What Reality Am I Most Aware Of?

 

The very familiar story of the woman with the, "issue of blood", can be found in Matthew 9, and in Luke 8.

But there is something a bit different… something I like a bit better in Mark’s account of the same story (Mark 5).

Take a look at it here, in the NLT, (verses 25-29) “A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind Him through the crowd and touched His robe. For she thought to herself, ‘If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.’  Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.”

It’s interesting because Mark is not known as the most “elaborate” of narrators among the other 3 Gospel writers. And yet here we see something included that doesn’t exist in the narration of Matthew and Luke. Mark adds, “She had heard about Jesus”, and what Luke left out is her thoughts - “She thought to herself, ‘If I can just touch His robe, I will be healed.’”

She had heard about Jesus - and she thought to herself - "I need to get near Him. I know that by what I have heard - nearness saves. Closeness brings a divine solution."

And it’s interesting that Mark includes one more thing we don’t see at all in the other Gospels. It’s in verse 31 and it says that the disciples respond to Jesus and say this, “Look at the crowd pressing around You. How can You ask, ‘Who touched Me?’”

The disciples didn’t get it.

They still didn’t know the great Man they served beside.

And what He was capable of.

Really. Who did they think they were talking about by saying those words, “How can You even ask!?”

If they had really understood the One they served… followed… had close communion with… then they would have known that “anything is possible to those who believe.” (Mk 9:23)

I think we need to examine the woman - briefly mentioned, and only by 3 Gospel writers - a little closer.

Maybe the we have a lot to learn from the one who knew what was possible with the God of impossibilities.

The woman with the blood issue was aware of a reality that nobody else in the crowd was aware of - including HIS OWN STUDENTS.

She was aware of the power that rested in His garment. She understood, long before it was by popular opinion that “shadows” heal (Acts 5:15) and “sweatbands” cure (Acts 19:12).

She was aware of a greater reality that included healing, acceptance and grace. She apprehended a greater truth that included salvation in addition to physical restoration.

How are we doing with staying more aware of Kingdom realities than we are of earthly impressions?

Do we look out into the world with vision only to see what’s wrong… or do we dare pursue a greater reality where Jesus takes center stage and where Kingdom realities supersede any ugly the enemy would love to distract us with?

The attention we give to the unpleasantness that surrounds us, cannot be bigger than our constant awareness of God’s goodness.

Will we choose to SEE the way this woman with blood chose to see??