Connection In The Flow

In Luke 8:43 – 48, we find a woman with a flow of blood. She touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and was instantly healed. For twelve years she had been rendered ceremonially unclean because the flow of blood hadn’t stopped. Because of her issue, this woman was probably divorced, or possibly never married. She was a woman who had been classed as insignificant to the rest of the Jewish society. An outcast that could not be touched or be touched because of her flow of blood.

‘Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the boarder of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter, and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”  

Jesus stopped which caused this woman’s flow of blood to stop. He recognised her desperate need for closeness, connection, and communion that she’d been denied for twelve years because of her “issues”. Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house to heal his twelve-year-old daughter who was dying. He was busy, hard-pressed for time, the crowd pushed and surrounded Him. Surely, He needed to keep going, to keep moving.

However, He knew someone’s vulnerability, someone’s need for communion, someone’s desperate need for His time and compassion had caused Him to stop. The woman’s flow of blood that had caused her so much pain and discomfort for many years needed Jesus to stop and step into her issue. He told His disciples that He had felt His power flow out of Him, a connection that had caused the woman’s blood flow to dry up.

Simone Weil said, “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” Isn’t that so true? We’re not used to someone being fully present and stopping to help us when we’ve felt so unclean from our shame and unworthiness for so many years. People always seem too busy and we’re too afraid to reach out because if we start to feel a genuine connection, a communion, they could expose all our issues.

However, we need to understand that the process of our restoration can only start when we choose to stop numbing our shameful pasts and allow the scars found in Jesus’ hands and feet to dry up the flow of blood which has trailed behind us for far too long. The blood trail of brokenness can be healed in the redeeming blood trail Jesus left on the cross, helping us to become whole again. The woman’s flow of blood caused her to reach out her hand and touch the hem of Jesus’ garment because she longed for the closeness, connection, and communion that Jesus was offering.

Perhaps if we reached out our hand and touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, we would feel the flow of blood that Jesus poured out for us on the cross. The blood that has the power to heal us, to make us whole again. Jesus has always been willing to stop and connect, regardless of all our issues. You know, the ones that you have tried to keep hidden with all your numbing tactics. He wants you to reach out and commune regularly with Him because this helps us to stop, pause and reflect on our issues. And yet, we’re so afraid of feeling something again because we’ve become so used to bleeding out.

But it’s only the redemption flow of the blood of Jesus that can dry up the blood trail of our wounds. The blood that has the power to redeem and restore us and make us whole. We just need to be brave enough to push through the crowd regardless of what they think of us, reach out our hands, touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and allow Him to redeem and restore all that was lost.

Wendy xo

Are you afraid that if you stopped for a moment in your busyness your issues will become exposed?

I pray today, that Jesus’ flow of redemptive blood will dry up the blood trail that has been caused by your wounding and help heal you from your pain. Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy that Jesus hasn’t time for your needs. Jesus never abandoned you, He is always willing to stop and heal you. I pray you’ll allow yourself to stop, feel and reach out. Touch the hem of Jesus’ garment and you will find closeness, connection, and communion. Amen.