Jesus, where we'll hear the name we long to hear

​There's a story in the bible in the book of Luke (8:40-56).

Jesus is on his way to heal a powerful community leader's daughter. A large crowd surrounds him. As they slowly move along, a woman is fighting her way through the crowd, believing if she can only touch Jesus' robe, she will be healed.

The woman, the bible tells us, had been hemorrhaging 12 years. She'd spent her life savings on doctors, but none of them had been able to cure her. And so she fights on through the crowd...

Until she gets within reach of the robe.

And then touches it.

When, the bible tells us, at that very moment - she is healed.

Jesus didn't see her touch the robe, but he felt power come out of him as she did. So he asked, “Who touched me?”

His disciples tried to downplay it. Keep Jesus moving along. They told him, look around at this crowd, Jesus - it's hard to imagine how many people have touched you. It could have been anyone.

But Jesus insisted - no - someone touched me. I felt the healing power discharge from me.

The woman knew she was busted. So she fell before Jesus. The bible tells us she was trembling - so she must have felt like she was in trouble. Even so, the bible tells us, while she was kneeling before him - she told him her story.

Her entire honest story.

And Jesus said, “Daughter, you took a risk trusting me, and now you’re healed and whole. Live well, live blessed!”

You know, that is the only place in the bible when Jesus directly called someone daughter. And it makes you wonder if the whole reason Jesus wouldn't just let it go - wouldn't follow the disciples' nudge to just keep moving - there's a little girl dying for crying out loud!! - it makes you wonder if Jesus needed to delay THAT healing for the chance to call THIS woman daughter.

The bible says he told the woman you are healed AND whole. That is a HUGE and. Because in it, Jesus acknowledged that the woman wasn't just sick, but that she was broken inside.

How many doctors had given up on her? How many continued to take her money but offered nothing? How much of her inner circle of family and friends turned their backs on her as she wrestled with her brokenness. Just how broken must she have felt?

"Daughter" - Jesus called her.

I wonder if it was the touch of the robe that healed the woman, but it was actually hearing the soft and loving voice of Jesus calling her daughter that made her whole again. I wonder if it was knowing Jesus would NOT let her go until he COULD call her daughter that made her whole again.

She'd been broken for 12 years. I wonder how long it had been since she'd been called daughter.

And oh how beautiful and encouraging it is knowing that Jesus knew that.

That Jesus KNOWS that.

Because some of us are broken. Some of us don't know where to turn. Some of us have tried everything. Some of us feel lost in this crowd of life moving on from you to tend to others.

This biblical story of healing did NOT need to include Jesus calling this woman daughter. It did NOT need to include Jesus stopping in his tracks to find out who had been healed. He could have kept going - going on to tend to others.

But he didn't.

He didn't for her. He didn't for you. He didn't for me.

And I want to encourage you. If you'll fight through the crowd. Fight through the noise of your years of pain and suffering. If you'll find a quiet place and close your eyes and imagine yourself touching the robe - I'm telling you - you can hear "daughter" - you can hear "son" - you can hear "friend" - you can hear "Keith" - you can hear the name you've been longing to hear.

The name that says I'm here to tend to you.

The name that says I know you don't feel whole, but you took a risk, you trusted, and now you are whole.

Now go live well.

Live blessed.

My sweet and precious daughter.