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THE ATTENTIVE LOVE OF JESUS "And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. "Who touched me?" Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you." But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me." Luke 8:43-46 Perhaps Simon and his fellow disciples could hardly keep from laughing. What an amazing question for one to ask who was being pushed and elbowed on all sides by an eager and curious crowd. The idea of asking "Who touched me?" when he was being half crushed by a mob seemed ridiculous. Simon's response serves as an excuse for their inability to provide the answer Jesus is seeking. Jesus knew what the disciples did not know--that one single individual had made contact with him and had thereby been the recipient of his healing power. The woman who had received healing had been ceremonially unclean for twelve years. Her issue of blood had cut her off from life. She was forbidden by the law to have social interaction with anybody. That is why she did not come openly to Jesus but crept up in the crowd. She dared not touch his person, but she believed that if she could just touch the border of his garment, she would be made well. After being "found out" this woman is face to face with Jesus. In this encounter, Jesus seems to momentarily forget the crowd and spoke to her, treating her as if she was the only person in the world. She was a poor, unimportant sufferer, with an illness that made her unclean, and yet to that one unimportant person, Jesus gave all of himself. Jesus publicly acknowledges her to convince her friends and neighbors that she was restored, not only to health but to an active place in normal society. Most importantly, Jesus wanted this woman to know that her faith in Him, not some sort of magical touching of his garment, had made her well. We are so prone to place labels on people, fitting them into our nice predetermined boxed of relative importance to us. Not so for Jesus. Jesus did not attach man-made labels to the people he met. Instead, Jesus saw each person as a unique and precious human soul in need. The love demonstrated by Jesus is a love for each of us as if there was only of us to love. Years ago, Reader's Digest in their "most unforgettable character" section told the story of Redcap 42, Ralston Young. Ralston ministered for many years in an extraordinary way in Grand Central Station. He would often say, "You know, everybody going through Grand Central isn't going on a honeymoon, or going to a party. Many are going to funerals, the hospital or even prison." He began to minister to the people whose bags he carried. As a result, he affected thousands of lives. Like Ralston, every day each of us have countless opportunities to show attentive love to those around us. Perhaps we even know some people whose lives were dramatically touched by something they experienced and sought after at the recent Festival in our valley. May we not be so overwhelmed with the activities of life which "crowd us in" that we miss out on seeing the power of God heal and transform those very precious lives in our midst.
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Serve Wenatchee Valley Last updated
04/21/06
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