She Could Not Go Unnoticed
Women Impacted by Jesus – part 9
Have you ever tried to accomplish something without drawing attention to yourself? Perhaps you’ve arrived late at a meeting and tried to slip in quietly using the back door only to discover that you’ve entered through the front door and everyone is looking at you! In Luke 8:43-48, we read of a woman who had a similar experience. Seeking healing, this woman comes up behind Jesus and touches the edge of His robe. She doesn’t seek an audience with Jesus. She simply wants to receive healing without interrupting His journey.“Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed.”(Luke 8:47)
Sit for a moment and imagine this woman’s trembling testimony. Why is she trembling? She has been discovered. She has taken something from Jesus without asking. Now in the spotlight, she tells why she touched Jesus and reports that she has been instantly healed. Having confessed, she awaits His response.
“Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)
Listen to the tone of Jesus’ statement. Accepting. Affirming. Lifegiving. Gentle. There is no condemnation. May you hear the voice of Jesus speaking into your life in like manner.
Consider the content of His statement:
Daughter. This is an invitation to relationship. This is a declaration of belonging. Jesus gives this woman the assurance that she is accepted, she is adopted, and she has Someone who will lovingly see to her needs. Jesus does not want us to receive from Him without relationship. We don’t need to sneak around and “steal” from His supply of resources. We are daughters loved perfectly by our heavenly Father. Approach Him. Ask and receive.
Your faith has healed you. This is both a commendation and a confirmation. Jesus recognizes the faith that motivated this woman’s actions and confirms that she is indeed healed. Healed physically. Healed relationally. Healed emotionally. Jesus’ healing is a complete healing.
Go in peace. This woman is commissioned to move forward in the knowledge that she is loved, accepted, adopted, healed. What caused her fear, being discovered, became the source of her new-found peace. Her life was transformed by an encounter with Christ.
Take some time during this season of Lent to contemplate Jesus’ willingness to give you healing, His desire for relationship with you, and His commission to “go in peace.” Approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, coming through the front door, not sneaking in through the back. There you will receive mercy and find grace to help in your time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
