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The Power of the Blood of Jesus.

April 16, 2022 /
Pastor Samuel Cordeiro

“In fact under the Law almost everything is cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [neither release from sin and its guilt, nor cancellation of the merited punishment]”–Hebrews 9:22.

Each year millions of people worldwide celebrate Easter or what many refer to as “Resurrection Sunday.” Churches and home groups everywhere come together to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christmas has no merit if not for Easter; it wasn’t the birth of Jesus that brought us salvation but Jesus’ death and resurrection. Through these, Jesus conquered sin and death. Some of my favorite worship songs are Easter Worship Songs, beautiful songs about the Blood of the lamb. Songs like: “Thank you, Jesus, for the Blood” by Charity Gayle; or the hymn “There is Power in the Blood”; and “Oh the Blood” by Kari Jobe. Those songs always remind me of the powerful Blood of Jesus.

Growing up in a Portuguese-American church, I remember countless instances when someone would share a prayer request during prayer meetings. Almost instantly, a brother or sister in the church would say “O Sangue de Jesus tem poder,” which translates to “There is power in the Blood of Jesus.” My church knew that the answer to that prayer would be found in the Blood of Jesus. They would plead the Blood of Jesus over a situation as part of their prayer, as a declaration. However, to truly understand the power of the Blood of Jesus, we need to start with the question, WHY BLOOD?

The Bible tells us that sin separates us from God.

However, in the book of Leviticus, we find God’s instructions to the Israelites. He makes plain that their sins would be forgiven after the priest offered the bloody sacrifice of an animal, which was a foreshadowing of the death of the Messiah—Jesus Christ, who would come to defeat sin once and for all. In both the Old Testament and New Testament, there would be no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood.

There are six revelations about the Blood of Jesus God spoke to me over the past couple of months:

  1. There is forgiveness and salvation through the Blood of Jesus.

 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” – Matthew 26:28.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” – Ephesians 1:7.

“And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary” – Hebrews 10:10;12-13; 18

The power of Jesus’ Blood is the basic, central message of true Christianity—that God the Father sent His one and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, down to earth in the flesh to physically die on a Cross to save us and give us total and permanent forgiveness for all of our sins. We are not saved by our good works, by going to church, not by donating to the poor; there is only one way you are guaranteed eternal life, and that is because you have placed your faith in Jesus and the power of His shed Blood on that Cross. In Isaiah 1:18, we see forgiveness described as the Blood of Jesus washing away our sins: “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”

I recently heard this quote “If you are looking only at the blood of Jesus for heaven, you are going to miss out on the power of the blood of Jesus here on earth.”

These words really encouraged me to use the Blood of Jesus as a weapon.

They made me realize that the Blood of Jesus is a weapon in our God-given arsenal. There is power, wonder-working, supernatural power when a Christian pleads the Blood of Jesus over their lives, families, and homes.

  1. The Blood of Jesus Redeems:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” –1 Peter 1:18-19.

The definition of redeemed is: “to buy back” or “to save from captivity by paying a ransom.” In the days of slavery, a slave could be bought back by offering an equivalent or superior slave in their place. God chose to buy us back in this exact way – by offering his Son, Jesus, in exchange for us. When God sent His Jesus to Earth, He could have quickly taken him back; Jesus wouldn’t have had to suffer and shed His Blood on that Cross. Yet God literally exchanged His one and only Son, Jesus, so that mankind (you and me) can be freed from sins, slavery, and bondage. Jesus took our sin debt onto Himself. And God stamped it “paid in full.” So now we can sing: “Sin has lost its grip on me.” So if there is a lifestyle choice, bad habit, or any sin in your life that you need to get rid of – plead the Blood of Jesus. Jesus can set you free.

Through Jesus, we have redemption from sin, and we need to take hold of that freedom.

  • The Blood of Jesus Delivers:

“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” – Colossians 1:13-14.

“…That through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” – Hebrews 2:14.

“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” –1 John 3:8.

The Bible makes plain that through Jesus’ physical death on the Cross, when His Blood was shed, Satan and his power were defeated.

So if there is something in your life that you need deliverance from, plead the Blood of Jesus over it. If there is a negative voice in your head speaking lies over you – plead the Blood of Jesus for deliverance from those lies. If something is tormenting you with fear – plead the Blood of Jesus for deliverance over that fear.

And if you are reading this and thinking you are too weak, you don’t have the strength, or perhaps your faith is too small, listen to this:

  • The Blood of Jesus Empowers:

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony” –Revelation 12:11.

God has given us the power to overcome, not in our own strength, but by the Blood of the Lamb shed on that Cross and by the word of our testimony. We are empowered to overcome by pleading the Blood of Jesus and declaring our God’s goodness. God gives us authority and use of the spiritual weapon of the Blood of Jesus to deliver us once an attack has come. God also gives us the authority to plead the Blood of Jesus over situations before an attack ever happens.

  • The Blood of Jesus Protects:

In Exodus 12, we can read the story of the first Passover. God sent Moses to rescue the people of Israel from their captivity and slavery to the Egyptians. Since Pharaoh refused to set the Israelites free, God sent ten plagues over Egypt to punish them. These plagues included turning water into Blood, an infestation of frogs, lice, flies, locusts, disease on livestock, and so on. The 10th of these plagues was the death of the firstborn. God told Pharaoh He would allow an angel of death to come through their camp to kill all of their firstborn children. However, before God allowed this plague to come, God promised to protect the Israelites from this plague. God told the Israelites to kill a blemish-free lamb. Then, to put its Blood on the sides and tops of the doorframes of their homes. God told His people that when the angel of death passed by, if he saw the blood on their doorposts, the angel of death would “pass over” their houses, sparing the lives of their firstborns. In other words, the blood of this blemish-free lamb was being used as divine protection before an attack would ever touch their land.“The Blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the Blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt” – Exodus 12:13.

Scripture informs us that at midnight, when the angel of death came by, all the firstborn children died except those of the Israelites who obeyed God’s command. So what does this mean for us in 2022?

In simple words – Jesus is our PASSOVER. In John 1:29 – when John the Baptist sees Jesus approaching, he says, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The same way the blood of a lamb was used to protect the Israelite families, the Blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God, is our supernatural protection today. We no longer need to sacrifice animal blood to forgive our sins or for our protection.

Jesus’ Blood is the ultimate sacrifice, shed once, for all.

When the Blood of the Lamb forms a wall around you, it is difficult for the enemy to penetrate your life and home. Remember, you can plead the Blood of Jesus over your home, over your journey & your means of transportation; you can plead the Blood of Jesus over your children, and, if you are ever in a place you feel afraid or unsure – plead the Blood of Jesus!

  • There is Healing through the Blood of Jesus:

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” – Isaiah 53:5.

Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the crucifixion of Jesus was given him approximately 700 years before the birth of Jesus. Isaiah declares that by his stripes, the bloody wounds on Jesus’ body, WE ARE HEALED. By faith, I encourage you to plead the Blood of Jesus over your body for healing. May it be done to you according to God’s will. When the doctor gives you a diagnosis, plead the Blood of Jesus—by His stripes, Jesus has the power to make you whole.

I am reminded of the chorus of the Hymn “There is Power in the Blood” that says, “There is power, power, wonder-working power in the precious blood of the Lamb.”

The lyrics of this song are written in the present tense, not the past; this can only mean one thing: When the Blood of Jesus was shed some 2,000 years ago, Jesus’ Blood’s saving, supernatural power was not a one-time work’s, it is still working today. The Blood of Jesus is for yesterday, today, and forever. God has given us this weapon, this tool for our spiritual life to be used by faith. When we begin to plead the Blood of Jesus for redemption, deliverance, power, protection, and healing, we declare that the struggles and situations we face are no match against the power of the Cross or Jesus’ resurrection.

As we approach Easter, let us be reminded that the Blood of Jesus shed on Calvary’s Cross has the power for salvation and gives us victory over every situation or trial we face today.

If you have not yet experienced the power of the Blood of Jesus, I encourage you to invite Jesus into your heart today. Ask Him to reveal His love to you. Ask God to forgive you of your sins, then receive the free gift of eternal life through Jesus.

Your Coming Out! Luke 24: 5-6.

April 28, 2019 /

“As the women bowed their faces to the ground in terror, the two men asked them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you while He was still in Galilee…”

We’ve each done it. Those of us with the strongest of faith have failed, on one occasion or another, to take Jesus at His Word. Regretfully, I know I certainly have. We allow our fleshly expectations to overshadow—sometimes, completely shade, our pure spiritual beliefs. And then we wonder why we miss out on what it is God is doing right before our eyes! Is it any wonder then, when we show up with so low an expectation, failing to believe to our core that every promise He has made is sure and True, is absolute; we will, like our sisters and brothers before us, end up expecting to find death rather than the new life Jesus promised us?

I know, I know! They were at His grave and, it is reasonable to expect that what has been buried is, in fact, dead. It’s quite reasonable to our carnal mind that is. Conversely, if we are to truly rise above what we have allowed ourselves to believe truth to be—we must allow for our minds to be transformed, renewed. We should be willing to die to our preconceived, carnal truths and, instead, allow ourselves to be opened to The Truth—to God’s Truth—as He enables. Enables us to move past our feelings, which are ever in flux, and, instead, to fix our minds and hearts on Him. To exchange our every lie for His Truth…

So then, if we who believe know this, that His Word is Truth—why do we continue to doubt? Why do we forget this unfailing Truth? Forget His unwavering character and promises—His power to accomplish within us what He has already accomplished around us—above and below us? Why do we forget He truly is the All-Powerful God? That His Resurrection isn’t a one-day celebration.

At least it shouldn’t be. Easter Sunday may have passed, but Jesus remained on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection. He could have just as easily ascended to the Father in an instant. After-all, His earthy work, His birth, death, and resurrection were finished. Sin has been defeated on His Cross. And death lost its sting the moment breath entered the chest it thought it had stilled.

So why did He stay with us?

I share the belief that our Lord knows our frail weakness. He knows we, being the sheep that we are, would need to see certain on-going proofs before we’ll allow our hearts and minds to hope again. To rise up once more and soar. Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves—just ask Peter. We are like sheep. And, like sheep, we forget far too quickly. We will no sooner turn our face from our Bibles, walk out of a service, more, come away from a life-changing revelation given us by God and, then, in the next instant, get angry, or pick up that cigarette or drink or drug again, or lose patients with our spouse or child—for as long as we walk in this body. Yet even in our sin and shortcomings, our hope lies in the grace of God and the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Hope that  we are being ever transformed into His likeness. Leaving our dead ways behind us. Demonstrating more of Him and His love, more of what God can do in a heart surrendered to Him—and less of us and our weaknesses.

Jesus knew that Peter would forget—Matthew and Mary and Andrew too. Forget all that He’d told them about how the Son of Man must endure all that the scriptures speak of concerning Him—and that He would rise again on the third day—even though it would appear that death had won…

Jesus loved these women who came to His tomb heads downcast, spices in hand, ready to prepare Him for the time, they believed, He’d spend entombed. He knew that they would come to His grave one way yet leave another! That hope restored would wipe out all traces of their despair. That joy would throw its coat over their mourning shoulders enlivening them once again. He knew weakness would be replaced by a strength not their own. A strength that would carry them all the way to the finish line! Now imagine too, their disbelief. The shock and confusion and excitement and the joy they felt when they found His tomb empty! How do you imagine yourself feeling when you realize that the hopes you thought were dead, the ministry you though had passed you by, the child or husband or wife you’d long given up on—finally happens?

Death and despair has a plan for our lives. An empty tomb put a certain end to that plan…

So let me ask you: In light of what you believe has passed you by, what loss has hit you so hard it’s robbed you of life and time—of hope? Of allowing yourself to believe, as you once did, that your life can be joy-filled, hope-full. What are you mourning the loss of? What has caused you to let go of that vision God gave you? That dream that made you get out of bed every morning ready to engage with the world. What happened to that spark of the Divine deep down in your belly? Might it be possible that God has been preparing you? That all is not lost? Rather, it’s just getting started! Is it possible God has allowed you to experience this tomb, the seeming end of a thing so that you to be an eye-witness to His resurrection power? Your dead hopes and dreams, those promises you held dear, infused now with new life! Resurrected. Remember brothers and sisters, Jesus drew only those that loved Him, followed after Him, yearned for Him, had yielded their hearts to Him—to His empty tomb. Then, He spent the next 40 days demonstrating to these friends—and all those whose hope was lost at His crucifixion that He truly was alive. That He alone has the power to not only forgive our sins, to heal our bodies, to bring us from death to Life in His Son, but now to teach us too, that God has the final Word over death!

That God alone has the power to resurrect our long dead hope and dreams as surely as Jesus was resurrected. You have not lost what God has promised you. God is not a man that He can lie. He said death could not hold Him—and it didn’t. If He has spoken a Word into you, given you a plan for some ministry, a vision to build, a desire to serve and grow and bear fruit for Him—then He will bring it to pass—in His time not yours. His friends thought they’d lost their reason to hope too. Thought all that they had loved and yearned for was sealed—dead, inside a tomb. It took a herald to remind them not to go looking for life among places that serve only dead things. You’ll never see your hopes come to pass if you continue to show up ready to bury them…

My brother, Jesus said He would restore. Said He would provide. Said you’d go and do and plant and water and reap. Be open to see the vision God has given you through today’s eyes. You didn’t get it wrong back then—you just needed to go through 3 more days of preparation…

Dear friend, if you have yet to meet this Jesus who breathes new life into us. The One who resurrects dead hopes and dreams, who uses what others see as useless, then I encourage you today, right now, to ask Him to come into your heart. Ask Him to forgive your sins. To restore within what life has taken out of you. He will. He wants to. He’s just waiting for you…

“Ruach” Ezekiel 37:1-14

April 2, 2017 /

What struck me as I began to unpack this trove of Scripture was its Triune nature. He is a Sovereign God, a relational God, and, He is Also an Omnipotent God. As I dug into these verses, The Holy Spirit began revealing a mere hint of the unplumbed depths of the God contained within them.

Of His immensity, the enormity of His love…

How He embraces His creation as He did His Cross—because they are one-in-the-same.

And, almost Immediately my mind went to The Gospel of John.

There we’ll witness that it is this same God who stood over the then blank canvas of creation, that had also communed with Ezekiel in his vision. In John, we witness God standing over the very edge of the void using this same Ruach—Spirit, Life-Giving Breath, spoken of in Ezekiel, to speak all of life into existence—not just to these dry bones. “…Everything came into being through the Word, and without the Word nothing came into being. What came into being through the Word was life…” (John 1:3-4).

I find it extraordinary that such an All-Powerful and Holy God would deign to touch mere man. Yet clearly, as evidenced in the opening verse of our Scripture, He did—and still does. The Apostle Paul said it this way: But somewhere it is testified in these words: “What is man, that You are mindful of him, or the son of man, that You care for him” (Heb.2:6)? Ezekiel displays this type of awe when God asks him if these dry—these very dry bones he is witnessing, could ever live again. Within Ezekiel’s response, we witness pure truth. We are simply incapable of being wholly able to take in—fathom, such an All-Powerful God.

Yet we have faith. We who have a relationship with Him. We believe that He is all that He says He is. And, in fact, can do all that He says He can do.

Right off the bat in our Scripture, we witness not only the intimate, relational aspect of God, but we are re-membered with His creative power—witnesses to His Sovereign, unstoppable Will. This same Hand spoken of in this opening of Ezekiel 37 is the very same Hand that flung the stars into the sky—that hung both the moon and the sun. This Hand formed Adam of out dirt and then He blew this same Ruach Breath spoken of in Ezekiel, into him—so that he, like those dead bones, would also come to life.

God used Ezekiel to Prophesy to the dry bones. These bones were representational of children of Israel trapped in Babylonian exile—thinking that their situation was beyond hopeless (the very dry bones), and that their God was incapable of restoring them. Of keeping the promises He had made long ago…

Did the gods of Babylon (this world) have more power than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? That was the big question on the Israelite’s mind. collectively and individually at the time of Ezekiel’s writing.Had God forgotten them?

Can you relate? Do you ever feel like God has abandoned you—forgotten you exist? Do you ever feel like the gods of this world are winning? The gods of greed, violence, lies—the gods that destroy families and rob people of hope?

“Can these bones live?” Do you believe that I Am who I Am Ezekiel? I know that Israel has lost all faith in me, will you stand in the gap and have faith for them?

That is, in essence, what God was asking him—is asking you…

And within His answer we find a string of pure Truth that unites man’s reliance to God: “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.”  God alone is Sovereign. Ezekiel acknowledged that yes, he did have faith in God’s ability to do all things—He knew that without God nothing in this death-valley could ever live again (Isa. 55:8).

“Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones. I will make breath enter you and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am Lord.’ 

Ezekiel obeyed the Lord and Prophesied exactly what God had instructed him to. And while Ezekiel was busy obeying the Lord’s Word, the Lord was busy doing what no man could ever do for His people.

Piece-by-piece, in His perfect time…

“And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.” Ezekiel obeyed God, and God acted—but, God both had and has a specific and perfect time for all things. There is a Divine order to all of creation…

He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, human one! Say to the breath, The Lord God proclaims: Come from the four winds, breath! Breathe into these dead bodies and let them live.” I prophesied just as he commanded me. When the breath entered them, they came to life and stood on their feet, an extraordinarily large company.”

Even though Israel had rebelled against the Lord, been taken captive and now were living in exile, God had not forgotten the promise He had made to them. And He was about to restore to everything that had been lost—everything their enemy had taken from them…

Listen: “So now, prophesy and say to them, The Lord God proclaims: I’m opening your graves! I will raise you up from your graves, my people, and I will bring you to Israel’s fertile land. You will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and raise you up from your graves, my people. I will put my breath (Spirit; Life-Giving Breath) in you, and you will live. I will plant you on your fertile land, and you will know that I am the Lord. I’ve spoken, and I will do it. This is what the Lord says.”

God has brought you here today—now, just as He did Ezekiel, for a very specific purpose. First and always to remind you of, if you know Him, and to introduce you to, if you don’t, the Truth. That He alone is the Triune God. Sovereign, Relational, and Omnipotent.

And, to ensure that someone has told you that you are loved beyond the grandest of loves that you can imagine. And, that there is nothing—nothing, no circumstance, no sin, regardless how dire or unforgivable it may seem to others—or you, that can stop God from loving you and fulfilling the plan He has for your life—if you are His child.

He wants—more, came into this world, leaving all of Heaven behind, specifically to grab hold of His Cross as if it were a most valuable and precious lover—because it was, it was you. And He laid Himself down on it—unto the point of death, so that you would never have to stay in that hopeless valley of separation from Him. Or continue to live in fear and despair…

He brought you hear today to push aside all the doubts that plague you, those voices that say, “give up, it will never happen, it’s too late!” He sent me here to tell you that those voices are a lie!!

He alone is Sovereign—and commands the Breath of life! And today He has instructed me to speak to your very dry bones—your long dead hopes and dreams. He sent me to tell you to listen, soon and very soon you will hear the sound of rattling…

Take heart beloved, He has sent me to restore your hope—just believe, that’s your part, that those dreams, desires, and, hopes that once lived in that secret place within, though dry—even very dry, are not dead…

God has just spoken life into them and they will live…

“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6 emphasis my own).

 

 

 

 

 

 

“She Didn’t Want to Do It.” Lk. 8:46-48

January 22, 2017 /

“And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace”(Luke 8:47-48).

Our Scripture today concerns a woman who was desperate. The Bible tells us that for 12 years she had dealt with a physical issue that had not only ravaged her body, depleted her resources—more, it had caused her to live in fear, shame, and, isolation.

So, let me ask you, as we step into the closing weeks of this New Year—what “dis-ease”, are you carrying into this new season from times long passed? And what, if anything, has you in a state of desperate abandon for your right-now miracle?

You see for her, this woman with no name, it was a physical healing she was after—it’s what forced her fear right out her front door! She had been bleeding for 12 years. 12 years! And in those years of chasing after a cure, she had spent all that she had…

Now, broke, and still bleeding, she heard some commotion near her home. A crowd was gathering in the village. She Peeked out through the crack in her gate she saw Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue. He was on his knees before this new Rabbi, this Jesus. She’d overheard others speak of His miraculous healings…

What if He could…No! I couldn’t possibly. The law forbids it! He’s a rabbi, a Holy man—and the crowd, all those people, I’d be stoned!

These tempestuous thoughts were chasing each other around in her mind. Yet, in her belly—in that place of her knowing, there was a calm…

She began to recognized her need to take a step of faith. It was like something was beckoning her to come…

Is it possible that this Jesus may be her only hope?

If we’re willing to be honest, I’m certain we’ve all experienced living in that kind of tension. In the fear of having our issue—that thing that shames us, brought out into the open. Yet our want for freedom pushes us to the very brink of that fear. Leaving us teetering.

We may know what needs to be done, what must be done in order that we be healed…

Yet, we’re frightened. Because the first step required to receive our healing is confession. It’s bringing that thing, that issue, shaking and sniveling out of its comfortable darkness, out of its hiding place—and exposing it to the Light of the World…

You see, the law had kept this woman bound in fear and shame. To touch a woman such as herself made one ceremonially unclean until the sun went down. She was a thing to be avoided, shunned at all cost. She was defiled. “If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, not at the time of her menstrual impurity, or if she has a discharge beyond the time of her impurity, all the days of the discharge she shall continue in uncleanness. As in the days of her impurity, she shall be unclean” (Lev. 15:25).

Seeing herself as such, how could she go out among normal people to see this Jesus? What if she touched someone—what if someone touched her? The shame of it…

Can you relate?

Have you ever felt like this woman?

Are you feeling like her today? Afraid? Uncertain? Ashamed? Isolated? Alone?

Are you, like her, frightened of being found out? Of having your issue exposed? How long have you been hiding your shame?

For her, it was twelve years. It may well have been a life time. It  certainly felt that way…

She had tried everything she could think of, to handle her business on her own. She saw anyone she thought might heal her—help her. But nothing. Twelve years had passed and she was still bleeding.

Now what she saw as her last chance to get her healing was standing only feet away. It was this Jesus…

She knew that if she could just touch His clothes—no, just the tassels of His outer garment as they slid past her fingers in the dust, everything would be okay—she’d be healed.

I’ll just slip into the crowd unnoticed. I’ll stoop down low enough to the ground to just touch His tassel as He passes by—He’ll never even know I was there! And hopefully, neither will anyone else. I’ll just stay real low to the ground and …

Shame will do that to us. It steals our dignity. It causes us to feel unworthy to even go before the only One who is truly able to heal us—save us, free us from our sin, wrong thinking, and, shame.

But Jesus was having no part of her worldly way of thinking! He was not interested in playing hide and seek. He was not going to allow this woman to live her life isolated any longer…

He was interest in healing far more than her mere issue of blood… “Who touched me?” Jesus asked (Lk. 8:45).

Her worst nightmare had just been realized. He had singled her out! Oh no, no, please, no, Lord I did not mean to... “And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him…” (Lk. 8:47).

Why? Why would Jesus call her out? Surely, being God—He knew who it was who had touched Him and why…

So why call her out in front of the very people she was so ashamed and afraid to be seen by? To touch…

Was He trying to shame her? Was He going to publicly rebuke her?

No. Quite the contrary…

Our first clue to Jesus’ motives in calling her out comes through His choice of words. He called her daughter. It’s a relational title. A title that infers privilege. A daughter has unfettered access to her dad—she shares an intimacy and bond with him that is not shared with just anyone…

Secondly, He declared her healed. Again, let’s look at His choice of words…

He uses the expression Shalom—which encapsulates; renewal, completeness, and, a blessing for peace…

Jesus knew that for His daughter to be truly healed—soul healed, she, as well as those around her, needed to hear Him openly declare her to be healed. From the root of  her need, not merely from her symptoms.

His words restored her, made her touchable once again, worthy of love, worthy of all the rights and honors a father confers, lovingly, upon his daughter…

In bringing her issue out into the open Jesus not only healed her physically, He released a life that had wasted away in a prison of religious isolation. She had skulked through 12 long years of shame—of others thoughtlessness disregard…

Jesus gave her, and indirectly those around her, permission to once again live communally, openly, equally. To live a life made whole. “And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace” (Lk. 8:48).

She didn’t want to do it—take that first frightening step into the all revealing light of Christ. That Light that would bring illumination to her secrets, and expose her hidden fears.

Overcoming shame, and the fear that often accompanies it, requires us to muster the courage to fall—to humble ourselves, at Jesus’ feet and confess openly to Him our “issue”…

We must be brave enough to finally walk away from—reject, both our own human thoughts and vain imaginings, as well as those imposed on us by others…

We must leave behind those ideas that caused us to close ourselves off from Jesus—and simply accept Him at His Word.

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isa.53:4-5).

 

He wasn’t interested in simply stopping her bleeding. Nor is He interested in just stopping yours. He wanted her restored to Him. And He wants that same restoration for you as well.

Now, and for all eternity.

It’s why He came into the world. Why He stepped across time and eternity to bring heaven to earth…

Why He would not walk away from such a pitiless death. “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour” (Jn. 12:27).

Won’t you, like the woman found in today’s Scripture, bring your issue to Jesus? Why squander another year of your life carting around something you weren’t created to carry…?

Give it to Jesus today. Receive His power in exchange for your weakness. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me” (Jn. 8:45-46).

 

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