Lent, pt. 15

We read yesterday how the woman, who was subject to bleeding, was in Pain.

In that pain, she was driven to desperation.

However, she soon had a Problem.

Reading Mark 5:25-34 can, again, give context.

If Pain=Desperation, then Problem=Disillusionment.

Here is what I mean.

Before she found Jesus, she tried normal methods to get healing.

Doctors, medicine, etc. But none of that was not working. In fact, she was getting worse.

This disillusionment with the world’s system can sneak up on us. This is what it might look like in today’s day:

     Going to the casino because you can’t make rent this month.

     Hiring a prostitute because you can’t find a wife.

     Leaving a job because you were treated unfairly.

     Breaking up with your boyfriend because of trust issues.

     There maybe more in your life. We all can have problems.

These circumstances become problems because we don’t go to Jesus first. 

The text says that the woman was going to doctors and getting worse before she ever heard of Jesus. She was disillusioned.

But thanks be to God because we have heard of Jesus.

Ironically, He may choose to use the very problems in our lives to bring about healing.

A doctor could do surgery.

An angry spouse could have a change of heart.

You could get a raise at work.

Life with Jesus does not exclude problems. Life with Jesus gives hope through problems.

It is okay to let you Pain push you towards Desperation.

But please don’t let your Problems bring about Disillusionment.

Tomorrow, you can come back to see what part the People will play in our narrative.

 

Lent, pt. 14

To say that I am excited about this post would be an understatement.

excited

For me, this passage has been illuminated by God and I hope, in turn, that I can share that with you all.

To read the passage, go back and read Lent, pt. 13 please. That will set the stage.

To read all of Mark 5 and get the greater context, click here.


We have a woman. She is part of a large crowd and she has been subject to bleeding for twelve years. Quite an introduction!

She is in Pain. And, apparently, getting worse. For twelve years, she has been hurting. Exactly what this disease or sickness is, the bible is not clear. No matter, all we need to know is that she is pain. And again, a lot of it.

This woman’s pain is physical. But pain could also be mental, emotional, relational, or even spiritual.

Are you in pain today?

This woman’s pain pushed her to desperation. It took years for her to do something. And look what it got her. More on that in later posts.

All desperate people have something in common. They all do something.

***Are you desperate? Has your pain pushed you to a state of desperation?***

If so, what are you doing about it?

Truth is, we don’t need to wait twelve years to do something.

We can act today.

I am telling you that Jesus is right next to you. He is ready to speak or to listen. Whatever you need, He already knows it.

Tomorrow, we will take a look at what she did and why it was a Problem.