Reach out to Jesus
By Pastor Scott Jensen
Matthew 9:20-22
(also Mark 5:25-34 and Luke 8:43-47)
Introduction
In a popular “Saturday Night Live comedy” skit, one of the characters, Stuart Smalley, attempted to console people as they struggled with their issues and dilemmas. In one of the more popular skits, he attempted to counsel Michael Jordan, the famous basketball player, with a non-existent struggle with his athletic ability. In each of the skits, a celebrity guest was “assisted” with advice on how to conduct a self-help program and get back on track. However, by the end of the skit, it was Stuart who was being consoled for his own struggles with inadequacy. He never seemed to feel qualified for the situation at hand. But, even with his own struggles, he always closed this skit with an interesting phrase, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and, dog gone it, people like me.”
Today, we’re going to look at another person who struggled with feelings of inadequacy, and the faith she displayed to overcome this obstacle. In the Gospel message read a moment ago, we heard of a woman who struggled with illness for twelve years, fought through the crowds, touched the robe of Jesus, and was healed. I’d like to take a closer look at this faithful woman and the challenges she faced.
The woman in the story was apparently in a hopeless situation. For 12 years she had fought with bleeding that could not be controlled. Levitical law considered a woman who was bleeding to be unclean. Not only her person, but much of what she touched as well. A married woman would not be able to sleep next to her husband, let alone have married relations with her spouse. What she touched would have to be ceremonially washed and sanctified. Because of this, no-one wanted her to touch anything and spread her “dirtiness.” In the eyes of the Jewish people, she was an outcast and treated as such.
The law required her to be scorned by society, excluded from her family and even barred from her husband. In a world where she was only allowed to socialize with Jews, she was denied regular conversations with friends, less they also become unclean. She couldn’t receive a hug to make her feel better. She couldn’t kiss her husband goodnight. She couldn’t touch the ones she loved. She was barred from church and not allowed to participate in temple activities as one had to be clean before going to prayer. Instead, she was condemned to a life of loneliness, segregated to the wayside and scorned by society. Repeatedly she was reminded that she was unclean, dirty, cut-off from society, excluded from family, excommunicated from her church and unworthy to take part in any daily activity with others.
Given this type of hopeless situation, she likely saw every doctor and healer that was available to cure this sickness. She tried home remedies. She sought far and wide for relief. But, no cure was discovered to remove her illness or ease the pain of loneliness. There was no hope to find a cure for her disease and no foreseeable way for it to end.
Unacceptable and lonely, it’s certain that she was severely depressed. Her self-esteem was low. She was nothing. She was un-important. What a way to go through life. No family. No friends. No church. No hope. She was alone and lonely in a world that would not interact with her.
She wasn’t allowed to be around people because of her unclean status and should not have been near any people as she was. She took a chance by going against Levitical law and making the crowd unclean. She humbled herself and fought against the grain to get to Jesus. That was her only hope. You can just image what she must have been thinking. “If only I can reach him, I will be healed. If I can just touch his robe, my illness will leave me. He has the answers to my prayers. Only through him will my problems of loneliness and grief be removed. Only through him will my life get back on track. Only through him can I hope to be loved again.”
This poor woman needed healing: physical, mental and emotional. She needed to be restored and strengthened. She needed a cure and she knew that Jesus could give her that cure. Wow, now that’s faith!
We all have needs
Just like the woman, each, in our own way, requires something to complete us. We have desires. We have goals. Now, our needs might not be as physical as the woman’s in the gospel, but they can be just as pressing on our mind and just as devastating emotionally.
Some of us might be struggling with loneliness as we endure separation from our loved ones. Some of us might be struggling with relationship issues that are bearing heavy on our hearts. Some of us might be struggling with habits and addictions that might be causing even other issues in our lives. Medical problems, financial problems, work related problems. Loneliness and despair. Many of you may have experienced these at one time or another in your life. Some may be dealing with these problems now. Some of these problems may even be caused by other people or even our environment. Sometimes, it’s difficult to see a way out of the situation.
Sometimes we’re like the woman
Like the woman, sometimes we’re surrounded by a crowd that blocks our way to Jesus. It may be friends that whisper in our ear “It’s ok, no-one’s going to know what you’re doing, go ahead and sin. No-one’s going to care anyway.” Sometimes it’s co-workers who look down on the Christians because they’re so goody-two shoes and just no fun. Sometimes it’s the environment that promotes promiscuity, pornography, loose life-styles and frowns on family values and God as our creator.
Sometimes the crowds that we encounter in life can become barriers between us and God. They can create environments that are disagreeable or even contrary to what God wants us to do. Sometimes we have to fight our way through the crowd to stand up for what is right. Sometimes we have to go against the grain to reach where God wants us to be. Sometimes, we have to do refuse to do what others do and be the example others may look toward.
The crowds that we work our way through may create situations that seem difficult or impossible to deal with. They may seem too big for you to handle. Turn your needs over to God. Ask him for help, and help will come when you least expect it.
After all, Christians don’t go with the flow. We go against the grain. God has told us how to behave, how to act, how to walk the path that many don’t travel on. The woman from the Gospel fought through the crowds to get to Jesus. Similarly, we need to fight the crowds and reach God ourselves. We need to do the right thing in every situation and be the example for others to follow. We need to be the shining lighthouse in a sea of darkness. We need to fight through our own crowds and reach out to Jesus who can guide us in the proper direction. In doing so, we may be able to get others to follow our lead. We may be able to burn brightly in a dim world, and spread like a flame through the darkness.
Sometimes we struggle internally
Like the woman, we also have our own internal struggles. This poor woman was unclean and considered herself unworthy to approach God. She was barred from approaching others because of her “dirty” condition.
We too struggle with this same type of issue once in a while. We too are all sinners and unclean in the eyes of God. We have been disobedient and defiant. We know the difference between what is right and what is wrong, yet we still stumble and do the wrong thing at the wrong time. The Apostle Paul said it best when he said “I do the things I do not want to do and do not do the things I know I should do.” Paul, who talked to Jesus personally, struggled with sin. No-one is above sin as we all were born into an unclean world.
But, like the woman, we shouldn’t let our sin stop us from coming to God and approaching him. Come as you are! If we confined the church to only the non-sinners, this room would be empty right now. Look at all the empty churches we would have across the world. Instead, Jesus has invited us to come forward to accept the gift of forgiveness . He’s asked us to come to him, repent and start a new life. Just as you are, reach out to Jesus. Because he’s always there for you.
No situation too difficult
All it takes is a humble heart; an attitude that we depend on the guidance and strength of God our Father and the saving grace of the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. The woman humbled herself and reached out to Jesus. She reached out for help with a problem that she couldn’t solve. She conceded that she was powerless to solve her problem. But she knew that Jesus was the source of power who could heal her.
We can’t always clean ourselves of our situation before we approach God and ask for help. But it doesn’t matter. Approach Him anyway and ask for assistance. When we ourselves are dirty and unclean, that’s exactly the time we need him most. When we find ourselves in a hole and see no way out, that’s when we need His helping hand to lift us out of the pit. When we’re struggling internally with problems we can’t reveal to anyone, that’ when we should be turning to Him and asking for assistance. When we’re down, that’s when we need His help to be lifted up.
Conclusion
Regardless of the scope of our problems, God is ready, willing and able to relive that burden from us and provide for us what we need.
Reach out to Jesus. He’s there, able to help people in their time of need. He’s there to help you in your time of need. He expects us to rely on him, because He is the great healer.
Reach out to Jesus, let nothing stand in your way. Reach out to Jesus and fight the crowds who would block your path. Reach out to Jesus and be comforted. Reach out to Jesus and find rest from your burdens.
We can learn a lot from the example of a healed woman. Don’t let anything get in your way of reaching for God, including your own attitudes and fears. God is always there waiting for us to reach out and touch his cloak. Through Him, we can be healed and continue our journey with Him, together.
As Stuart Smalley could have said…Remember, you’re clean enough, you’re forgiven enough, and dog gone it, Jesus loves you!”
Amen.
