The designation of being unclean...
Illustration
Object:
The designation of being unclean (Matthew 9:18-26) was a devastating thing for the
Jewish female. What she wore was unclean, what she touched was unclean. The bed she
slept on was unclean (see Leviticus 15:25- 27). Whoever touched the things she had
touched was unclean.
There were many superstitious ways to stop the hemorrhaging. One was to carry the ashes of an ostrich egg in a linen bag in summer and in a cotton bag in winter. Another was to carry a barleycorn, which had been found in the dung of a white donkey. This woman had tried everything and became worse.
In summary, a woman with an unnatural discharge of blood was unclean. Touching someone else made them unclean, and the unclean person was not eligible to worship with others.
This woman should not have been in a crowded place. But believing in Jesus, she was willing to risk further reproach. And Jesus, knowing all along what she was facing, did not pull back from her as everyone else did.
For a moment it seemed that no one else existed. She alone had the full attention of Jesus. No one is lost in the crowd when Jesus comes.
Her faith was evident when she said, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well ... and instantly the woman was made well" (Matthew 9:21, 23).
There were many superstitious ways to stop the hemorrhaging. One was to carry the ashes of an ostrich egg in a linen bag in summer and in a cotton bag in winter. Another was to carry a barleycorn, which had been found in the dung of a white donkey. This woman had tried everything and became worse.
In summary, a woman with an unnatural discharge of blood was unclean. Touching someone else made them unclean, and the unclean person was not eligible to worship with others.
This woman should not have been in a crowded place. But believing in Jesus, she was willing to risk further reproach. And Jesus, knowing all along what she was facing, did not pull back from her as everyone else did.
For a moment it seemed that no one else existed. She alone had the full attention of Jesus. No one is lost in the crowd when Jesus comes.
Her faith was evident when she said, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well ... and instantly the woman was made well" (Matthew 9:21, 23).
