Thursday, January 27, 2011

Reach out to Jesus (He wants you to)


Luke 8:42 As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years,[a] but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”
But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

Beth Moore pointed out in her Breaking Free Bible study that the word traslated "edge" (Kraspedon) is used for the tassels the Israelites wore on the four corners of their garments (Word Bible Commentary).

Jesus would, as all good and proper Jewish teachers of his day, worn a prayer shawl with 4 long tassels hanging down, very similar to one pictured at the top of the page.

Do you see how easy it would have been for the sick woman in Luke 8 to reach out and grab hold of the edge of Jesus's garment? Those tassels hung down. As Beth pointed out in her Breaking Free video... Jesus made himself reachable. He made himself easily reached. It wasn't hard for the sick woman to grab hold of him if he had those tassles hanging down. He purposely made himself reachable to the lowest of the low.

That hit me hard last night while I was sitting in Bible study. Sent me on a trippy-revelation-double-whammy of a thought so that I've barely been thinking of anything else. Not only could that sick woman reach out to him-- but you know what? Those tassels would have hung down LOW-real low. No matter how bent over sick, no matter how low in the gutter we are, no matter how bent down with depression or illness or sorrow we are- Jesus makes himself reachable to us. He makes himself available. Even if we can only reach out justalittletinybit-- He is there. Think you've hit rock bottom? Jesus is there.Think you couldn't possibly go any lower than you are right now? Think you're in a pit? Jesus is there. Think your eyelids are so heavy from endless nights of crying that you can no longer lift your head to look up? Jesus is there. He has made himself available--this very moment-to you. From the compassion in his heart, from the experiences in his life, to the very way he got dressed in the mornings-- his goal was to make himself available to you. All you need to do is to reach out to him-- he is reaching out to you.


Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Isaiah 40:1

2 comments:

Belle said...

Jesus reached down low for me. I was in the pit of despair and he was there. I just thank him so much for pulling me up.

Pilgrim said...

I too have been down there too many times to count, Belle. I am so glad Jesus makes himself easily reachable, or I'd be completely lost.
Pilgrim