Wholeness Pt 2: Deeper Dive The Period From Hell

Wholeness Part 2: Period From Hell Deeper Dive

I’m not yet desperate enough to do anything about the conditions that are making me desperate. — Ashleigh Brilliant

As a kid, you probably could hardly wait until you were you graduated high school so you could get out of your parents’ home and live independently. After graduation, you started working, paying bills, handling adult responsibilities, and dealing with difficult people and problems on a daily basis. It was then that you started to appreciate your parents for handling finances and issues for you in the past. Maybe you endeavored to find the right person to start a family and spend the rest of your life with, and live happily ever after. Maybe you’re still waiting until your children are grown and out of the house, or when they finish their degree so you won’t have to pay any more tuition. Or you’re ready for them to marry and give you grandchildren. And so on.

Maybe there’s something else you can’t wait to do. What is it? Are you in a constant state of discontent and desperation?

We turn our attention to a very persistent woman who was desperate for healing. She’s recorded in all three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. One thing is clear in all three accounts: she’d tried everything she possibly could to be cured and she’s eager to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment as her last resort.

The Woman with the Issue of Blood (Mark 5:25-34, Luke 8:43-48, Matthew 9:20-22)

Could you imagine being known as a man or woman with an issue? This woman is nameless, and she’s almost always referred to as “the woman with the issue of blood.” Not only did she have to deal with abnormal menstrual bleeding for twelve years, but she also battled the cultural stigma of being unclean, she spent all her money to pay doctors, she suffered medical torture (ancient medical practices were not very sound), and she grew hopeless as her condition grew worse.

She knew that if she was healed, she’d no longer deal with fatigue (from losing iron via her blood), medical procedures, having to declare herself unclean in public, and having to maintain herself so that she didn’t bleed through her clothes. What if she’d never have to deal with the shame and loneliness that came with being unclean.

If she could just touch the fringe of Jesus’ clothes, she thought, she’d be made whole (Mark 5:28). This is important because, being unclean, no one was permitted to touch her or they’d be considered unclean as well (Leviticus 15:19-30). Her goal was to scarcely touch something affixed to Jesus. She didn’t want to draw attention to herself and she was probably afraid to confess that she was unclean as she approached him. Having probably touched many people in the crowd while pursuing Jesus, the people would be upset (Mark 5:33, Luke 8:47).

She was well aware of how her issue of blood affected her wholeness as far as her physical and psychological health, but not her spiritual wellbeing. She’d heard about Jesus’ miracles, and when He came to her town, she came behind Him and graced His robe (Mark 5:27). Then she was about to leave! She didn’t want Jesus to notice her, and she could have easily eluded Him, given that so many people were crowding and pressing Jesus (Mark 5:31, Luke 8:45). Although she barely graced His clothes, Jesus felt virtue (power) leave Him (Mark 5:30, Luke 8:46)!

She was desperate for her plague to stop and she believed that Jesus was the vehicle through which this miracle could happen. She wasn’t seeking a relationship with Jesus – just a favor. But Jesus acknowledged her faith. He also welcomed her into relationship with Him by calling her “Daughter” (Luke 8:48). He wasn’t willing to let her fall through the cracks, no matter how ridiculous He looked for pausing to see who’d touched Him while the crowd pressed Him (Mark 5:30-33, Luke 8:45-47, Matthew 9:20-22).

Jesus made her whole! She received physical and psychological healing, and her spirit revived when she encountered Jesus! He is probably the first person in 12 years to look upon her with love and acceptance, rather than disdain. Also, her loneliness was ending. Unlike other groups of people (such as lepers) who were considered unclean, she may not have had friends or people who shared her condition. Since she was no longer considered unclean, she could mingle with other people again (maybe in a different region where people didn’t recognize her as the woman with the issue of blood).

Summary

In this account we met a woman who was understandably desperate for healing and willing to do anything to cure her bleeding condition. She didn’t realize that wholeness through Jesus was what she actually needed. She wanted her immediate need taken care of.

I’m sure that after receiving wholeness, she wondered why she hadn’t pursued it sooner. We, too, should endeavor to receive wholeness from God. We can never feel complete without God’s wholeness.

Mercy Torres wrote in her article, “Why We Need to Stop Chasing Success and Start Enjoying the Little Things in Life”:

Now I have everything I wanted back then, but it doesn’t feel like you’d think it would feel. What was I expecting? I didn’t feel any different than I always felt, except that I had a corner office, a fancier house, and nicer clothes.

An ideally located office—this is what it all came down to in the end? It’s very anticlimactic when the new car smell wears off, and all you have is a large payment and more hours at work.

We all think that when we’re at the top, everything should be amazing, but it’s not. Your children have grown older, and you don’t remember the little things.

Your purpose was to dance until the end, but you were so focused on the end that you forgot to dance.

Prayer

Lord, thank You so much that You provide the wholeness we need. Thank You that You are filling every void in our lives. Lord, we invite You into all areas of our lives. Forgive us for trying to seek wholeness from sources other than you, and continuing to bleed out. Help us build an intimate relationship with You so we’ll experience Your wholeness. Help us enjoy an abundant life with you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Exercise

Is there anything or anyone you’re longing for? What or who is it? How will this person, accomplishment, or item, improve your life? Will it (or they) make you whole?

Fun Fact

The average woman spends about 3500 days, or ten years, menstruating! From the first cycle through menopause, she has around 450 periods.

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