October 29th, 20

Caught Red-handed

Today’s readings are Job 21 and Mark 5-6.  We are reading from the new Living Translation.

She was caught red-handed.  She felt faceless in this crowd so she was as surprised as anyone when Jesus found her out.  She felt faceless and unworthy for an audience with Jesus so she felt like she had to take what she needed and what was right there in front of her.  

No one would have thought twice about the synagogue ruler, Jairus, having an audience with Jesus.  He was important and was a man of respect and recognition.  He was probably ushered to the front of the line when Jesus got out of the boat.  But not this lady. This lady had nothing. She’d lost everything.  She had spent everything, with no results.  She was living on a thread.  Everything had been taken from her and she had nothing to show for it.  It’s as if she’d been stolen from.  She thought that if she just touched the edge of his robe, if she just reached out and took this healing, then she’d be good.  She’d be healed.  The doctors took with nothing to give in return. So she was going to do, in return, what had been done to her.  She was going to reach out and grab something even though she had nothing to give in return.  She believed she could get something without having to pay for it – almost like stealing.  So she fought her way through the crowd, knelt down, reached and grabbed the very edge of his robe.  And immediately she felt that she had been freed from her suffering.  At once the bleeding stopped, and she felt like she had stolen something.  She got something she didn’t pay for.  So when Jesus stopped in the crowd and demanded that whoever it was that touched him needs to ‘fess up’, we see this very unusual response.  

She comes and kneels before him and trembles with fear.  Why is she afraid?  She feels like she has stolen something.  She had paid everything she had to try to achieve what she has now experienced.  There had been nothing to show for that.  She has nothing and so she reaches out and she gets that thing.  She would have paid for it.  But now she doesn’t have enough.  Now it feels like she has stolen something. And so she comes and trembles before Jesus.  And Jesus is so kind here.  He tells her, “Daughter (Daughter, not thief), your faith has healed you”. 

Many of you out there today feel like so much has been taken from you, and you have nothing left to show for it.  It may make you want to reach out and take too, just like this woman did.  She tried to steal something without paying for it.  But underlying it all is the woman’s faith.  This woman somehow believes that Jesus will heal her by simply touching his cloak.  Jesus says to her, Dear one, it may feel like you have stolen something from me, but you have stumbled upon the Gift I have for you.  I’m not charging for your healing.  You haven’t stolen from me.  It’s a gift!  It’s been a gift all along.  You’ve stumbled upon the Gift I have for you. 

There’s an old Scottish phrase, “caught red-handed”.  The phrase describes when a poacher was caught with the blood of the stolen animal still on his hands they were referred to as being “caught red-handed”  You might say that this woman was caught red-handed, too.  The blood that was on her hands, so to speak,  was the blood of the Lamb of God.  It was His blood that was a gift for her healing.  His blood was spilt so that her bleeding might be stopped. And she didn’t have to pay anything for it.  He paid the price for her healing and charged her nothing.  It was a gift.  This faceless woman who had nothing was living on a thread. She felt like she was stealing but really what she had done was stumble upon God’s great gift to her, and to this world.  He stops our bleeding by offering his own blood. And He’s has not charged a thing for it.  He has paid the full price.  Today, He offers this gift to you, to me, and to the whole world.  Hallelujah!

Let’s live with gratitude today.  We’ve been caught red-handed. The blood on our hands is something we can’t pay for, or steal.  It is only offered as a gift.   Somehow he has allowed us to stumble upon this great amazing gift of forgiveness and healing.  

Hear his voice say to you today, “your faith has made you well.  Go in peace.  Your suffering is over.  (Mark 5:34)

You are loved!