You Say
God brings us back to visibility despite how the world views us.
Recently, I had another one of those discouraging moments. I was in a church forum where women’s abilities were being discussed, and there were differing opinions on whether women could or should do certain things within the Church. I’m not really here to write about that. Quite honestly, the debate makes me tired. For every person who wants to present their biblical reasons for complementarianism, I can do the same for egalitarianism. I’ve done my homework. I can bring the receipts.
But the conversation did make me particularly susceptible to hearing our Sunday sermon a little differently than I have in the past. Here was our text - Matthew 9:20-22 -
A woman who had suffered from severe bleeding for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I touch his cloak, I will get well.”
Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, my daughter! Your faith has made you well.” At that very moment the woman became well.
On this occasion, in describing the woman’s condition, our pastor for the week noted that this has been assumed to be some hemorrhage of the uterus. In essence, this woman was unusual, diseased perhaps, singularly outcast. Let’s pause on that a moment and peel back the curtain of womanhood (hang in there, guys).
What we know from the Old Testament is that any woman with bleeding was considered unclean. Did you know that by age 50, 80% of women experience fibroids, and 25-50% of those women will have heavy bleeding? That’s just one of multiple conditions that can affect women throughout their lives that would have put them in the “unclean” category. Now, imagine we’re back in Jesus’ day when the medical interventions we have today for women weren’t available.
Here’s another thing I’ve picked up along the way. As women get into their 50s and 60s, I’ve heard them say they become invisible to society. These women express that as they lose their youthful looks and energy, they also lose value to the society that puts so much stock in eternal youth. Some women love that they can now get along with their lives without unwanted scrutiny, but others express a sense of loneliness and loss, a lack of worth.
Now, back to biblical times, imagine how many women experienced the same suffering and isolation as the woman in Matthew, without access to remediating medical care, cut off from their community because of a body they couldn’t control.
When Jesus encountered this woman, He felt her. He saw her. He made this invisible woman visible to all. She wasn’t just a woman with a disease. She represented all women who live out this reality and need hope and encouragement to step out boldly in faith even when society no longer sees them.
You may not be a woman dealing with issues like this. But there are so many ways we can and do exclude others, for all kinds of reasons. We can be very good at making people feel unseen, unloved, and not worthy because of one thing or another. But Jesus sees us. He knows us. And our worth is never in question in His estimation.
If you enjoyed Lauren Daigle’s rendition of America the Beautiful at the Super Bowl this year, you’ll really enjoy her song, You Say. Listen and let God remind you that you are always visible to Him. He sees you for who He made you to be.
Praises & Prayer Requests
Praise God for 1 year with American Bible Society! What an incredible privilege! Our February Board meetings were also a wonderful time to look back at a great year and look ahead with great anticipation.
Praise God for a recent church retreat where we spent time in conversation with others and perhaps planted the seeds of future friendships.
Praise God for encouraging progress at Partners International, an organization where I serve as Board Chair. Grateful to see God’s hand at work each step of the way!
Thanks for joining us in prayer for these requests:
Pray for wisdom for Tim and me as we attend our church’s membership class this week. We’re trying to discern if now is the right time to join or whether we should wait.
We’re planning a local college visit soon to help Katie solidify her thinking. Continue to pray for her as she makes decisions there.
The winter has been full of pesky illnesses and minor health problems. Pray that we can stay healthy (and maybe all at once for a change!)
Thanks for praying with us! Let us know how we can pray for you!
Winter’s been good, but we’re ready for spring… How about you?
