Chronic: Jesus & The Woman With Blood

00:00:01 Speaker 1: He said to her daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace, Luke eight forty eight. Beloved Father, this passage whispers of your deep devotion to us, your children, and your attentiveness to our pain and struggles. You see us, Lord, not as a crowd, but as individuals with our own stories of need and hope. In your eyes, we find a love so profound that it reaches into the depths of our despair and lifts us into the light of your grace. Thank you for being our devoted father, for noticing our pain, and for the healing touch of your love that mends our brokenness. May we walk in the peace that Jesus bestowed, knowing that our faith in You is never in vain. With hearts full of gratitude, we lean into your loving presence, comforted by the assurance that we are seen, we are loved, and we are held and the sweet name of Jesus, we pray Amen. Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Jesus Podcast stories of hope, love and redemption inspired by the Gospels. Stick around for a story of hope and redemption amidst pain and suffering. If this podcast has brought value to your faith. We'd love it if you left a review and shared it with a friend. We want the story of Jesus to be known throughout the world, because when Jesus is told, lives are transformed. 00:02:05 Speaker 2: Unclean. Get out of here, unclean. 00:02:10 Speaker 3: No, you don't understand. I am sick. Please, I need to work for food. I have nobody else to take care of me. 00:02:21 Speaker 1: Eliana was desperate. She held the bottom of her stomach and clenched her legs together. 00:02:27 Speaker 3: Please don't cast me out. I have nowhere to go. 00:02:34 Speaker 2: Get out of here. Because of you. None of us can worship Fortty Festival. We have to wash ourselves because of your disobedience. 00:02:43 Speaker 1: Eleiana's lower lip quivered. She wouldn't be able to return because the bleeding wouldn't stop. Most women would retreat for a time until their bleeding ceased, but not Iliana. She had spent twelve years in anguish. For twelve years, she had to go from place to place, working odd jobs until they discovered her ailment. She was an outcast. The rings under her eyes revealed over a decade of torture and blood loss. She hobbled away from the marketplace and retreated to a stream to bathe. The blood washed off her legs and flowed downstream. She wished she could float away with the stream. The shame and rejection that came with her sickness was more than her tender heart could bear. 00:03:45 Speaker 3: I don't I please help me? 00:03:48 Speaker 1: Her silent prayers joined the sound of trickling water. Tears fell down her cheeks and fell into the stream. Eleana sobs may have fallen on the deaf ears of men, but they reached the ears of God. Just a few hundred yards away from Eliana's wallowing, a group of people crossed the river, excitedly, cheering. Eliana tilted her head to see what the commotion was. 00:04:20 Speaker 2: He's here, Praise God, Jesus is here. 00:04:25 Speaker 1: Men, women and children spilled out of the village into the city. They ran with vigor, fueled by curiosity an eager expectation. What is happening, Eliana asked one of the villagers. 00:04:39 Speaker 2: Jesus of Nazareth is here, the rabbi who restores sight to the blind and preaches liberty to the captives. You'll have to hurry if you want to see him. 00:04:49 Speaker 3: Jesus of Nazareth. 00:04:51 Speaker 1: Eliana had heard his name before his name had become a beacon of hope for the hopeless and downtrodden. Eleanna thought of him often. Would he heal her like the lepers and blind? Would he be willing to touch her? Would he be willing to even look in the direction of an unclean woman and outcast? 00:05:20 Speaker 4: We've all heard the question what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? But what if we feel like we're the immovable object faced against the unstoppable force of God's work. The only thing that can hinder God from working in our lives is our own opposition to it. When we humble ourselves to Him and open ourselves up to the work he wants to accomplish, nothing can stop him. This is the Jesus Podcast, a year's story showcasing the depth of Christ's love in the glory of God's truth. I'm zachfrompray dot Com. After you listen to today's captivating tale, make sure to take a second to follow the podcast and leave a review. Those two small steps actually make a huge difference. There's a lot of podcasts out there, and it's hard to make yourself known. If you support this podcast, we would really appreciate those small gestures. Today's story takes us through another marvelous encounter with Jesus meeting the needs of an outcast. We'll find a man who has been disabled for a long time. While at one time he might have desperately long to be healed, thirty eight years later, he finds himself a little stuck. Like many people who have struggled with chronic illnesses or any sort of disability, they hold on to hope for healing, but also hold on to a bit of cynicism that healing is never actually going to happen. This man will be stuck and unwilling to do what's necessary to find healing. With no means of getting ahead, he resigns himself to live in his condition forever. His hope has been dashed against the rocks over and over again. We're going to see someone who's defeated, and perhaps today you relate to him. You've experienced defeat in your life. You've sought out for healing, and people have told you that healing's available, but it hasn't quite happened. Your expectations have gotten high, and then you've been disappointed over and over again. This man is soon going to learn the importance of trusting in Christ's offered to heal and his power to provide it. Let's dive in now. 00:07:26 Speaker 2: Move macwey, we need to get through. 00:07:29 Speaker 1: Peter and Andrew pressed through the throng of people trying to get to Jesus. They pushed through the crowd, driving their legs forward against them. 00:07:38 Speaker 2: Master, stay close behind us. These people will trample you if we aren't careful. 00:07:43 Speaker 1: Jesus was on a mission. A little girl was sick and needed his healing touch, but the throng of fans wouldn't relent. They were like thrashing waves against the shore. Peter cursed under his breath and growled. 00:08:00 Speaker 2: Jesus needs You'll get through. Step aside. 00:08:03 Speaker 1: Peter was a force to be reckoned, with years of hauling nets and fixing boats had hardened his shoulders, Yet even he was growing fatigued against the weight of the crowd. Eleana watched from a distance as Jesus pressed through the crowd. She had heard of Jesus, words spread about him healing lepers and restoring sight to the blind. But if he were even to touch her, he would be ceremonially unclean. How could she do that to an esteemed rabbi. She turned around to leave, but another jolt of pain traveled down her abdomen. Her legs quivered and buckled underneath her. She fell and slammed her knees against the cobbled path. She pressed her palms against the floor and raised her chin to the sky. She was sick of the pain. She was tired of being an outcast. Her illness ravaged every inch of her body and stole precious years of her youth. 00:09:12 Speaker 3: I can't keep going like this. 00:09:14 Speaker 1: She turned back to the crowd and saw Jesus rounding the corner. He was only a few hundred feet away from her, but he seemed so far. Her heart began to pound and her hands started to tremble. She knew Jesus could heal her. Her cure was only a few paces away. Would she endure the pain and shame to find redemption? She lifted herself, blood dripping from her trembling legs, with a force more powerful than the pain compelling her, She moved forward. Her heart pumped slow, fatigued sweat dripped down her brow. Her red shawl and scarves made her stand out in the crowd, But still she had to push through to pass. The crowd wouldn't move for her. She had to muscle her way through. She pressed with all her might, burying her pain deep down, just. 00:10:22 Speaker 3: The hem of his robe. Ugh, if I could just reach his garment, that'll be healed. 00:10:31 Speaker 1: Her vision went speckled at the edges. Her body swayed faint. She wanted to fall to her knees, let the stampede of the crowd overrun her. But this was her one chance, her chance to be healed by the man they said was the great physician, the very hand of God. It took all the strength inside her to move through the last bit of the crowd, and she pushed through the swarm of them until she caught a glimpse of him and lunged, falling on her knees, and in the briefest moment, she caught the hem of his garment, tan fresh crisp linen, and fell face first into the dirt. The crowd rotated forward around her, all the weight and tumult with it. She lay still in the dirt, legs, curled up in arms, covering her head. But something was different in that instant. Her insides knit together, the power of God pulled flesh into flesh, and her pain dissolved. But in the center of the crowd, Jesus stopped. He had felt something. Then he turned who touched me? Beside him? Peter and Jahmin exchanged a look. 00:12:00 Speaker 2: You see this crowd pressing in on you. It could have been any one. 00:12:04 Speaker 1: Eleanna came forward. Tears of joy and embarrassment streamed down her cheeks. She felt relieved that she was healed, but ashamed that she had been caught. She knelt at his feet, trembling, half from fear and half from elation at her healing. 00:12:27 Speaker 3: She kept her head, Lord, Please do not be angry with me. Lord, it was me. I knew if I could only touch the edge of your coat, I would be healed. I knew. 00:12:40 Speaker 1: The words trailed off as Eleana felt her body again, her cramps, her fatigue, her discomfort all gone. She felt whole again, She felt clean. It was all so overwhelming. She wasn't sure that to jump for joy or run and hide. Jesus softened and the crowd became silent. Jesus urgent mission could wait. Before him was a broken and lonely child in need of attention. He knelt to her and met her eyelight. Daughter Eleana looked up at Jesus, eyes watering with sorrow and delight. His eyes were warm and kind. It had been a long time since someone had looked at her without disgust or fear. He placed a hand on her shoulder. 00:13:45 Speaker 2: Your faith has made you well. 00:13:47 Speaker 1: He helped lift Eleana to her feet and smiled. Go in peace. Eleana finally allowed herself to breathe. She sighed, and the weight of twelve years fell like bricks off her shoulders. She backed away slowly, finding it difficult to release her gaze from the one who healed her. She turned and walked. Her strides quickly turned to skips, and those skips turned into dancing. She was finally free, not just a forrrailment, but the chronic shame that a company did. 00:14:37 Speaker 4: I'm sure we can all think of an area in our life where we want to be healed. Whether it's a physical affliction, emotional scars, or perhaps a mental condition. Ailments only seem to slow us down in life. While most people would gladly receive healing in these struggles, some people may say they want healing, but when it comes down to it they actually don't want it. This isn't to say that they wouldn't take it if it was offered to them, But sometimes the fear of the unknown actually can hinder us from taking the first steps towards actual change, and sometimes fear that things won't actually change can prevent us from even trying in the first place. The man at the Pool of Bethesda was one such person. For thirty eight years, he was cast down and cast out by others. For decades, he had wondered if there was any way to change his circumstances. Day after day, he longed to be well, He longed to use his body as God had intended it, But day after day the thought of it actually happening straight from his mind and his heart. He had remained in the Pool of Bethesda because it represented a sliver of hope, but it had become somewhat comfortable. This represents the lifestyles many of us actually fall into or remain comfortable in, instead of seeking actual healing in Jesus. In the midst of despair, Jesus seeks this man out. Finding the man in the same place he laid every single day, Jesus asked the question, do you want to be made well. On the surface, it's a simple yes or no question, one that seems to have an obvious response for someone who had been stricken with paralysis his entire life. But it's not as simple as yes or no. The man doesn't respond with either expected response. Instead, he jumps into a list of excuses. Perhaps the question met his ears with a bitter sting, causing him to jump into what he rehearsed day after day, all the reasons he couldn't be healed, whether he wanted to be or not. With others likely asking him the same question over the years, especially by a place like the Pool of Bethesda, another inquiry from a stranger seemed to be the final straw. He snapped, there's people in my life who have chronic illnesses and disabilities. I myself also struggle with a chronic illness, and the question do you want to be healed? On the surface can actually seem like an insensitive one. Of course, you want to be healed. Of course, people who who struggle with illness and people who struggle with disabilities would prefer not to have it in their lives. However, the question can seem trite coming from somebody, or The question is usually preceded by a list of all these different things and methods and lifestyles and diets that people want to tell you will actually work. But the truth is, if someone has struggled for this many years, they've probably tried everything, and so you asking the question do you want to be healed? Can come across as insensitive because it's assuming that they haven't already tried everything. However, this is no ordinary man asking this question. This is Jesus, the renowned and profound healer, the Messiah, the one who had crafted this man's body in the first place, the one who knew this man before he was even born, the one who came to make all things new. When Jesus asked the question of whether or not he wants to be healed, we can eliminate any excuses we've tucked away in our back pockets. All we have to do is think deeply an answer yes or no. This man gave a lot of excuses as to why he hadn't been healed yet. But when Jesus asked us this question, do you want to change? Do you want to be better? Do you want to get up and walk again? Do you want to pick yourself up and live a life of purpose. The answer to the question needs to be yes or no, not a litany of excuses as to why we've been beaten down or why we're not where we want to be. All we have to do is think deeply about the answer, yes or no, And although the answer might seem obvious a resounding yes, we have to do some inventory of our hearts. Sometimes Jesus asks us if we want to change. Sometimes Jesus asks us if we want to be set free from a specific sin or addiction, And although we might say yes in our hearts, we actually feel no because our sin is comfortable. We're used to our lifestyle and the thought of changing might scare us. But excuses have never gotten us anyway. All they do is postpone finding healing and resolution to our problems. They're but a meager and weak attempt to protect ourselves from more pain caused by disappointment. If healing doesn't actually come, we can bat our excuses by trusting in the authority of the power of Jesus. Once we honestly answer the question. If we want to be healed, we must understand and appreciate the one who is asking us if we want to be healed. Jesus created everything and holds all things in his hand. There is nothing outside of his authority, and his power reigns over all. This means that Jesus not only has the heart to see the healed, but he also has the ability to provide what he promises. Perhaps we've been let down by others offer to help us in our affliction. While there are good intentions behind it, their effort didn't seem to measure up to our expectations. But God will never fail us when he comes with healing. Christ's ministry is filled with signs and wonders that affirm his claim to be an all powerful, an ever loving son of God. He has given us these miracles as a means to help us trust in him. Proverbs three five through six reads this, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways. Submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. We may not fully comprehend how God provides healing in our lives, but that's not what He requires for us to receive it. The road to restoration begins by trusting in Him. Whether we see what's ahead or not. But trust is only the beginning. Jesus meets us where we're at, stuck in our afflictions, and while he holds all the power to get us out of that place, he does call us to take a step of faith. He does call us to rise, pick up our beds, and walk. We get to be active participants in his miracles. We get to be active participants in the change that he wants to ignite in our lives. We get to be active participants and partners in the restoration and the freedom that we experience from addiction and from depravity and from bad head habits. Think about our story today. As Jesus looks upon the man in the pool of Bethesda, he has already provided healing when he commands him to get up. But the man will only truly experience the blessing of being healed if he actually takes a step forward. If we're not willing to take the first step of following Jesus, we'll never see where he's wanting to lead us. When we obey Jesus, he proves his might. When we obey Jesus, he proves himself to be exactly who he says he is. If you're waiting for all of the proof before you follow Jesus, you've got it backwards. Oftentimes, when Jesus calls people, he says, follow me, and then they get to discover all of his wonders. It's not the other way around. Jesus often decries people who actually ask for signs before they have faith in him. Jesus says, have faith in me, Take a step, and you will experience wonderful things. What an amazing moment when we see he has done every everything he has promised to do. And how even more incredible it is when we get to tell others about it. Just like Baruk, we get to walk in the joy of the Lord and allow that joy to overflow onto other people. We get to walk with our testimony of healing and restoration and redemption. We get to joyfully tell others what Jesus has done in our lives. God deserves our praise and he deserves us walking with confidence telling others what He's done to us and for us. David writes a revelation song and praise in Psalm one O. Three. He says, praise the Lord, O my soul, all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the Lord my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, Who satisfies your desires with good things, so that your mouth is renewed like the eagles. Don't be afraid to tell others that you've been healed by God. While some may be scared, reptical, or even judgmental of your claim, we know what's true, and God can use us to draw others to His healing, touch and restoration. The moments we feel stuck in life may seem insurmountable to us, or perhaps we like being stuck. Perhaps we still feel comfortable in our sins and our bad habits, or even our ailments. And even though Jesus offers us healing, we're reluctant to accept it because change can be scary. But let me encourage you, my friends. The change that Jesus offers, even though it might be uncomfortable and unconventional at times, is worth taking that step of faith. Even when we're stuck, God is going to work. Do you want to be made well. Deeply reflect on that in your heart today, respect his offer to bring us to healing and restoration, Trust in his power and authority, and joyfully proclaim the name of Jesus, the Ultimate Healer and the Ultimate Redeemer. Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Jesus Podcast. I've been so blessed you have given us your time and attention and your heart. As you go through this podcast, you know what to do. Rate review, make sure to follow the podcast and share it with a friend, And if you're curious about more daily devotionals, prayers and wisdom to last a lifetime, download the prey dot com app to day