20 Aug
Keeping Up Appearances
But Jesus turned and saw her. Matt. 9:22
We live in a world in which it is getting easier and easier to hide who we really are. We post profile pictures that have been “photoshopped” for perfection and meticulously write status updates to keep our friends informed and make our lives sound interesting and quirky if not downright worthy of national headlines. Our likes and dislikes, our relationships and breakups, our busy schedules and random thoughts—all carefully chosen and listed on our “page” to give the perfect impression of what we want others to see as the real us. And to some extent these virtual personalities nearly are real. At least they reveal who we really would like to be.
But keeping up appearances is not a new phenomenon. The woman who approached Jesus for healing had a medical condition that made her religiously unclean. She had suffered from bleeding for 12 years, but she was in a crowd, and Jesus wasn’t looking. If she could just blend in and surreptitiously touch his robe, maybe she could get away with it, and no one would be any wiser.
But … Jesus turned and saw her. I imagine she could barely breathe as His eyes locked on hers, and she knew that He knew the truth. She was unclean! The account in Mark tells us that she came with “fear and trembling, fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth” (Mark 5:33).
Then something even more unexpected happened. He called her “daughter.” Again, I see her gasp at the word and the relationship it implied. Daughter? Who … me? She had heard about Jesus and had believed in His power to heal; but, now she experienced His grace, and her whole identity changed. Yes, she knew she was healed. She sensed it immediately as she touched His hem, but the change was greater than that. Now she was transformed! Faith had changed her life. Praise God, she would never be the same again. Until she met Jesus, this woman probably believed some pretty terrible things about herself. Her image was tainted, and her illness had kept her chained to this negative view of herself for 12 long years. But meeting Jesus changed everything. As He healed her body, He also transformed her mind, and she was blessed by His gifts of peace and freedom (Mark 5:34).
What is the profile picture on your mind’s page right now? Do you see yourself as Jesus does? Are you His son or daughter? Get close to His side. Touch the hem of His robe. Feel the power He holds to change your life, and accept His gift of peace. Jesus, the Truth, will set you free.
Lord Jesus, You are the Healer of all afflictions. Draw me to Your side. Let me see the Truth in Your eyes, and open my ears to hear that I am a child of the King. In Your name, I pray. Amen.
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