you want to crawl under the rug and hide. I have! It is a really uncomfortable feeling. I hear the script playing in my head. It keeps repeating the message that if they really know me, they wouldn’t say these nice things about me and what I had done.
Or maybe you react the opposite way and think they aren’t doing or saying enough nice things about you. Maybe you think the gift is too small, or the plaque to unassuming.
The woman in our text heard about Jesus and His ability to bring healing. She had suffered all those years and wanted relief. But she doesn’t think she deserves Jesus’ attentions, so she thinks if she just touches His clothes she will receive healing. And when she does this, she is completely healed. She tries to slip back into the crowd unnoticed. But Jesus knows someone received some of His healing power and starts to look for the person. She realizes that she hasn’t been able to slip away unnoticed.
She turns and returns to Jesus and falls before Him, a sign of her recognition of Jesus power and authority and of her humility. She is like so many others who have been touched by Jesus. At that moment she knows she didn’t deserve the healing.
When she falls before Jesus she is afraid, afraid of discovery, afraid of humiliation, afraid of rejection. The fear causes here to tremble. That is a lot of fear.
And then she comes clean with Jesus and the crowd. She tells her whole story. She tells of her illness, of her futile attempts at relief from the medical professionals, and of her plot to slip in and out without being noticed.
I can imagine that she had carried this burden alone. Now she spills it all. Jesus hears it, the disciples hear it and the crowd that was gathered hears it. The secret she has tried to keep private all these years is now public knowledge, and it is no longer an issue. She is now healed.
Have you ever felt a burden lifting after telling your story? It is like a weight is lifted off your shoulders, like you can breathe again. It feels so good to get it out.
The Arnold Journey 