For our sake, our Lord became poor. He became one of us, in our humble form, so that He might save us. Can you imagine existing in the form of God, and then taking on the humble human form? To take on all the limitations and discomforts of a physical existence after having existed in a glorified form. Yet this is exactly what He did for us, so that we might be saved. This could only happen with an advocate who knows all of our issues, because He was one of us, and can now represent us as High Priest perfectly. This could not have happened without His being one of us, and thereby having that intimate experience of our form.
If we take the time to think about this kind of sacrifice that our Lord made on our behalf, it paints an entirely new picture in terms of our debt, and what should be the actions of our gratitude. At the very least, it should tell us that we can fully rely on our Lords promises and the love that He has for each of us. This was something that I think the woman in the crowd knew innately and because of that, she had the courage to make that amazing leap of faith. She said nothing, yet she told herself that if she but touched the tassel of our Lord’s garment, she would be healed. Think about that – she didn’t ask for anything, she didn’t even think it necessary for Him to lay his hands upon her, as she had doubtlessly heard He had done for others to heal them. She simply took it in faith that by even touching His garment, she could be healed, because she sensed and knew who He was.
This kind of leap of faith is not impossible for us either. It does require us to really delve deep within ourselves and ask the question – what do I really believe? Do I believe that Jesus is God? Do I believe that He loves me? Do I believe that all things are possible for Him? For a lot of us, this can lead to some struggling, because we suffer from what I call “it’s too good to be true syndrome” when it comes to this leap of faith. We’ve learned about our Lord over the years of going to church, and perhaps through formal instruction, and perhaps our own studies. Yet there is still that “what if” that lingers within us and makes us doubt. That is the very essence of original sin. Remember, it was through doubt that Adam and Eve transgressed and allowed the devil to convince them that they should ignore the Lord’s command. This same flaw is the one we still struggle with at times. That is when it is necessary to drop back and spend some time in reflection. I am not talking about a few minutes here and there; I am speaking of some real dedicated time spent in contemplating what we believe. Unlike most things in our instant gratification trained world, we will not be able to take mere moments and come to true faith. It didn’t happen for the prophets, the Saints, and the Church Fathers, and it probably isn’t going to work for us. What all of these folks had in common, was periods of time spent in solitude and reflection. I am not saying we need to trudge off into the desert, but I am saying we need to find someplace of quiet, and preferably solitude, and invest the time to really try to resolve some of our issues. This is also not a one-time thing, it is something we will need to make a practice of, and it is worth it – believe me. To not only resolve things in our own minds, but to establish a real channel of communication with the God of the universe who exists beyond our physical reality, we need to have silence and space where we can hear the quiet voice that He comes to us in. The same voice that spoke within the woman who had the courage and trust to touch the tassel of our Lord’s robe and know that she would be healed by doing so.
Podcast Link
The Deacons Bench 