The Woman Who Got Healed When She Turned Her Back to Religion
The law could not heal a woman who was sick for twelve years; but righteousness did. The Ministry of righteousness is the Ministry of the Spirit. It's not a ministry of condemnation but it convicts believers of their right standing with God. This woman found she was right with God apart from her performance and who the law says she was. Find out how she got healed by finding her righteousness in Christ Jesus.
Why Was the Woman with the Issue of Blood Healed?
I always wanted to know what did she DO to get healed; until I realized.... it's not what she DID but what she BELIEVED. Her action was a result of what she believed.
That woman went and touched Jesus after she had heard about Him. When she touched Him she had to touch the crowd who was pressing around Him; KNOWING she is breaking the Law of Moses. She KNEW the religious Law Keepers could stone her for breaking the Law.
What Law did she break?
Lev 15:25-27 NLT "If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is unrelated to her menstrual period, or if the blood continues beyond the normal period, she is ceremonially unclean. As during her menstrual period, the woman will be unclean as long as the discharge continues. (26) Any bed she lies on and any object she sits on during that time will be unclean, just as during her normal menstrual period. (27) If any of you touch these things, you will be ceremonially unclean. You must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening.
You have to understand that breaking the Law and not meeting its standard, or measuring up is a serious offense. Just like the Law of any land – law breakers get punished for every offense they commit. There is not compassion or grace of failure in performance. The Law is the Law and it cannot bend itself. The system of the Law cares more about not breaking the law (sin) than about human life. It will stone people just for the sake of the Law. Such is he system of this world and such is every religion. The members of such society will reject anyone who does not meet the standard. This is why is this law abiding world the weak, old, children, lame, retarted, mentally challenged, minorities, poor, needy are rejected by the strong. This world system as in the Law system is only for the strong. We all know that being weak we have no chance of surviving. But God came for the weak, rejected, abandoned, poor, sick, law breakers, - all those who could not measure up to the standard of the man made laws.
That woman who touched Jesus eve though the Law forbids it didn't care what the Law declared her to be or told her to do. Such woman lived in a hut and not in their homes. They were not allowed to touch anything and no one could touch them. Food was given to them like to dogs on a special dish and they were not allowed to be around people in case they get them defiled.
This bold brave woman cared more about the TRUTH that was revealed to her than the Law she had followed and lived under. What truth was revealed to her? Jesus heals the sick, or probably there is this man of God who heals those whom the Law declared as outcasts such as lepers, sinners, prostitutes. This woman found hope.
Why did she find hope?
Because she realized a truth that God DOES CARE about those whom the Law declared SINNERS, OUTCASTS, FAILURES and UNWORTHY.
She realized that the Law she had followed and believed all her life could not heal her at all. She waited for 12 years for her healing and her condition only got worse.
If you read the account very carefully you even notice that the physicians she went to (who functioned as Counselors and Doctors) were all from her nation and Law Keepers. They administered to people all kinds of remedies and ALSO made sure to follow the ways of the Law and tell people "THERE IS SIN IN YOUR LIFE, SO IF YOU WANT TO GET HEALED TAKE AWAY YOUR OWN SIN".
If you notice it says that not only going to all these physicians she got WORSE, but she also spent all her money Mark 5:25-26. Meaning she got worse in her condition and poor as well.
Have you been in a situation where your condition got worse instead of better?
You’re talking to God, asking for comfort, getting counsel, hearing teachings of the Law and nothing helps. Your situation only gets worse.
I think it's time to reconsider maybe you're following Moses (the Law, religion) instead of Jesus.
This woman got to the end of herself. She believed she was not right with God according to the Law; because under the Law a man can only be right with God is he performs (works) right, abides by the rules, and behaves right.
According to the Law lepers, certain conditions, destruction, death, happens to people because of Sin and they are viewed as Sinners. This is why Jesus followers had asked Him one about a man who was born blind “Why was he born blind? Is it because he had sinned or his parents’ sins?”
Under such Laws the way for their healing is by constantly trying to make it right with God and appease Him to receive anything from Him. Such sick people thought they needed to DO something (works) in order to get right with God and receive from Him. So they would fast, kept washing and cleansing themselves, prayed a lot, tried to study more, give more, help more, serve more do more……. so God would hear and answer them. They were following Moses thinking it’s God’s heart and ways. But no one could help them because the Law is not there to provide healing or salvation. It's there to demand righteousness from man by right performing (works) and to point to sin and how failures men are. It condemns and rejects anyone who does not meet the standard. That woman did not measure up to the standard of the Law.
So, why was she healed?
That woman got healed because she basically said "the heck with the Law that declared me unclean, an outcast, rejected, not good enough, not meeting the standard of the Law. The heck with such Law because I am right with God. I don't care that the Law says I'm not allowed to touch anyone because I am defiled... I WILL touch this man of God and will get healed because my right standing with God is not from the Law. My righteousness is not based on my works, performance, how good I am or what I do."
So she touched His wings of righteousness and she got healed. Malachi 4:2
She touched HIS righteousness (meaning the fact that He is right with God because it’s His righteousness not hers) and she got healed.
She showed her faith by believing she is right with God APART from her performance and because of Jesus one act of righteousness and His obedience (Romans 3:28, Romans 5:18-19).
She knew that even though according to the Law (of the religion she followed) she had no right-standing with God; but the truth is... the Law is not of faith (Galatians 3:12).
She believed who Jesus says she is and not who the Law says she is.
She believed Jesus sees her as right with Him.
When she touched His wings she came in agreement as touching and agreeing with His righteousness and she got healed. She agreed with the truth that WHO SHE IS, is NOT what the Law says about her.
She found out after 12 years of suffering that the Law kept her bound to her sickness and could never heal her. Believing right and seeing herself through God's eyes, not through the Law's eyes, healed her. The truth she found and knew had set her free from her affliction.
Jesus meat it when He said “you will know the truth and the truth will set you free”. That woman was healed because she found truth. Jesus never said “do this and stop doing that and by performing right you will be set free”. He never called in the streets of Israel “you sinners, amend your ways, forgive your neighbor, obey the law, behave right and then I will heal you”. No! He healed all and NEVER told people “Is there sin in your life before I pray for you and heal you?” These are the ways of religion under the Law of Moses. We don’t follow Moses, we follow Christ who died for every sin and mess of our entire life on Earth. Sin was dealt with on the cross and there is no more a reminder of sin. Religion focuses on sin and judges nations and cities when they suffer disasters – telling them “it’s because of your sins that God is judging you”. How horrible to say it’s God who did it to them and point to sin. Such people who believe that need to come back to God because they are following a man made god, thinking it’s Jesus.
Listen to what God says about the world and sin:
2Co 5:19-20 NLT For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. (20) So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!"
What truth was revealed to this woman who dared to break the Law and find healing and acceptance and love by Jesus?
It's the truth that many need to find:
"You are right with God apart from your performance and you are accepted by Him and not rejected. God doesn't measure you by the Law and how much you meet it's standard; obey the Law, keep the Law and follow it. God measures you not by YOU and YOUR performance (works), but by His righteousness. Jesus met the standard for you. He obeyed the Law for you. He fulfilled it for you. It's not by YOUR obedience or faithfulness. It's by His works on the cross. He did it for you and sees you as beautiful and beloved".
So, be free from the Law that measures people by their performance and live in the truth that you are already right with God apart from ANYTHING you have done. Even if you have a poopie diaper (mess up) in your performance..... you are still in righteousness and right with God. Your righteousness was given to you as a gift by faith. Gift is given for free not by any condition you fulfill.
Feel free to comment if you want.
Much love
Elana
