Leviticus 15

“When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days…”  Leviticus 15:25a (HCSB)

From a chapter that has made 8th-grade boys snicker throughout the ages, we find the setup for one of the most profound miracles of Jesus’ ministry on earth.

“A woman suffering from bleeding for 12 years had endured much under many doctors. She spent everything she had and was not helped at all. On the contrary, she became worse. Having heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His robe. For she said, ‘If I can just touch the hem of His garment, I’ll be made well!’  Instantly, her flow of blood ceased, and she sensed in her body that she was cured of her affliction.”  Mark 5:25-29 (HCSB)

Doctors are not healers. They are keen observers. Modern medicine is the byproduct of centuries of medical & scientific observation. Persistent observation leads to improved diagnosis and treatments, resulting in heightened probabilities of recovery. Yet, even before the insurance papers are processed, it is God Who allows the healing to happen.

None of us would willingly select civil-war-era dentistry, much less 1st-century Church-era medical practices! Can you imagine the methods of treatment this woman had undergone before she connected with Jesus?

While there is much to say about this woman’s healing (and Jesus’ response to it), I want to focus on one item:  Having reached the end of the World’s options, she had nothing to lose by reaching out to Jesus in faith.   In a word, she was “desperate.”

In this observation of her desperation, we are reminded of the great “constant” of evangelism: People do not come to faith in Jesus because of convenience but rather out of desperation. Ask yourself, what circumstances led you to reach out to Jesus in faith? (That is, given that you have reached out to Him.)

People only accept a savior when they recognize they need salvation. I go surfing quite often. Every time I walk into the surf with my surfboard, I try to make eye contact with the lifeguard. I generally wave as I walk by. I want him to know I’m in the water in case I need him later. Having identified the lifeguard (and knowing he has acknowledged me), if I were drowning in the surf, you’d better believe I would call out to that lifeguard!!! And I wouldn’t be ashamed if, while I was drowning among dozens of skilled surfers, He asked, “Which one of you guys called out to me?”  

That is how illogical our fear of reaching out to Jesus is. Why not reach out to Him today? Salvation is only a prayer away for those who are humble enough to admit they need it, for those who are faithful enough to call out. When we call to Him, we are simply asking Him to do what He came to do: save people who realize they’re drowning in sin to the point where they are willing to humble themselves and call out for Him to rescue them.