December 6, 2015

One of life’s unpleasant experiences is to be at odds with someone. It may be a falling out with someone in your family. Perhaps it’s a neighbor or someone at work. But whoever it is, it’s never pleasant. Conflicts always cause stress and anxiety.

On the other hand, one of life’s most pleasant experiences is to make peace with a former enemy. When the barrier that caused the hostility is removed, there’s a sense of joy and release. It’s wonderful when a former enemy becomes a friend.

Although many people don’t realize it, they’re at odds with the worst enemy imaginable: the living God! Our sin means that outside of Christ, we are enemies of God (Rom. 5:10). If we’re not reconciled to Him, we will face eternal judgment when we die. Alienation from God should cause far more anxiety than any human conflict! God’s enemies desperately need to be reconciled to Him.

That’s what Paul describes in our text. We were formerly God’s enemies, alienated from Him, engaged in hostile deeds against Him. But God, because of His great love, sacrificed His own Son on our behalf to change us from enemies to friends, from alienation to reconciliation. Being reconciled, we now have the responsibility to continue in the faith and to serve Him.

The Colossian church was in danger of being wrongly influenced by some false teachers. Paul’s corrective was to extol the person and work of Jesus Christ. As we saw in Colossians 1:15-20, Paul lifted up Jesus as the sovereign Creator of the universe, the head of His body the church, worthy of preeminence in everything. In verse 20 he says that Christ’s blood on the cross is the means by which God will reconcile all creation to Himself. This doesn’t mean that everyone will be saved, but rather that God will remove the curse on creation that was imposed because of man’s fall into sin.

Now Paul applies this reconciliation to the Colossians, reminding them of their former alienation from God (Col. 1:21) and of the great price which Christ paid to reconcile us to God (Col. 1:22). He adds that they are responsible to continue in the faith, not moved away by the false teachers (Col. 1:23). And he mentions himself as a servant of the gospel. He’s saying:

We who enjoy the blessings of reconciliation are responsible to continue in the faith of the true gospel.

If you think that you’re immune from the danger of being deceived by any of the false teachings of our day, you may not adequately appreciate either the craftiness of the enemy or your own weakness. As Paul says (1 Cor. 10:12), “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.” I’ve seen pastors and missionaries get swept away with different errors, such as the “new perspective on Paul,” which undermines justification by faith alone; open theism, which denies God’s sovereignty and omniscience; the Insider Movement, which compromises the gospel in the course of trying to relate it to those in other religions; and, other errors. Many evangelicals have an unbiblical view of trials, as seen in the “health and wealth” heresy, resulting in their inability to persevere when suffering hits. Paul’s instruction here is given to help us stay faithful when confronted with such false teaching.

1. The blessings of reconciliation: We who were alienated from God are now reconciled through Christ’s death (Col. 1:21-22).

First, Paul reminds us of where we were when God intervened in our lives:

A. We all were alienated from God because of our sin.

Colossians 1:21: “… you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds.” You may be thinking, “Now wait a minute! Paul is talking to these pagan Colossians. They may have been like that. But I’ve never been hostile toward God. I was raised in a Christian home. I accepted Christ as a child. I never was alienated from Him.” Or, perhaps you came to Christ when you were older, but you still would say that you were never hostile toward God. You’ve never been an atheist. You’d say that words like “alienated,” “hostile,” and “evil deeds” don’t describe your past!

But in faithfulness to the Scriptures, I must say that if you feel that those words are too harsh, you haven’t yet come to know your own heart in the sight of God. I was only three years old when I “asked Jesus to come into my heart.” I attended church and Sunday school virtually every Sunday of my childhood. But the longer I’m a Christian, the more I’m appalled by the depths of my own sinfulness. Part of that sinfulness is the pride which inclines me to say, “I’ve got my faults, but I’m not a bad sinner!”

Our alienation from God was due to two things. On God’s part, He is completely holy and has a settled wrath against all sin. On my part, I have within me an inborn selfishness and pride which causes me to ignore the God who created me and to pursue my own ways. Thus there is alienation because God in His holiness cannot have fellowship with me in my sin. He cannot compromise His holiness and I cannot eradicate my sin.

Also, note that sin begins in the mind and works its way outward. We were “hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds.” The NIV translation is inaccurate because it makes it sound as if our evil deeds are the cause of our hostile minds. But the reverse is true. We are hostile toward God in our thinking which results in disobedient actions. Jesus taught that all sin begins within, in our hearts (Mark 7:20-23).

Thus dealing with my sin is not just a matter of cleaning up my behavior, but of changing my heart. In Romans 8:7-8, Paul writes that “the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” In our natural state we are incapable of pleasing God. We may be able to clean up the outside, but we are not able to clean up our hearts. You can put a tuxedo on a pig, but its pig nature makes it still want to wallow in the mud. And the most difficult heart problem to eradicate is the pride that says, “I’m a basically good person. God will accept me because of my good deeds.”

But the good news is that every New Testament passage dealing with this great doctrine of reconciliation emphasizes that God took the initiative in reconciling sinful people to Himself. It’s not dependent on our efforts to get right with God, but on His action centered on the sacrifice of His Son.

B. God reconciled us through Christ’s death.

Note that God takes the initiative (Col. 1:22): “Yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death.” In Romans 5:10-11, Paul puts it: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

At this point, someone may be thinking, “What’s the big deal about sin separating us from God? Even humans are able to forgive others who wrong them. Why can’t God just let bygones be bygones? Why did Christ need to die for our sins? Besides, my sins aren’t that bad. I’ve never killed anybody. I’m faithful to my wife. I work to support my family. I’m not a bad person. And I don’t have anything against God. Why does God require the radical solution that Christ had to die for my sins?”

If you can relate to those thoughts, then you don’t sufficiently understand who God is or how great your sin is in His sight. Perhaps you’ve been wrongly influenced by our tolerant culture. We live in a time when tolerance of everyone, including their gross sins, is seen as a great virtue. We pull God down by making Him a benign, tolerant grandfather; and we lift ourselves up by thinking, “Compared to those awful terrorists, I’m a pretty good person!” Even as Christians, we’re somewhat embarrassed by the idea of God’s wrath against sin. Over 100 years ago, R. W. Dale (The Atonement [Congregational Union], pp. 338-339) observed, “It is partly because sin does not provoke our own wrath, that we do not believe that sin provokes the wrath of God.”

But if God were tolerant of sin He would not be God. If He denied His absolute holiness by winking at sin, He would be compromising His justice, which rightly demands that the penalty for sin be paid. For example, if a man murdered your mother and the judge came off the bench and gave him a hug and said, “I love you, man! Try not to do that again,” you’d rightly be outraged because justice was not served. While God is love, His love never compromises His holiness and justice.

So the question is, “How can God be both holy and loving?” How can He uphold perfect justice and yet extend reconciling mercy to sinners? The answer is, through the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross. God sent His eternal Son into the world to take on human flesh and to live a sinless life so that He could pay the just penalty that we deserved for our sins.

Paul here is probably combatting the Colossian error, which taught that Jesus was not truly human. He uses the somewhat redundant phrase, “the body of His flesh through death” to show that Jesus’ death was a real, physical death. Hebrews 9:22 states that “without shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness” of sins. Being God in human flesh, Jesus’ death satisfied God’s just wrath by paying the penalty for all who have faith in Jesus. As Paul states in another great passage on reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:21), “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” God took our sin and put it on Christ who was without sin. Then He took Christ’s perfect righteousness and put it on us. Thus He is both “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26). So the basis of reconciliation is judicial: Jesus paid the just penalty of God’s wrath against our sin.

But reconciliation also is a relational word. It points to healing in personal relationships. As Paul states in the context of a great passage on reconciliation (Rom. 5:8), “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Through reconciliation, we now enjoy God’s love.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful pictures of reconciliation in the Bible is Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The young man rudely demands his portion of the inheritance before his father has even died. He goes off to a far country and squanders it all on loose living. But when he comes to his senses and returns home in the hopes that he can just serve as one of his father’s hired hands, his father sees him coming (he was looking for him!), feels compassion for him, runs to him, embraces him, kisses him, and welcomes him home with a party.

That’s the heavenly Father’s great love for every sinner who repents! Have you experienced it? In that same story, Jesus also illustrates the alienation from the father that self-righteousness causes. The older brother, who saw himself as loyal and obedient to his father, was angry because of his father’s mercy toward his rebellious brother. The truth is, the self-righteous son needed to be reconciled to his father just as much as his prodigal brother did, but his self-righteousness blinded him to his true need.

Back in the 18th century, Lady Huntingdon was a godly British noblewoman. She invited a number of her upper class friends to come hear the great evangelist, George Whitefield. She got this reply from the proud Duchess of Buckingham (Arnold Dallimore, George Whitefield [Cornerstone Books], 1:132):

It is monstrous to be told, that you have a heart as sinful as the common wretches that crawl on the earth. This is highly offensive and insulting; and I cannot but wonder that your Ladyship should relish any sentiments so much at variance with high rank and good breeding.

To be reconciled to God, you’ve first got to see that you’re alienated from Him, hostile in mind, and engaged in evil deeds. Even if outwardly you’re a relatively good person, your heart is just “as sinful as the common wretches that crawl on the earth”! And you’ve got to see that God provides everything necessary for your being reconciled to Him through the death of Jesus for your sins. But why does God reconcile us to Himself through Christ’s death?

C. God’s goal in reconciliation is to present us before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.

Colossians 1:22b: “… in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” God’s aim is that on judgment day you will stand before Him perfectly righteous. As Jude 24 states, He is able “to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.” It’s a rare thing to know someone whom you would describe as blameless and beyond reproach. But you’re only seeing part of their outward behavior. But to stand in the presence of the holy God who knows every hidden thought and motive we’ve ever had, and yet to be declared holy, blameless, and beyond reproach, sounds impossible! How can this be true?

It’s true because Paul and Jude are looking at the final result of our sanctification. There are three aspects of sanctification: First is positional sanctification. When we are reconciled to God through Christ’s death, He sets us apart to Himself. We are clothed with Christ’s perfect righteousness and seated with Him in heavenly places. Second is progressive sanctification. As we walk with Christ daily, putting to death the deeds of the flesh and growing in obedience, we become increasingly holy, blameless, and above reproach. This is never perfect in this life, but there will be progress. Finally, when we die or Christ returns (whichever happens first), our sin nature will be completely eradicated. This is perfect sanctification, because we will be like Jesus (1 John 3:2). That’s God’s ultimate aim in reconciling us to Himself through Christ.

So, does the fact that we will be perfectly sanctified mean that we can kick back and not worry about our sin? No! Paul shows …

2. The responsibility of the reconciled: To continue in the faith of the true gospel (Col. 1:23).

Colossians 1:23: “If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” Paul mentions three aspects of our responsibility as reconciled people:

A. Continuing in the faith means being grounded and steadily growing in the hope of the gospel.

When Paul says, “If indeed you continue in the faith,” it could mean, “your personal faith,” but in light of the Colossian heresy, I think he means “the faith.” By saying “if you continue,” he is not expressing doubt, but he is giving a warning. Paul was confident that these new believers would not be carried away by these false teachers and that they would go on with Christ. As he wrote (Phil. 1:6), “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” And yet at the same time, the test of genuine faith is that it perseveres by holding to the gospel. And so there is an implicit warning in “if” that says, “It’s your responsibility to remain in the faith.”

Often the Bible puts God’s sovereignty and our responsibility in the same verse or context. God’s sovereignty gives us comfort that since He saved us, He will keep us. But that’s never an invitation to kick back and cruise. We can trust that God will finally bring us to glory, but He does that through our obedient perseverance in the faith. Both are true and we’re out of balance if we let go of either one.

Here, our responsibility is to be “firmly established and steadfast, not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” As you know, if you’re going to build anything of lasting substance, the foundation is critical. You can throw up a chicken coop without much of a foundation, but to build a house or an office building, you’ve got to lay a solid foundation. The foundation for the Christian faith is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are you clear on the gospel? If I asked you to turn to your neighbor and explain it in 60 seconds, could you do it? Can you support it with specific Scriptures?

Beyond that, you’ve got to lay the foundation of a basic understanding of the Bible and its core teachings. The enemy always has attacked the basic truths about the trinity, the person and work of Christ, the inerrancy of Scripture, salvation by grace through faith alone, the hope of Christ’s second coming, the need for holiness, and other key truths. Legalism is a constant threat (Col. 2:20-23). If you’re not grounded and steadily growing in biblical truth, you’ll get blown around by every wind of false doctrine that comes along (Eph. 4:11-16). If you’ve never done it, get an ESV Study Bible and set up a plan to read through it in the New Year.

B. Continuing in the faith means holding to the true gospel, especially in the face of false teaching.

Probably the most prevalent topic in the New Testament is warnings against false teaching. And almost all false teaching attacks the essentials of the gospel. That’s why you need to be grounded in basic Bible doctrine. The Bible is clear that genuine faith in Christ perseveres and does not fall away (Matt. 13:19-23). Jesus warned (Matt. 24:11-12) that in the end times, many false prophets would arise and lead many astray and that most people’s love would grow cold. Then He added (Matt. 24:13), “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” Perseverance in the gospel is the test of genuine faith (see, also, 1 John 2:19).

C. Continuing in the faith means proclaiming the apostolic gospel to all people.

Paul adds concerning the gospel (Col. 1:23b), “which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.” Paul is probably exaggerating to make his point, which is, “The one true gospel is spreading everywhere and it’s the same gospel that Epaphras preached to you and that I preach everywhere I go.” The one true gospel has universal appeal. Although we need to be sensitive and wise in how we communicate the gospel to different cultures, we don’t have to modify it or tone it down. The message of the cross will always be foolishness to some and offensive to others, but to those who believe, it is the power of God for salvation (Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:18).

“Minister” is not a stained glass word referring to a special class of ordained clergy. It simply means “servant.” If you have believed in the gospel, you’re a servant of the gospel. Obedience is not optional for servants (1 Cor. 9:16-23). If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are His ambassador to this lost world (2 Cor. 5:20). See the world around you as your mission field and pray for wisdom to take advantage of every opportunity (Col. 4:5).

Conclusion

There are different ways to apply this message, depending on your situation. If you’ve never been reconciled to God by trusting in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, that is your urgent need! Don’t delay, because as Thomas Fuller said, “You cannot repent too soon, because you do not know how soon it may be too late” (cited by C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David [Baker], 4:328).

If you’re not grounded in the faith, your assignment is to lay out a plan and get started. Read through the Bible this year. Work through the church doctrinal statement, looking up all the verses. Get John Piper’s Baptist Catechism, read it through, and study it. If you can’t explain the gospel, get some training, pray for opportunities, and do it! We who enjoy the blessings of reconciliation are responsible to continue in the faith of the true gospel.

Application Questions

1. Some popular Christian authors argue that we are not to view ourselves as sinners saved by grace, but only as saints who sin occasionally. Is this biblical? Why/why not?
2. Practically, how do we grow in holiness, blamelessness, and being above reproach?
3. Where is the biblical balance between “once saved, always saved,” and “he who endures to the end shall be saved”?
4. In light of Col. 1:23, how would you counsel a person who formerly made a profession of faith, but now is not going on with the Lord?

Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2015, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

The quest for fulfillment became the driving force behind women of the ‘80s and ‘90s. As women tuned into the highly mobile, high-tech society around them, they begin to turn their energies to new frontiers. To excel, to succeed, even to surpass the accomplishments of their male counterparts, has been the goal of many women who have challenged men’s domain. Now, however, as women examine who they have become, many are wondering where they really belong. It has become painfully clear that achievement and success have not delivered the payoff of personal fulfillment that women have sought. In the brief reflective spaces sandwiched between their frenzied commitments, women are now realizing that external accomplishments do not meet their deepest inner longings. So the search for fulfillment continues.

The desire to find continuity and meaning draws women toward the spiritual arena, where cults are flourishing. As believers, we know that only Jesus can fill the void in a woman’s life. What women desperately need today is exposure to vital Christianity.

All of us rub shoulders with a variety of women every day—women with whom we share a coffee or lunch break, mothers who trade off car-pooling children, neighbors, and friends. They all need to know the answers to these questions, “Who is Jesus Christ?” and “Why did He come?” They also need the answer to “How did He treat women?” and “How can women know Him today?”

To fully appreciate Jesus’ approach to women, we need to resist our impulse to approach Scripture from our twenty-first century cultural perspective. Our understanding of Scripture is more accurate if we step back in time—into the shoes of the women of the first century AD.

The Life of Women in Jesus’ Time

What was it like to be a woman living around the rim of the Mediterranean during Jesus’ time? How was a woman’s role defined by the cultural and religious constraints of that era? By examining the context in which Jesus presented His radical teaching, we begin to appreciate His extraordinary approach in relating to women.

Think back to that time when a man was commended because he killed his wife for appearing in public without her veil. A Roman woman’s rights were completely subject to her father’s power. If she married, then those rights, even the power of life and death, were transferred to her husband.

In both Greek and Roman cultures, women held a second-rate status. Their legal rights were practically non-existent. In fact, only a husband could petition for a divorce. In such a society, permissive polygamy was considered normal—for men. Needless to say, such a practice only further relegated women to an inferior position since they were treated like property, a mere commodity to indicate status or position.

Jewish women fared slightly better than their contemporaries in surrounding cultures. A married woman with children did hold a certain place of honor as a wife and mother, but even that position was tied to her ability to produce male children. It was an agricultural society. Fathers needed sons to help them work the land and lots of them.

There were three common sayings in those days:

1) Hail those whose children are boys; Woe unto those whose children are girls.

2) At the birth of a son, all are glad. But about a daughter, people mourn.

3) When a boy comes into the world, there is peace. And when it’s a girl, there comes nothing.

Those sound bizarre, even cruel, to our modern ears!

Because of a twisted interpretation of the Mosaic Law, the rabbinical leaders taught that women were uneducable. They were considered unreliable as courtroom witnesses. Women were even held responsible for the lustful temptations men suffered. A Jewish rabbi would not talk to his wife or daughter in public. There was even a group called the “Bruised and Bleeding Pharisees” because they would rather cover their eyes than look upon a woman in public. As a consequence they would bump into walls and houses. Notice the transfer—because women were the greatest source of their own personal sin (lust), the woman becomes evil. Rather than face the sin in their own hearts, they make women the scapegoat. That contributed, of course, to the cultural position of women.

But perhaps the plight of Jewish women could best be summarized by the prayer Jewish men daily prayed, “Thank You, God, that I am not a slave, a Gentile, or a woman.”

Enter the Lord Jesus Christ…

Into the midst of this culture, the Lord Jesus Christ entered—with a radically different value system from that of His culture in the way He regarded women. Thus as Jesus’ ministry unfolded, the average citizen of Israel began to witness an extraordinary approach to women, one that cut against the grain of commonly held practices.

• He spoke to them publicly when a rabbi wouldn't even speak publicly to his wife. (Luke 8)
• He let them travel with Him during His public ministry and support Him with their own money. (Luke 8)
• He taught them openly and continually when the rabbis disdained doing so. (Luke 10)
• He let them be the first witnesses to His resurrection. (John 20)
• He allowed them to honor Him. (Luke 7; John 11)
• He was sensitive and compassionate toward women; performed miracles for them. (Luke 8)
• He never spoke condescendingly to women, never made derogatory jokes about women, never humiliated or exploited women.

And women who knew Him loved Him! And wanted to serve Him!

Jesus treated women as no man had ever treated them before. His warmth, personal attention, tenderness, sound teaching, and compassion toward women were revolutionary. And why shouldn’t He? He created us!

John 1:3 says, “All things were created by Him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.”

In Col 1:16, we read, “for all things in heaven and on earth were created by Him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.”

In Gen 1:26a, “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness...’”

As Creator, He designed us with a mind to know God, emotions to love God, and a will to obey God. This holds true for women as well as for men. Our female minds need to be filled with the knowledge of Him so that our hearts may respond with great love for Him and our wills can choose to obey Him.

Jesus knows us backwards and forwards. He knows about our emotional nature, our need for security and significance, and even our hormones! He understands our need to nurture and to be loved—both from those humans closest to us and from our Creator God. And even though His culture neglected to give women the worth they deserved, He could do no less than show that He loves men and women equally. In fact, He openly demonstrated His love for each individual He met—both men and women—for whom He would ultimately die. We experience His love and are commissioned to live it out in our daily lives so others can experience His love through us.

Living Out His Love

Christianity is Christ! It is not a lifestyle or rules of conduct. Nor is it a society whose members were initiated by the sprinkling or covering of water. It is about Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him. We enter into that relationship by faith—faith in Him as the Son of God who lived a perfect life in a human body, died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, and rose again from the dead with a new resurrection body so He could give us new life as well.

Jesus gives us a new life. The Apostle Paul described this “new life” relationship in Galatians 2:20,

“I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

A 20th century Bible teacher simply put it this way:

“He gave His life for you so He could give His life to you, so He could live His life through you.” (Ian Thomas, The Saving Life of Christ)

The moment we accept this call to new life, God “clothes us” with Christ (Galatians 3:27). This means that when God looks on us, He sees His own Son. We become totally loved and accepted in His sight. Have you ever known what it is like to be totally loved and accepted by someone? What a fantastic experience!

We are given a new identity—“in Christ” which comes with many new aspects of our relationship with God (complete forgiveness, peace, reconciliation with God, redemption from the power of sin in our lives, and a sure inheritance of eternal life that will never be taken away). Because of this new identity in Christ and Him living His life through us, we become the walking, talking, and visible representatives of an invisible God as we are following Jesus in our lives.

To follow Jesus means to make the choice to learn from Jesus through what is taught in the Bible and, in dependent obedience, apply those teachings to your life. Through obedience and humility, you see Jesus living His life through you, influencing those around you so they can experience His love as well.

Thankfully, Jesus does not leave us alone to work really hard to do what He’s asked us to do. He empowers us to fulfill our purpose. The power comes from God’s Spirit who comes to live inside us from the moment we trust in Christ for salvation.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses…” (Acts 1:8)

“Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think…” (Ephesians 3:20)

Our response is to live dependently on His power in our lives…by faith. We are simply to obey Him and trust His Spirit in us to work through us. And, being a little scared is a good thing because we will rely on Him more. Feel free to say, “Lord Jesus, I can’t do this on my own. I will trust you to do this in me and through me.” Then, watch what He does!

My heart’s desire is to encourage you through this study to have an authentic, loving relationship with Jesus Christ for yourself so that you are willing to share that experience with others around you. It’s going to be a great journey. And, I’m so glad to be walking beside you!

Time: Jesus’ Second Year of Ministry, ~28 AD

Background

Hospitality in Jesus’ Time

After Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman, he continued teaching and performing many miracles and gained many followers. Consequently, his second year of ministry is known as the “Year of Popularity.” During this period, Jesus chose His 12 disciples and preached the Sermon on the Mount. He spent time traveling throughout Galilee and in the area of Capernaum. Located on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum was a sizable town in Jesus' day. Peter's house there became Jesus' base of operations during His extended ministry in Galilee. The inhabitants of Capernaum had many opportunities to see and hear Jesus.

Hospitality to guests was one of the most important social functions of the ancient East. A guest was highly honored even if he was a stranger passing by. Though there were inns in Jesus' day, most travelers looked for a home where they could spend the night. When a stranger appeared at or near someone's door close to evening, the head of the household almost always let him in and asked him to spend the night. If the homeowner refused to be hospitable, friends and neighbors could snub him. A host always kept in mind that someday he, too, might be a weary traveler looking for shelter and company.

Once inside, the wife or a servant brought water to wash the guest's feet, though the host might do it for a special guest. Since the roads were always dusty and most people walked, washing was an important step in making one's guest feel at home.

When a guest was in the house, a large meal was prepared. Often the guest would be served first, and the host waited until he was finished. Other customs included anointing the guest with oil, which they used as soap, or even providing clothing for the mealtime.

According to custom, a guest should stay no longer than three days in his host's home. While there, the host protected his guest. On leaving, the host was to escort his guest a short distance, sending him on his way.

Day One Study

1. Read Luke 7:18-35. Differentiate between how the general public viewed Jesus' ministry from how the Pharisees and teachers of the Law (lawyers) viewed it.

• General Public—
• Pharisees and Lawyers—

2. Jesus gives an illustration in vv. 31-35. What principle did he give in v. 35?

3. How did Jesus view the Pharisees and lawyers? See also Matthew 6:2,5; Matthew15:1-9,12-14 and Luke 11:42.

Historical Insight: The Pharisees were a religious society of ~6,000 men who strictly obeyed the law of God as interpreted by the scribes. This law consisted of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) and the tradition of the elders (the oral law), containing hundreds of rules and prohibitions. The Pharisees thought that the oral law, the rules made up by the religious leaders, was equally inspired and was thus to be followed as much as God's Law. They were especially particular about keeping the laws of tithing and ritual purity. Since the Pharisees found that other Jews were not careful enough about keeping these laws, they placed limits on their contact with other Jews as well as with Gentiles (anyone who was not a Jew). Though originally standing against evil in society and in personal lives, by Jesus' day many had become narrow and petty, more concerned with rules than with God. They looked on sinful people as tainted and, therefore, to be avoided. They did not approve of a rabbi or any other important religious person mingling or eating with sinful people.

4. Living Out His Love: The New Testament teaches us as believers that we need to discern between good religious teachers/leaders who really care about “shepherding their flock” and the false ones who tear apart a flock of Christians as savage wolves do to sheep—usually through false teaching and selfish behavior. Who empowers us to discern? See 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 and Philippians 1:9-11. What does the Spirit give us as a basis of truth to be able to discern good influences from bad influences? Have you previously asked Jesus to help you discern influences in your life? What happened? If you need that discernment now, ask Jesus for it. This would be a great time to pray for your church leadership as well. 

Day Two Study

5. Read Luke 7:36-50. Remember that the Pharisees considered themselves to be Israel’s spiritual leaders (Nicodemus in Lesson One), the ones staying faithful to God’s law but also the ones to whom Jesus referred in the previous verses (Day One Study). For what reason(s) might the Pharisee have invited Jesus to have dinner with him?

Think About It: We should not overlook the fact that Jesus accepted an invitation to dinner from a Pharisee. He did not cut all the religious leaders off simply because most of them rejected Him. He dealt with people as individuals. He still does!

6. Describe the scene, including the woman and her actions.

Historical Insight: [The woman’s] presence was not unusual for “social custom allowed needy people to visit such meals and to partake of some of the leftovers. Moreover, it was not unusual for people to drop in when a rabbi was visiting. Luke gallantly omitted describing why the woman "was a sinner," though…she was a member of the social class called sinners, whom the Pharisees regarded as treating the law loosely.” (Dr. Constable’s Notes on Luke, p. 120)

7. Why do you think she was weeping, using her hair to wipe Jesus’ feet?

8. Deeper Discoveries (optional): What is the significance of the alabaster jar of perfume? Find out everything you can about the jar and its contents during Jesus’ time. Jewish women frequently wore such vials suspended from a cord around their necks. What might this jar of perfume have represented to the woman? What was she giving to Jesus?

Day Three Study

9. Read Luke 7:36-50 concentrating on Jesus' teachable moment with the Pharisee who invited Him (as well as others present). How did the Pharisee, in specific, view the woman?

10. How did Jesus view the woman?

11. Discuss the irony in vs. 39-40 about the Pharisee's thought and Jesus' response. Review John 2:25.

12. Summarize the actual parable told by Jesus to the Pharisee.

13. What is Jesus teaching through the parable?

Think About It: Your capacity to love is directly tied to your capacity to get how deeply you have been forgiven. Agree or disagree?

14. How does Jesus rebuke the Pharisee’s harsh attitude through the parable? What is He implying the Pharisee thinks about himself?

15. Living Out His Love: Christians who have been filling their time with church activities and surrounding themselves with church friends for years may develop a critical “stay away from me” attitude towards the nonbelievers around them. We may forget how much we have been forgiven, also. And, we tend to stay comfortable by insulating ourselves from worldly influences through staying away from worldly people, the same people who need to know Jesus’ love in their lives. Read John 17:15-20. Jesus sent us into the world, not to insulate ourselves from it but to impact it for Him. In what ways do you feel this tension in your life?

When befriending those who haven’t experienced the love of Jesus yet, ask Jesus to help you not act shocked or offended by their language or behavior. Expect them to behave like nonbelievers—salty language, immoral lifestyle, or bad relationships. Feel compassion for where they are. Remember, it’s not our job to “fix” them but to give them hope by pointing them to Jesus who can give them new life. With your group, talk through how to be unshockable. Think through gracious and inviting language of your own.

• What not to do or say: What would not be considered gracious? What words, facial expressions, or body reactions would not be welcoming or inviting?
• What to do or say: What would be gracious? What words, facial expressions, or body reactions would likely be welcoming or inviting?

Day Four Study

16. Reread Luke 7:36-50 concentrating on the results. Discuss Jesus' response to the woman in vs. 47-50. What does Jesus grant to her and why?

17. What was her greatest need before knowing Jesus? What did Jesus give her to meet that need?

Focus on the Meaning: The Greek word translated “forgiveness” means literally, “to send off or send away.” The result is “to separate the sin from the sinner” as described in Psalm 103:12 and Leviticus 16:20-22). Translated to what Jesus has done for us, forgiveness means, “Man's guilt has been transferred to a substitute (Jesus Christ) and taken away." Our problem before Christ came: Mankind is guilty before a holy God. God’s answer is to take away the guilt. What a gracious gift!

18. Did Jesus give her everything she needed to begin to make a life change? Explain your answer. See also 2 Peter 1:3.

Think About It: Jesus took notice of this “worthless” woman of the town, recognized her faith in Him, cleansed her of sin, and gave her new hope.

19. Living Out His Love: No matter what you've done and who on earth does not forgive you, Jesus does—through faith in Him! Dwell on the FACT that Jesus will cleanse your conscience from guilt. Will you take him at His word? If there is any past sin for which you are still feeling guilty, claim God’s complete forgiveness today. You can simply tell God,

"Thank You for forgiving me, thank You for cleansing me, thank You for redeeming my sin and turning something evil into something good. Thank You for being bigger than my sins, and being able to turn things around in ways I cannot imagine. With Jesus' help, I receive the assurance that You have forgiven me. Help my heart catch up with my head on this. Help me to see that You allowed me to go down that dark path into sin because You are able to redeem even the worst things we do." (Sue Bohlin, Probe Ministries, Sept. 2012)

Now, choose to believe you are forgiven and allow Jesus to cleanse your conscience from any residual guilt. Every time you think about it again, thank God for his amazing gift!

20. Living Out His Love: The best test of whether you have really learned anything or not is by explaining what you have learned to someone else. Review the definition of forgiveness. Then, write how you would explain forgiveness to someone who may not understand it but needs to know the complete forgiveness she has in Christ. Think in terms of someone from a particular age group or stage of life. For example, how would you explain “forgiveness” to a woman who has had an abortion in her past and is feeling awful about it? Or, consider someone you know who is wrestling with guilt over her part in a broken relationship. Explain forgiveness to her. 

As you reflect on this study, remember how much Jesus has forgiven you. We don’t just need a teacher but a Savior who comes in and does for us what we can’t do for ourselves. All of our debt before God is enormous, being incapable of ever being paid back. Look at people with a sense of equality in our need for God’s mercy. Have compassion on non-Christians. Get ideas from Tammy as she reached out to her immoral neighbor…

Tammy’s Story: Intentional Loving

This past fall I sat by my neighbor Michelle at all the high school football games. She lives with her boyfriend in my neighborhood and is a self-professing agnostic. We laughed and enjoyed each other’s company all fall, and our relationship developed. Many of the neighborhood women, including those who identify themselves as Christians, don't even want to be seen talking with her let alone going anywhere with her because of her living arrangements. My husband Tom and I have chosen a different relationship, enjoyed their company and growing friendship along the way. From the beginning, we began praying for them as a couple asking the Lord to reveal himself to them, not because of their living arrangements, but because neither knows Jesus. Rather than holding them at arms length, we have entered into the long slow pull of intentional, grace-filled friendship that seeks to do nothing more than extend the love of Christ to them, and where opportunity presents itself, speak the truth in love.

By spending time together, I have learned a lot about her life that has helped me understand our relationship better. She grew up in a non-religious family that rarely attended worship services. She had many faith questions as a youth that in her view went unanswered and were avoided by her Catechism teachers at a time in her life when she was open to spiritual things. As the years passed she landed on agnosticism, a belief in something, but not knowing what that something is, or whether that something can even be known. With no understanding of God, the revelation of himself and his precepts found in Scripture, she lacked an understanding that it was against God's standards of holiness to live with someone who is not her husband.

By the end of the football season, I was able to naturally extend an invitation to our Women's Ministry outreach event, a ladies tea where she sat with some of those same neighbors, and she and her boyfriend joined us for the Christmas Eve service and dinner afterwards. We had an amazing night together and it is clear God is moving in her life. As we hike together we talk about all kinds of things, including spiritual things.

We have had four other ladies who have started attending Hope Bible Fellowship Church with stories similar to Michelle’s story. In response, my husband Todd offered a class during the school day where they can safely explore the truth claims of the Christian faith. All but one of the ladies decided to attend, and one more lady from our neighborhood and an older, more spiritually mature woman in our church who is very loving and willing to also come along the ladies exploring a relationship to Christ.

After the first class Michelle, and went hiking together. I learned from her that my husband had asked her what drew her to the class privately. Although I know it is the Holy Spirit that is drawing her, she said, “Your wife's persistence.”

I contacted Michelle 7 different ways: 1) sitting by her at football games, 2) inviting her via Facebook, 3) texting her, 4) leaving a message on her phone, 5) dropping the book they would study by her house, 6) calling and reminding her the night before and 7) being available for hikes.

Sounds persistent, but she respected my perseverance and my excitement I had for her faith growing. Believe in breakthroughs for unbelievers! Pray creatively and courageously for unbelieving friends and neighbors. You never know who has an opportunity to speak truth as they begin to discover Jesus and His healing.  Follow through with a willingness to listen and share the freedom Christ has given you.

Time: Jesus' Second Year of Ministry, ~AD 29

Background

Jesus had been teaching God’s Word to large crowds in the area around Capernaum, healing many people. Then, He and His disciples got into a boat and headed to the east side of the lake. A windstorm literally came down from the surrounding mountains through the Jordan River gorge upon the Sea of Galilee, which is 680 feet below sea level, and shook the boat like a tempest. This type of storm was, and still is, a common occurrence. Jesus demonstrated His power over nature by rebuking the wind and waves then admonished the disciples for their lack of faith. Soon after, He encountered a woman and a girl in desperate need.

Women were not highly respected in Jesus' day. In fact, they were held responsible for the lustful temptations men suffered. A Jewish rabbi would not even talk to his wife or daughter in public. There was even a group of them called the “Bruised and Bleeding Pharisees” because they would rather cover their eyes than look upon a woman in public. As a consequence they would bump into walls and houses. Notice the transfer—because women were the greatest source of their own personal sin (lust), the woman becomes evil. Rather than face the sin in their own hearts, they make women the scapegoat. That contributed, of course, to the cultural position of women.

Hopefully in our study so far, you have seen how absolutely different the Lord Jesus Christ was from His culture in the way He regarded women! Thus as Jesus’ ministry unfolded, the average citizen of Israel began to witness an extraordinary approach to women, one that cut against the grain of commonly held practices. Jesus treated women as no man had ever treated them before. His warmth, personal attention, tenderness, sound teaching, and compassion toward women were revolutionary.             

Day One Study

1. Read Mark 5:1-21. Why would a large crowd gather around Jesus as described in v. 21?

Historical Insight: A ruler of the synagogue was a layman whose responsibilities were administrative and included such things as looking after the building (maintenance, repairs, and cleaning) as well as supervising the worship (conducting services, selecting participants and maintaining order). Though there were exceptions, most synagogues had only one ruler. Sometimes the title was honorary with no administrative responsibilities assigned. In any case, he was considered an elder so he sat in the reserved seats.

Focusing on the Woman

2. Read Mark 5:24-34 and Luke 8:42-48. Describe the woman and her circumstances.

Historical Insight: Her condition, though unknown, is probably uterine hemorrhaging like a number of women experience with endometriosis or fibroid tumors. The medical treatments available for her condition were limited although the Talmud (a book of Jewish history and rules) claims that physicians had at least 11 remedies. Some of the ones documented were: 1) carrying ashes of ostrich eggs on your body and 2) taking ground-up willow bark—a bitter-tasting remedy containing salicin, an aspirin-like drug, that would have only aggravated her bleeding.

3. Consider what kind of life this woman had led for 12 years. How would this ailment have affected her family life, social life, and worship opportunities? See Leviticus 13:45-46 and 15:19-33 for clues. Considering what you as a woman enjoy in life, what did she miss out on?

Scriptural Insight: The consequences of being “unclean” until evening or for several days were that you were excluded from the temple area (and synagogue seating), excluded from mingling with others, and considered separated from God. An unnatural discharge was treated like an illness, requiring an offering upon recovery.

4. Living Out His Love: Do you know a woman who is desperately ill? What are her felt needs? Does she feel isolated or alienated because of her condition? Does her illness have a social stigma attached to it so that she is not comfortable in public? Does she have a relationship with Jesus yet? How can you reach out to her with compassion to meet her felt needs and encourage a relationship with Jesus?

Day Two Study

5. Reread Mark 5:24-34 and Luke 8:42-48. What brought the sick woman to Jesus for healing? What do you think she might have heard about Him?

Think About It: It’s our job to tell others about how Jesus can change lives. How can others hear without a proclaimer (good news teller)? No one knows how many times it takes for someone to pay attention and respond. Our role is to tell.

6. Put yourself in her shoes. As an ordinary woman, what emotions would she have experienced…

• As she reached out to touch Jesus’ cloak?
• After she felt healing?

Scriptural Insight: The unusual expression, “Jesus realized that power had gone out from Him,” has been understood in two ways. “One view maintains that God the Father healed the woman and Jesus was not aware of it till afterward. The other view is that Jesus Himself, wishing to honor the woman’s faith, willingly extended His healing power to her. The latter view is more consistent with Jesus’ healing ministry. Power did not leave Him without His knowledge and will. However, He exercised it only at the Father’s bidding. The touch of the garment had no magical effect.” (Walvoord and Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary New Testament, p. 125.

7. Discuss Jesus' response to the woman.

From the Greek: The Greek for “healed” actually means ‘save.’ Here both physical healing (‘be freed from your suffering’) and spiritual salvation (‘go in peace’) are meant. The two are often seen together in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 2:1-12; 3:1-6). (NIV Study Bible note on Mark 5:34, p. 1503)

8. Why do you think He insists upon her revealing herself? What would be the advantage to her?

Think About It: Now she could enter society because she is healed AND she receives spiritual life as well. God always does more than we ask or think.

9. Discuss the woman’s response to Jesus seeking her out. Why would she have been trembling with fear?

10. Living Out His Love: Jesus gave this suffering woman an opportunity to give her testimony publicly. Everyone hears her tell why she touched Him how she had been instantly healed. Others now hear. Her faith caused her to seek healing from Jesus in the midst of her pain.

Describe any of your own painful circumstances that have driven you to Christ. What did you learn about His faithfulness through that experience? How did others minister to you in love, showing Christ to you? This is part of your faith story that you can share with another woman.

Day Three Study

Focusing on the Girl (and Her Family)

11. Read Luke 8:40-42 and Mark 5:21-23. Describe the scene.

12. Consider Jairus’ position in the community (see “Historical Insight” in Day One). Contrast his apparent view of Jesus with that of the Pharisees and other religious leaders we have studied so far. Why the difference?

13. Read Luke 8:49-56 and Mark 5:35-43. What specific circumstance has occurred in Luke 8:49?

14. Discuss Jesus' words…

• To Jairus—
• To the wailing crowd outside Jairus’ house—

15. Why did the wailers laugh at Jesus?

16. Who went into the room with Jesus?

17. Once inside, what did Jesus do for the girl AND her mom and dad? Notice His tenderness toward the girl through His words and gestures.

18. Discuss why Jesus instructed the girl's parents to tell no one what had happened.

19. How is Jairus’ initial faith challenged and stretched through this whole incident?

20. Living Out His Love: From Jairus' viewpoint, he had to wait an agonizingly long time for Jesus to respond to his request through delays, diversions, and disappointing news. Look carefully again at Mark 5:36. What was Jesus' plan all along? Had He forgotten Jairus? Underline and memorize this verse. What comfort does it give to you? Dependent living is learning to say to Jesus, “Lord, I can’t do this on my own. But, you can in and through me. I will trust you.” Then, see what He does.

Day Four Study

21. Considering Jesus’ manner towards both the older woman and the girl (soon-to-be woman), in what ways did Jesus show that He thought of both of them as worthwhile individuals?

22. Living Out His Love:

• When you petition the Lord, do you have faith in Him that He has heard and will answer? Are you willing to wait? For encouragement, read Romans 4:20-21 and 1 John 5:14-15.
• Are you willing to accept "No" for an answer? Provide an example of an experience where God did not respond as you expected. How did you react? What was the ultimate outcome? What did you learn about God? Write this out in the space below as though you were telling it to someone. This is part of your faith story. Ask God to give you an opportunity this week to share this part of your faith story with someone else who is having a difficult time waiting for God or accepting His “No” answer.

[For additional insight on Jesus’ care and concern for these women, read the following essay “Jesus, a Personal God”.]

Jesus, A Personal God

Get the picture…A huge crowd of people welcomes Jesus. They were expecting Him. They are pressing around Him, crushing Him so that He could hardly move or breathe because of the jam. Driven from the Decapolis (Mark 5:17), He is welcomed in Galilee. They can hardly wait to see what He would do next.

Suddenly a man pushes his way through the crowd, falls at Jesus’ feet and pleads earnestly with Him to come and lay hands on his daughter. The synagogue ruler was a layman responsible for maintaining order, conducting services, cleaning the building, much like our deacons and elders do today. He was prominent and wealthy. But he had a problem that neither his prominence nor his wealth could solve. Luke tells us that his daughter was 12, an only child, and was dying.

Jairus obviously loves his daughter even though sons were considered more valuable, and he is very specific in what He wants Jesus to do. “Come and touch her.” The Jews believed that the touch transmitted vitality. Jairus had faith in Jesus’ touch, and he expressed that faith. Jesus acts upon the faith we have which is wonderful and encouraging to us. But, would He take time out to go to Jairus’ house for a little girl? Was a little girl of any value in His eyes? Jesus goes with him. To Jesus, this little girl is just as important as anyone else—with a desperate need. He starts off with the crowd following Him.

Jesus understands our desperate need.

But in this crowd is a woman who has a desperate need. Her life is a living death, and her condition is hopeless. Her bleeding is probably uterine hemorrhaging like a number of women experience with endometriosis or menopause or perhaps it is something else. She has suffered for 12 years with no break; she is probably pale, emaciated, weakened. She must have been a woman of some means—at least she possessed enough financial resources to continue to seek out one doctor after another.

Jewish literature has a whole section of remedies for this malady, which apparently didn’t work. One was to carry ashes of ostrich eggs on her body. She may also have been given ground up willow bark to reduce her pain. This was a bitter tasting remedy containing salicin, an aspirin-like drug that would have only aggravated her bleeding. All her money was gone, and she was worse. Her one chance came now with Jesus.

Yet even worse than her physical condition is the social and religious ostracism she was certain to have faced. The prevailing opinions of her day were much the same as our own: Bad things don’t happen to good people. You get what you justly deserve. Thus, to be stricken with a chronic, incurable disease such as this was tantamount to a confession of sinful behavior, presumably illicit immorality.

According to Mosaic Law, anyone with a bodily discharge is ceremonially unclean. She cannot enter the synagogue or the Temple. People shun her generally, since anyone having physical contact with her is made ceremonially unclean until after they bathe and wait a specific period of time. She can touch no one and no one can touch her. Think of how this would have affected:

• Her social life—not be invited to parties, weddings, anything.
• Her worship life—she couldn’t even sit in the women’s section of the synagogue.
• Her marital life—her husband would be unclean for 7 days after every sexual encounter with her; perhaps she had been divorced and shut off from her family.

She is an outcast: lonely, isolated, and probably in a state of clinical depression. If this should seem unreal to you, Ethiopian Jewish women experience this during their days of monthly uncleanness. They live in little hovels at the edge of the village, the boundary being defined by stones. The women can’t go pass the stones, and no men can come near them. Isolation. Modern examples are women who have AIDS, cancer, ostomies, oxygen tanks and tubes, burn scars, and disfigurements. By the way, men with a similar problem were also considered unclean.

She hears about Him. It’s our job to tell. How can they hear without a preacher or proclaimer? Who knows how many times it takes? She heard he was healing all kinds of incurable diseases. Hope flickers in her heart. Just going into the surging crowd would have brought their hostility on her if they knew.

She comes to Jesus on her own. No one has brought her to Jesus or vice versa. She acts on her own faith—mixed with some superstition about his garments. She doesn’t know if Jesus would respond to her. She thinks to herself, “If I just touch His clothes.” She wouldn’t ask him to touch her. She reaches out and touches His cloak. Probably one of the four tassels on his outer garment. She took the initiative for her own healing and is the only woman in the Bible to do this. Others inadvertently touched Him; she deliberately did. Immediately, her bleeding stops. Power surges through her body. She feels it. She knows she is completely healed. It is a vivid moment of joy for her!!!

At once, Jesus turns and asks, “Who touched me?” Did Jesus already know who touched Him? Commentaries will disagree on this. Most say God healed her through the power active in Jesus. So, when He felt the power go out of Him, He turned to ask. I believe He knew what happened because He was always God. He laid aside His glory and did not use His attributes for Himself while on earth. But He knew what happened. He always knew what those around him were thinking before they spoke. It is a dramatic moment for Jesus and for the timid woman. Later it was a common practice for the crowds to touch the hem of his garments and be healed. Here Jesus chooses to single out this case for examination. There is no magic in the garments of Jesus. Even if there is superstition in the woman’s mind, Jesus honors her faith.

Jesus isn’t asking for His sake, but for her sake. He wants her to have a personal relationship with Him. Jesus will not allow the woman to recede into the crowd without publicly commending her faith, giving her assurance that she is permanently healed, thus declaring publicly that she is now clean, and letting her know that He accepts her. It is also likely that He wants her to know that He freely gave to her rather than her thinking she was taking something secretively.

Although a far more impressive male leader had asked Jesus to come to his home to heal his daughter, Jesus stopped the whole procession to talk to this poor, outcast woman as though she were the only one there. God’s love shows no partiality. We are more than just a face in the crowd.

Jesus wants us to know that, too. You may know someone who is involved in a bad relationship with a man who does not encourage her, support and respect her, or appreciate her worth. He may be too busy bossing her around. You need to let her know that Jesus considers her valuable.

Jesus will not allow the woman to recede into the crowd without publicly speaking to her and commending her faith. He keeps looking, penetratingly. The disciples are unconcerned and give a nervy answer about the crowd. Jairus is probably getting very anxious and impatient about this woman. But, Jesus insists. When she sees He’s not going to let her go unnoticed, she tells Him the whole truth. Some of us feel that God isn’t noticing our pain. We pray, nothing happens. We are not unnoticed. He is sovereign, and He knows. He chooses the instrument He uses to make us more like the Lord Jesus Christ. And suffering is an important instrument in His hands much as we hate it. A goldsmith keeps the metal in the fire until his reflection is seen in its surface. God keeps us in the fire of suffering until He sees the character of His Son reflected in our lives.

The trembling woman falls at His feet. What a vivid picture of the feeling of this sensitive woman who now had to speak. Everyone hears her tell why she touched Him and how she had been instantly healed. She gives her simple testimony. Others now hear.

Jesus calls her, “Daughter,” the only time recorded when He addresses a woman by this name. It’s a tender expression. She has a new relationship with God and a new relationship with Jesus. Remember whom He said were in His family? Those who do God’s will. Those who believe in Him. All through the Gospels, Jesus honored an individual’s faith in Him or rebuked a lack of faith. Jesus took the time to point out to both the men and women in the crowd that this woman’s faith was the reason for her healing.

The New Testament word for “healed” actually means “saved” as well. Here both physical healing (freed from suffering) and spiritual salvation (peace) are meant. The two are often seen together in Mark’s gospel. Romans 5:1 says we have peace with God through faith in His son. Peace speaks of wholeness in our relationship with God when we trust Christ. She just wanted healing. Now she could enter society because she is healed AND she receives spiritual life as well. God always does more than we ask or think. Because He sees the woman’s needs, He does not pass her by. He seems acutely aware of the woman’s pain, and so He reaches out to help.

Jesus has the right to choose what He brings into our lives.

In the meantime, Jairus’ faith is stretched. His little girl dies. This woman has delayed them. What is Jairus thinking by now? Jesus tells Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” In the Greek, this really means, “Stop being afraid and keep on believing” (a continuous action). You can’t do both at the same time since being afraid and believing are mutually exclusive. The Psalmist said, “When I am afraid, I trust in You.” (Psalm 56:3).

This is important for us as well. When fear overwhelms us, we can with an act of our will stop being afraid and choose to believe God that He is in control and will not abandon us. Fear is an emotion; faith is an act of the will. We moms have to do this particularly with our kids. We trust the Lord with their lives and do our best to guide them.

Jesus promises Jairus that his daughter will be healed. It takes more faith to believe that He can bring someone back from the dead than to just heal from a deadly disease. Jesus wants to stretch Jairus’ faith. It takes greater faith for tougher times. We always have solutions we pray to the Lord. But we have to face life realistically saying to the Lord, “I am your daughter, Lord. Help me to deal with this situation.”

Jesus tenderly takes the little girl by the hand, touches her (this makes a Jew unclean, but nothing can make Jesus unclean), and speaks to her in tender terms, “Little girl, get up.” Her spirit returns. The touch of Christ’s hand and the power of His voice restore her to life. She stands up with instantaneous recovery. Her parents are “out of their minds” with excitement and joy. He tells them to feed her. He has done His part. He turns her over to her parents to do theirs.

Jesus cares for women.

Jesus stopped His public ministry to heal two women—

• One publicly; the other privately.
• One was socially dead; the other physically dead.
• One touched Him and was healed without a word; the other He touched and spoke to when she was healed
• One was an outcast; the other was loved within her family circle
• Both were unclean.
• Both were healed instantly and completely, receiving new life.
• Both were beyond human help and without hope.

Jesus demonstrated the value He places on every person—radically different from His day. He healed a man of horrible demonic possession whom everyone else had shunned. He took time out from his busy schedule to minister to two women personally. God’s love knows no partiality.

Jesus takes a personal interest in each one of us. His value system then is the same today. He cares for us as individuals. He meets our individual needs. He openly demonstrated His love for each individual He met, man or woman.

Jesus has the right to choose what He brings into our lives. He tells us to stop being afraid and to keep on believing, to exercise the faith that we have.

Jesus loves a woman’s soul. He treated women as no man had ever treated them before. His warmth, personal attention, tenderness, sound teaching, and compassion toward women were revolutionary. Jesus loves you in the same way.