Day 25, Lord over disappointments, Luke 8:40-48

·        A woman touches Jesus, 8:43-48. 

o   The trial:  The woman had an issue with bleeding that had confounded the medical world of the day.  We are not told whether or not she was rich but it seems she must have had a significant amount of money so as to be in contact with several doctors about the matter.  Every one of them had come up empty.  Doctors are not “God.”  But sometimes we think of them as being capable of curing all our diseases.  It seems that was the case with this woman.  She expected someone could help her but she had been disappointed at every turn.  The disappointments of life are not necessarily the fault of people around us; it is the fact that we put our confidence in princes or some son of man, as the Psalmist said (146:3).  You may remember King Asa who, when he was sick, said that he would not consult God but only the doctors (2 Chronicles 16:12-14).

o   The miracle:  The story of this miracle is unique, of course, in that there was no conversation between the Lord and the woman before she was healed.  She had the thought, and a measure of confidence in Jesus, that if she could just touch Him that He could do what all the doctors she had consulted had not been able to do.  And she was right!

   

o   The authority:  Disease is a result of man’s fall into sin in Gen. 3; what had been perfect was now broken.  Jesus demonstrated His authority over man’s brokenness on many occasions.  As we have noted, the unique situation here is not only that He healed the woman by her simply touching Him, but that it happened after all others had disappointed her.  How often are we disappointed in ourselves as well as in those around us?  The good news is that we need not give up; Jesus is Lord over disappointments.  He is able to do what needs to be done, no matter how long we have waited and no matter how many times our expectations have come up empty.

o   The response:

§  First Jesus acknowledges the woman’s faith.  Certainly she had put confidence in Christ.

§  But Jesus also tells her to go in peace.  Go; enter into the journey you have longed to be on.  Do not fear that what Christ has done is temporary and that you will just be disappointed again after awhile.  By the power of Jesus this woman will not be ashamed (disappointed).  

We can say the same thing.  Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame (Rom. 10:11).  Jesus won’t disappoint you.