And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse—after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” (Mark 5:24-34)

I love how Jesus interacted with people! God Incarnate—the same God who was on record saying he grew weary dealing with the obstinate hearts of his chosen people, who punished their sin dramatically when needed. Fast forward: same God, same people, except this time he came into the world looking them in the eye, clarifying his heart toward them, revealing just what he was really like and what he really wanted for his people.

It is surprising that God is so approachable; He takes mankind off guard. He is so humble, so open-handed—He didn’t come emphasizing this woman’s sin or tracing down the cause of her illness.  He simply healed her. With no money left, she was at the end of the road.  It was going to be Jesus or nothing else. This, again surprisingly, is not a bad place to be.

While the end of the road can be an advantageous place it is also the last place most of us want to be. In fact, we work overtime to avoid it, being taken to that place where it’s Jesus or nothing. I believe this is what Jesus was getting at when He said we must sell all in order to follow him. Our resources, which are our hedges against last resorts, if not relinquished to God, pave a broad highway leading away from this most advantageous place where our Lord would meet us.

Taking up our crosses to follow him is the narrow way which scripture tells us few find. This less traveled pathway is paved with abandonment. Relinquishing our right-of-self-determination is our part in allowing Jesus his rightful place as our Lord. Knowing Jesus as our Lord is something vastly greater than just being saved from our sins. The travelers on this road are called disciples or apprentices. As they journey down this trail holding no heart-title to earthly goods, they learn to live, so to speak, at-the-end-of-the-road, where Christ becomes and remains, of necessity, their very Life.

Disciples make the surprising discovery that Jesus is so much more than just a savior. They find in Christ alone that exceeding and abundant dimension to the life He promised. They find rivers of living water flowing out of them. He Himself teaches them that He is not just the forgiver of their sins. He is Father and Friend, Healer and Deliverer, Sustainer and Rewarder, King and Co-heir, Creator and Brother. He is Life and Breath, and in Him we live and move and have our being. We personally discover that we are hidden in Him and are the object of his most intimate thoughts and care, now and forevermore.

While I haven’t been bleeding internally like the woman in our story, this is the 14th consecutive year I have dealt with chronic back problems. Unlike the distressed woman of our story, I have some money left: I’m just not sure what the point of spending it would be on doctors who each say, “Mr. Cummins, you are slowly decaying, albeit at a slightly faster rate than your peers.” What they actually say is that I have degenerative disc disease.

In spite of having to report some physical degeneration I also have a report of regeneration. My inner man is being renewed daily in the presence of physical deterioration. As I consider the alchemy of all-things-working-together-for-good, I give thanks because in its own way, back pain has provided a kind of an end-of-the-road destination which, perhaps, I might have only reached by traveling in this direction.

I did determine early in my journey with Christ that I would do my best to not squander sorrow and rough experiences. Whatever the day brings me (if I will only see it) can be an opportunity to trust him. I have come to believe that it is only along this trail (where suffering and trials exist) that we can ever learn to relate to Him by faith. Recall: our faith brings God pleasure. Faith both delivers and sustains. Whether we are delivered from trials or sustained through them God, is glorified and pleased as we trust in him.

To you, O Lord, who call the dead to come forth and the lame to walk and the deaf to hear; to you Lord, who reward those who trust you in their pain; to you, who deliver your children from and through both attacks and decay into a rest that transcends this world and establishes a victory that will be celebrated now and forevermore. Yes, Lord, to you be the glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.

 

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