Topics – Identity in Christ, Kingdom of God, Love
Focus Scripture – Luke 8:40-59HIDESHOW
As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, a]">[a] but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
45 "Who touched me?" Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, "Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you."
46 But Jesus said, "Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me."
47 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. 48 Then he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. "Your daughter is dead," he said. "Don't bother the teacher anymore."
50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed."
51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child's father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. "Stop wailing," Jesus said. "She is not dead but asleep."
53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, "My child, get up!" 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.
Extended SummaryHIDESHOW
The woman who approaches Jesus in Luke 8:40-59 would have been considered the quintessential outsider in Jewish culture. Because of her bleeding condition, she was considered unclean and defiled by both the religious and social community. Her life was one of exclusion. Yet, when she saw Jesus, she did not consider these restrictions and intentionally moved through the crowd to touch Jesus. When she touches Jesus, he doesn’t condemn or punish her. Instead, he affirms her action as an expression of faith and calls her a daughter. Jesus made the ultimate outsider an insider.
With the example of the unclean lady, Jesus is introducing a revolutionary new way of doing life. He calls it the Kingdom of God. In the Kingdom of God, the insider-outsider distinctions have been collapsed. The fallen world in which we live creates and lives off of these “us verses them” distinctions both in social and religious contexts. However, Jesus considers these distinctions irrelevant and meaningless.
The only thing that matters to Jesus is if you are following him. If you are moving toward Jesus, you are considered an insider. You may have felt like an outsider all of your life, but the good news is that Jesus considers you on the inside, and values you with unsurpassable worth. No matter how others have treated or excluded you, know that Jesus loves you and considers you a member in the beautiful Kingdom of God.
Our job as a Kingdom people is to live lives that reflect Christ’s love. That means that the Kingdom should be the one community on the planet that’s not defined by who we exclude. Rather, it’s defined by the One (Jesus Christ) who includes all. We are all sinners and are in need of God’s grace, mercy forgiveness, and love. Therefore, we are not to judge or condemn others, but to love others as Christ loves us.
Reflection QuestionsHIDESHOW
- Read the Luke passage together (Luke 8:40-59). Share your thoughts on how Jesus treated the woman with the blood condition. How is Jesus’ response both radical and beautiful?
- What does the Kingdom of God look like?
- In what ways have you felt like an “insider” in life? How do you think others who were on the outside felt when they were excluded?
- How has Christ set you free from feeling like an “outsider” and now feeling like an “insider” in his Kingdom? Share testimonies.
- How can we individually and corporately as a group ascribe Christ’s unsurpassable love and worth to others who may feel like “outsiders” in this world?