Let them reach Jesus!

Reflecting on Mark 5:21-42

“She came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.” (Mark 5:27)
As Jesus followers, we have been cleansed, made clean, pure.
Yesterday we saw unorthodox, desperate faith in action.
Now we see the same, but even worse – disgusting faith.
This woman was impure, like a leper, untouchable (Leviticus 15:19-30).
She was sick, disgusting, someone to be avoided.
She was under God’s curse; not even 7 days cleansing could help her.

That people avoided her was not wrong, it was the Law.
That she was hiding in the crowd was wrong, against the Law.
She was putting her neighbours at risk, she was rebelling.
And she was desperate…

There are some people that some christians avoid at all costs..
The way they dress, the way they act, the way they talk.
Christians can quote ‘the law’ against them, and feel justified.
But I suspect they are not just quoting, they are inwardly cringing.
It is their internal feelings, not their religious convictions.
Their convictions make them feel better about their feelings.

If the crowds knew this woman was there, they would have put her out.
How do the churches handle such people today?
Do they require them to be healed first, before they come?
Do they put restrictions on them, until they change?
Do they use the laws as a hammer, as a barrier to belief or salvation?

I feel for this woman hiding in the crowd, hiding in the closet.
What kind of life is this, for years alone and unloved.
It is a wonder that she didn’t give up on her life.
There are many that do today.

The thing is, this woman really did have a problem.
She was struggling, she was needing help, she was under a curse.
But the help she needed was NOT the help she was being given.
Shaming and shunning did not help, nor did guilt or fear.
They certainly do not work for me, they only make me feel worse.
And we really have our problems too, we are ‘sick’ in our own way.
Think for a moment how God sees our imperfections.
How God’s perfect love and goodness react to our impure ways.
If God responded to us this way, would we be put out too?
Thank God this is NOT how God responds to us.

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10)

For our part we need to come to Jesus, like this woman.
She knew she had a problem, even if she didn’t understand it.
She didn’t confess it out loud, but her spirit confessed it.
She hid her need from others, but she still reached for Jesus.
This is what I see happening today, many are seeking Jesus.
They know they need help, even if they don’t understand their need.
They know they are sick, and that they need a doctor.
They push on, despite the shaming and the shunning.
They are open and ready to let Jesus work His grace in them.

To know our sin does not mean to agree with others views on it.
Christians have their own different sin lists, based on the Bible.
Imagine if I had to confess my sins according to these lists:
* The Roman Catholic sin list
* The Fundamentalist Baptist sin list
* The Amish sin list
* The 7th Day Reformed Baptist sin list
* The United Church of Canada sin list
Each of these groups would likely shun and shame you.
Their understanding of the Bible would make you impure.

Come to Jesus in your weakness, doubt, uncertainty, desperation.
Ignore the shunning and shaming of others, reach out to Jesus.
As we see in this story, Jesus does not shun and shame us.

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, just as I am without one plea (even after my conversion and my efforts to become more like You), I still come to You. I know I fall short, that I am not yet pure and clean in myself.

But I come because I know that You are faithful and fair, and will release/forgive me from my sin and purify me from all unrighteousness. In humble faith I touch your cloak...