Psalms 126-128
1 Corinthians 10:19-33
“She had suffered a great deal….and had spent all she had…When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.’” —Mark 5:26-28
Throughout the Gospels, we read many stories about Jesus healing people, like the lame, blind, demon-possessed. One particular healing story is sandwiched between another healing story. In Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56, we find a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader who went to Jesus, pleading for Him to heal his daughter. On the way there, a woman who had been subjected to bleeding for twelve years snuck up behind Jesus while there was a huge crowd pressing in and touched the edge of His clothing and immediately, she was healed. Considering all the miracle stories recorded in the Gospels, why was this particular healing story recorded? What was significant about the woman’s healing?
If we were to compare Jairus and the woman, we will find a huge disparity between the two. Firstly, one is a man and other is a woman. During the New Testament time, a man was a person of standing and value in culture, whereas a woman was essentially property. In other words, a woman was essentially the property of her family, under her father, and when her father found a husband to give her away to, she became her husband’s property. Secondly, Jairus was a synagogue leader and was named in the story, which meant he was well known in the crowd. The woman, however, was a nobody, not known by anyone and not named in Scripture. From these two points alone, we could see the status and power gap between Jairus and the woman.
Thirdly, Jairus was wealthy while the woman was broke because she spent all that she had but no one could heal her. Since they were in an agrarian society, if they had money, it meant God blessed them with rain so that their crops grew well and were able to make money. To be broke was perceived kind of like a punishment and showed something was wrong, possibly because of sin. Moreover, without money, one could not get important people to do things, so the woman had no leverage to ask Jesus for healing. Lastly, Jairus walked up to Jesus with confidence as he threw himself at Jesus’s feet. The woman, though, was hiding in the crowd.
Jairus and the woman could not be more different. Yet, from the two, we learn that Jesus not only heals but also gives dignity and value to people. In fact, He showed how much He values each person by giving up His life to save us all, no matter our gender, status, wealth or self-esteem.
Dear Jesus Christ, thank You for laying down Your life for me. Help me to see the dignity and value that You ascribe to each person. Amen!
1 Corinthians 10:19-33
“She had suffered a great deal….and had spent all she had…When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.’” —Mark 5:26-28
Throughout the Gospels, we read many stories about Jesus healing people, like the lame, blind, demon-possessed. One particular healing story is sandwiched between another healing story. In Mark 5:21-43 and Luke 8:40-56, we find a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader who went to Jesus, pleading for Him to heal his daughter. On the way there, a woman who had been subjected to bleeding for twelve years snuck up behind Jesus while there was a huge crowd pressing in and touched the edge of His clothing and immediately, she was healed. Considering all the miracle stories recorded in the Gospels, why was this particular healing story recorded? What was significant about the woman’s healing?
If we were to compare Jairus and the woman, we will find a huge disparity between the two. Firstly, one is a man and other is a woman. During the New Testament time, a man was a person of standing and value in culture, whereas a woman was essentially property. In other words, a woman was essentially the property of her family, under her father, and when her father found a husband to give her away to, she became her husband’s property. Secondly, Jairus was a synagogue leader and was named in the story, which meant he was well known in the crowd. The woman, however, was a nobody, not known by anyone and not named in Scripture. From these two points alone, we could see the status and power gap between Jairus and the woman.
Thirdly, Jairus was wealthy while the woman was broke because she spent all that she had but no one could heal her. Since they were in an agrarian society, if they had money, it meant God blessed them with rain so that their crops grew well and were able to make money. To be broke was perceived kind of like a punishment and showed something was wrong, possibly because of sin. Moreover, without money, one could not get important people to do things, so the woman had no leverage to ask Jesus for healing. Lastly, Jairus walked up to Jesus with confidence as he threw himself at Jesus’s feet. The woman, though, was hiding in the crowd.
Jairus and the woman could not be more different. Yet, from the two, we learn that Jesus not only heals but also gives dignity and value to people. In fact, He showed how much He values each person by giving up His life to save us all, no matter our gender, status, wealth or self-esteem.
Dear Jesus Christ, thank You for laying down Your life for me. Help me to see the dignity and value that You ascribe to each person. Amen!
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