A Desperate Woman - Part 3

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5:25-34 ESV). Let’s try to understand what has happened here. I believe this is a perfect illustration of Jesus being fully human, and yet fully God. The power left His body, which healed the woman subject to bleeding, but Jesus didn’t know the details of what had happened. As God, He had power just in His presence. As man, He was simply walking through the crowd of people. Do you understand the awesome truth of this fact? If Jesus had not been fully man, then He could never have assumed our sins upon the Cross. If Jesus had not been fully God, He would not have been Holy, thus not being pure enough to be our perfect sacrifice. Jesus needed to be fully man, and yet be fully God. Tony Evans, the great preacher from Dallas, adds another dimension to it, however. If Jesus had not been fully man, He would never have experienced life, as we know it. Think about it. Has God ever been hungry? Jesus has. Has God had His feet stepped on in a crowd? I suspect Jesus has. Has God ever been beaten, nailed to a cross, or hung to die? No, but the man Jesus has! Jesus, fully God, experienced life as fully a man. That means that when you and I are facing real struggles in life; real pain, Jesus understands. He’s been there and done that! He’s walked where we walk. He’s lived where we live. And, though He never sinned, He faced all the temptation that you and I face everyday. What difference does that make for us today? Praise God, that as He sits at the right hand of God, interceding on our behalf, we know He has empathy for our struggles. It also makes Him more relevant as we take Him our cares and concerns today. He understands. Trust Him!