Favored

Proverbs 14:9
Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor.

It must have been incredible having Jesus Christ, in person, come to your town. Imagine, a Man who could heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast out demons, freely walking about, doing His thing. Is it any wonder that the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years came out to see Him?

She didn’t just come out to see Him, though; she came out to take from Him. Her purpose in going out on the street that day wasn’t to sow a seed of faith for prosperity, it wasn’t to give alms to the poor, and it wasn’t to clean the bathroom at the synagogue. No, her purpose was to find this Jesus, the Savior, and take from Him. Her very thoughts show us her intentions: “...If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.” (Matthew 9:21) She wasn’t putting her faith in the good works she’d done in the past, or the ones she would certainly try to accomplish in the future. Instead she was putting her faith for a monumental healing in the fact that Jesus was and is the Divine Healer. Her sins, her past, her good, and her bad didn’t matter a bit to Him (or her, for that matter), only that she came out to take what He had to give! That is a picture of true reliance on Jesus. Her unfettered willingness to come out and just take from Christ shows us all that His mission truly was to serve, not be served. (Matthew 20:28)

But how, if at all, does her story relate to this short Proverb? In the day and age that this woman lived, she was considered “unclean” according to Jewish ceremonial law. Under their rules and regulations, she shouldn’t have even left the house. Her bleeding defiled everything that she touched. Her bed, her clothes, and even the people she came in contact with would be considered ceremonially unclean. Because of the law, she was not allowed in the synagogue to worship. She most likely wouldn’t have been visited by many friends, and she certainly hadn’t been hugged for quite some time. Because of her blood issue (whatever it may have been) rumors of a sinful lifestyle would have plagued her. She had seen a number of doctors who could find no cure, but had taken her money. No one would want to be around her. She would have been mocked and alone until the day she died if it hadn’t been for Jesus.

But thankfully Christ had it in His mind to go to her town, to walk down her street. Of all the places He could have been, He chose to make Himself available to meet her need. This woman probably walked bent over, facing the ground. The Bible doesn’t give a detailed description, but I assume that she had pain associated with the bleeding issues as well. I imagine that she walked hunched over, holding her stomach, ashamed to look at the world around her. Saddened by the disease that she had, depressed and alone, how can we not assume she was stooped over toward the ground?

When she did finally touch His garment, however, she was made instantly whole. Jesus turned to see her standing there, with the fringe of His tallit still in her hand, but His response wasn’t to rebuke her for touching Him with her unclean hands. Instead, she found favor in the eyes of the King. She was finally able to stand upright, before the King of kings, as He told her she had been made well, and He called her daughter!

When the world is mocking you for sins you have committed, or for sins they have presumed you committed, remember the faith of this woman, remember the words of this Proverb. Smile and hold your head up high, for not only are you forgiven and made whole in Christ, but you have the favor of the King with you. He has taken the time to come to your street and into your neighborhood, not because it’s on His way, but because He loves you and knows that you’re aching to come out and just touch the hem of His garment. You are highly favored!