The Wonder Of Emmanuel, God With Us

“for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.  Everything was created through him and for him.” – Colossians 1:16. 

Wondering about the wonder of God is always worthwhile. But the wonder of wonders is God with us. Jesus is the one who is God with us.

The story of God with us begins with the birth of Jesus Christ. God becomes human to walk among us, and teach us, and love us in radical and liberating ways. The beauty of God with us is that God didn’t come to us in the form of a Hercules type Demi-God, almost human, but stronger, faster, richer, and better in every way. No Emmanuel came to dwell among us, as one of us. God with us came to be in the midst of two ordinary people. God with us came to be in human form through Mary and Joseph. There wasn’t anything special that Mary and Joseph had done, just as there’s nothing we can do, to make ourselves more worthy of God with us. God is with us in spite of our imperfections and our struggles and our sin. Still, God with us remains with us and dwells in us.

Though He was born thousands of years ago, He is still Emmanuel, God with us, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. In his book, Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer writes that “we need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts.”

That time thousands of years ago in Bethlehem is still happening now right here in our midst. We still celebrate with awe the wonder of God with us both as it manifests within us now and in all the ways it has shown up throughout history. This is certainly “good news that will bring great joy to all people,” as the angels proclaimed among the shepherds on that night in Bethlehem and still resonates today. 

God is constantly offering us wonderful glimpses of His presence with us in our world. Yet, too often, we don’t notice because we’re so preoccupied with the details of our lives that we don’t look beyond them to what God is showing us. If your focus has shrunk down to just trying to get through each day, it’s time to enlarge your perspective so you can enjoy an abundant life. 

There is much we cannot understand about our world. We cannot fathom why the innocent suffer, why evil has such opportunity, why God does not make things better right now. But, we do know something that keeps us going, something that strengthens us in the midst of sorrow and confusion. We know that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. In our pain and puzzlement, God is with us. In our sadness and yearning, God is with us. In our doubt and fear, God is with us. Through Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit, God is with us. And not just with us, but for us, beside us, before us, behind us, within us, and among us. So we are comforted, even as we pray, “O Come, O come, Emmanuel.”

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you personally appreciate the most about the fact that God came to earth to be in relationship with us? 
  2. How does the reality of Emmanuel – God with us, impact your daily walk of faith? In the good times? In the bad times? 

The Wrath of God

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and wrathful; the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty…Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him. The Lord is good… But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of the adversaries, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.” – Nahum 1:2-8.     

Preaching on the wrath of God is not very common these days. It is not too often you hear a sermon, or read an article, or listen to a podcast on the wrath of God. It’s too disconcerting and too dark. And it can seem cruel. The reason many Christians struggle with understanding the wrath of God is that it seems like it’s opposed to God’s love.  If you understand wrathful as vengeful, then it might be hard to reconcile these two attributes of God. But if the wrath of God is simply His righteous judgment against sinful humanity, then there is really no conflict between the two. All of humanity is deserving of punishment. And a righteous God would correctly give us what we have earned. But God is also love. And He has provided a way of redemption; faith in the atoning blood of His Son.

The concept of God’s wrath can be challenging for us to understand. And that, in large part, is probably due to confusing it with human wrath. Merriam-Webster defines wrath as “strong vengeful anger.” The idea is that someone has wronged me, and I am making every effort to hurt them as much as I can. Human wrath is generally not considered a commendable attribute. But is that what God’s wrath is? Getting revenge on humans who have offended him? God’s wrath is not angry retribution against those who have offended God. Rather it is His righteous judgment against those who do evil. God is righteous. And he will judge us according to His righteous standard. God’s wrath against sinners is nothing more than giving them what they deserve. J.I. Packer summarizes: “God’s wrath in the Bible is never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary reaction to objective moral evil” (Knowing God. 151).

To understand the wrath of God is to understand how much God hates sin. We may occasionally view sin lightly, to gloss over its effects on our life, and even make excuses for the sins in our life. But reading the Bible gives a clear picture that God abhors sin. We need to fear God and to fear His wrath because our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.”  

For those who respond to God’s offer of salvation, His righteous judgment is satisfied by Jesus’ sacrifice. God’s desire is that all be saved: “The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. (2 Peter 3:9) So God’s wrath would be truly terrifying if it was not satisfied in Christ. In saving us from His own wrath, God has done what we could not do, and He has done what we didn’t deserve. It is the ultimate good news. 1 Timothy 1:15 says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” Romans 3:26 says “for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.”   

The hope for sinners is that between us and the wrath of God stands the cross of Jesus. Sin was laid on Jesus and when it was done, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “It is finished!” Then Christ rose from the dead, and He stands before you today, a living Savior. He offers to you the priceless gift of peace with God. He is ready to forgive your sins and fill you with His Spirit. He is able to save you from the wrath and reconcile you to the Father. He has opened the door of heaven, and He is able to bring you in.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Does the concept of God’s wrath concern you? Why?
  2. Should we fear and tremble before God? Why or why not?

Following Jesus

“Following Jesus is more than nodding a head, raising a hand, or repeating a prayer – though someone coming to Christ can do any of those. Following Jesus is not returning to life as usual, the only difference being that we’re now going to Heaven. Following Jesus is abandoning trust in ourselves, surrendering all we are and have to Him. This, and nothing less, is discipleship.” – Randy Alcorn

What does following Jesus mean? Following Jesus sounds so simple, but is it that simple? Once we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are agreeing to submitting or surrendering ourselves to Him, to pattern our lives after Him, and to place our relationship with Him above our own will and desires. Following Jesus is a life-changing commitment to be taken seriously.

Matthew 4:21-22 says, “A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.”  They immediately followed Him. Today, we tend to resist a new direction if it means leaving the comfortable to embrace the great unknown. We weigh the potential sacrifice before we agree to serve. But James and John didn’t hesitate.

Jesus called them, and smack in the middle of relationships, responsibilities, and very real life, they left all that they had and followed Him. No deliberation, no dramatic persuasion, no obsession with personal agendas, and no holding onto the past.  They went immediately.  

This one thing that was true in Biblical times as it is in 2020 is this: the rate at which we are willing to follow Jesus is directly proportional to the proximity of our relationship with Him at that moment. James and John were instantly convinced to follow Jesus because they believed He was who He said He was. Yes, they had a lot to learn and sometimes learned slowly, but through it all, they trusted that following Jesus was greater than anything this world had to offer. Because they trusted they were transformed. They changed because they left everything that had the potential to come between them and an intimate life-altering relationship with Jesus.

Following Jesus is making a very personal, individual decision. It is a choice everybody is offered and must choose through faith. Following Jesus is not about religion. Following Jesus is to learn to live your real, present life with all its responsibilities, relationships, and roles as Jesus would live it if it were His. Then start to use every means available to learn more about Jesus and to understand His teaching. Reading the four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—is a good starting point to come to know Jesus and His ways more fully.

The final step is making a decision. We decide to follow Jesus. We commit to listening to Him, to obeying Him, and to allowing Him to shape our lives. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. What does following Jesus mean to you? 
  2. Why is it useful to know more about Him to effectively follow Him?  What can we do this week to increase our knowledge of Him? 

Seeing Jesus

That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. But God kept them from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.” – Luke 24: 13-18.

I love the story about the Emmaus road found in Luke 24. It is such an impactful story because it is not about super-Christians; it is about Jesus traveling with normal people, meeting them where they were at, slowly showing Himself to them. It is a story that reveals to us not only something about who we are but how Jesus opens our eyes to see Him for who He is and about how we can come to know Him.

As Jesus walks with the two men, He does two things to reveal Himself to them. The first is that He takes them through the Scriptures. They basically have a Bible study on the road, a Bible study specifically about how the whole Old Testament pointed to Jesus. This brought them closer to knowing Jesus, they didn’t want Him to leave them after they reached their destination. Jesus joined them and then they participated in something important, the breaking of bread. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, and broke it. It was at that point that the men recognized Jesus.`

 Unfortunately, we don’t yet get to see Jesus like they did so Luke wants us to go to the Scriptures to see Him. The more we understand God’s word the more our hearts will burn for God. You want to sense God’s presence? You want to know Jesus is alive? Dive into God’s word. When you can’t see Jesus, look to the Scriptures. Don’t forget to spend some time focusing on the resurrection—Jesus rising from the dead. The two men on the road to Emmaus did. 

Luke 24:33-35 says, “And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who had gathered with them, who said, “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter.” Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.” Jesus is the one and final sacrificial lamb that takes away the sins of the world. Of course the resurrection happened because that was the plan all along. When you can’t see Jesus, look to the Scriptures and to His resurrection.

We all have to take the road to Emmaus. The journey is longer for some of us than others. What matters is that we don’t take the journey alone. Jesus walks with us and one day we will see Jesus as He really is. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. How well do you know the attributes of God?
  2. What can you do this week to increase your knowledge of the attributes of God? 

Wanting More Of Jesus

 “After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.'” John 21:15. 

Love they say makes the world go round. More songs and poems have been written about love than just about any other subject. And yes – love is absolutely essential in our lives. From the moment we’re born until when we die. So why is it that so many people don’t experience love in their lives? Real love – the sort of unconditional love that Jesus was referring to when He and Peter had a heart to heart talk in John 21.  

There is a strong message contained in Jesus’ conversation with Peter. Each one of us can benefit from asking ourselves the same question that Jesus asked Peter: “…do you burn with love for me more than these.” What did Jesus mean when He said “more than these“? He could have meant, “Peter, do you love Me more than you love your friends, your family, or the other disciples?” Or Jesus could have meant, “Do you love Me more than you love these boats, these fishing nets, and this profession and lifestyle?” 

Peter had gone back to fishing for fish rather than for men. He and the other disciples had been out all night fishing, and they hadn’t caught anything. So Jesus could have meant, “Do you love Me enough to give up all this so you can follow Me and preach the gospel? Do you want more of Me than anything this world can offer? Do you want more of Me even in difficult circumstances?”

“Do you love me?” (John 21:15) That’s a very convicting question, a simple question we should ask ourselves: do you love Jesus? The answer would probably reflect Peter’s answer, “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” But a second question is needed. The additional question is “what are the ‘more than these’ in my life?'” The secret of service to the Lord Jesus Christ lies in the answer to the question, “Do you love Jesus more than anything else in the world?”  

If we really love Jesus, we will follow Him with all of our heart. If we really love Jesus, we will want to be like Him. And if we want to be like Him, that will change the way we think, speak, and act. It will change what we do and where we go. And still we will want more. And more.  

Your marching order as a follower of Christ is spelled out in Galatians 2:20: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.“ This life is not your own. So if you’ve died to self, there’s no more of you – only Him living through you. With each choice that comes your way, you exercise more of Him and less of you when you ask “God, how would you decide this? What would You want? I’m Yours, so the choice is Yours, too.”

Discussion Question:

  1. How would you rate your desire to have more of Jesus? 
  2. What can we do this week to exercise more of Him and less of us? 

Is it Easy Or Hard To Follow Jesus?

“When we come to Christ, we’re no longer the most important person in the world to us; Christ is. Instead of living only for ourselves, we have a higher goal: to live for Jesus.” – Billy Graham

Do you remember that one time when Jesus said those famous words that have echoed throughout history and inspired countless followers, “Follow Me and life will be grand”? It’s in Matthew or is it in Luke. Actually, it is in neither because Jesus never said it. While we may wish Jesus did express that idea, He didn’t. Not even close. It can be difficult to try to apply all of Christ’s teachings to our lives. So is following Jesus easy or hard? The answer is yes.  

Jesus didn’t come to burden us with more rules. There was a time when there was an extensive  list of expectations and regulations that each person had to follow to be right with God. But Jesus offered us an alternative to that impossible mandate—one much easier to grasp: “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’No other commandment is greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

We don’t have to perform to a certain standard to earn God’s love. We already have it. We don’t need to make life harder by doing tasks we think will make God love us more. In fact, loving God is simple. It’s not easy, but it’s simple. Loving God and loving people—all people, all the time—is where it gets hard. Because we live in a broken world, with broken people and broken systems and broken things, life is never going to be easy. Jesus promised us that. Life will be so hard, in fact, that we should take it one day at a time. But He also promised us something else, something no one else has ever promised. He told us that He’s never leaving us. “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

Love God; love people. But that doesn’t mean we’ll have a trouble-free life. In fact, quite the opposite. Your car will break down at inconvenient times. Your iPhone will get cracked. And despite all your precautions, you may catch COVID-19. The world is full of difficult circumstances and difficult people.  

So don’t be confused about life and all of the hard, weighty decisions it brings with it each day. Make it simple. Strip away everything that’s not you loving God and loving His people (that’s everybody). Start with Jesus, and then build up from there. Life won’t ever be easy, but when the burden gets too heavy, you’ll never have to carry it alone.

Jesus didn’t come to confuse us. He came to love us and to show us the way to peace. He’s our ultimate example, and what’s more, He told us that we would do even greater things than He did.  So, go do it. Four simple words: Love God, love people. Easy or hard? Yes, it is. 

Discussion Questions:

  1. In your opinion is it hard or easy to follow Jesus? 
  2. What can we do this week to love God and love others a little better?  

A Jealous God

 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. — Exodus 20:4-5.

If we were asked to list God’s “traits” or “characteristics” or “qualities” that come to mind,  we would probably come up with: God is holy, ever-present, loving, just, faithful, righteous, merciful, sovereign and all-powerful to name a few.  But I doubt anybody would see the green eyed monster of jealously as a trait, or attribute of God. Yet in the Bible, God speaks repeatedly of His jealously. Exodus 34:15 says, “You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.” And Nahum 1:2 says “The Lord is a jealous God…” 

Hear the word jealous, and images of an insecure husband may come to mind. Or that new car in your neighbor’s driveway or that new diamond pendant she is wearing around her neck. Jealously does not seem productive or positive. So how could a perfect, loving, patient God call himself jealous?  Despite any confusion, we must not reject or neglect this important aspect of God’s character. The jealousy of God is an attribute that pervades the pages of Scripture and is an essential part of God’s love. 

But to appreciate God’s jealousy we first need to properly understand it. God’s jealousy is His righteous and loving demand for exclusive faithfulness from His covenant people. If He does not care when we love other things in our life more than Him, He would allow Himself to be dishonored and let us settle for so much less than He intends us to have from life. God’s jealous love demands the best of us and our relationships.

We should all find the fact that God is a jealous God encouraging. God is jealous of us because He loves us. We are not just casual acquaintances but people for whom He cares deeply.

In the Old Testament He declared, “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: My love for Mount Zion is passionate and strong; I am consumed with passion for Jerusalem!”(Zechariah 8:2). This theme continues in the New Testament, where we read, “For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:2). It is the same attitude loving parents have toward their children, or a godly husband for his wife. It is an attitude of maximum compassion, maximum attachment, maximum commitment, with no room for compromise.

Remember that God is jealous toward you. That is how much He cares for you. But never forget to worship Him and Him alone.  

Discussion Questions:

  1. How would you describe the feeling of jealousy, and when have you experienced it?
  2. Why do you think God would use this word jealousy to reveal Himself to us? 
  3. How can we remove or minimize the allure of “idols” in our lives” and look for practical ways we can give our attention and focus to the things God is passionate about? 

Thanksgiving In 2020

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.” – Psalm 100: 4-5.             

What emotions do you feel as you mull over the approaching holiday season? Peace, joy, and thankfulness? There is no doubt this has been a year unlike any other in recent history. We continue to suffer from the unrelenting Covid-19 pandemic that has ravaged our country and world since early 2020. We have seen riots and social unrest as our country tries to understand and address the racial and social issues that have divided us for so long. We have endured a long and tumultuous presidential election that has given rise to uncertainties and fears on both sides of the political perspective. It is no wonder that so many of us are carrying the stress and anxiety of these times like a heavy weight around our shoulders. Where does a person find hope when life at times seems so out of control? How can we, as a people of faith, give thanks even in times such as these?

When we give thanks, we bring to mind God’s gifts to us. This, in turn, reminds us of God’s gracious nature. We think, not just of what God has done, but also of who God is. Thus, giving thanks is a beginning, not an end in itself. In the language of Psalm 100, we enter God’s gates with thanksgiving so that we might go into His courts with praise. There’s no biblical rule that states that thanks must always come before praise. But, for many of us, thanksgiving for what God has done leads us to praise God for who He is.

Thanksgiving is a season of being grateful. Thanksgiving reminds us of all the things to be grateful for. One reason that we fail to thank God now for what we have is that we want more – we want the next step. We fool ourselves into thinking that when we get more or when we get to the next step that then we will stop to thank Him. But that suggests we should not be grateful for what God is doing in our lives as part of His plan for each of us. And that means being thankful even when we are facing setbacks.

We should be thankful because God is worthy of our thanksgiving. It is only right to credit Him because “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father,”  (James 1:17). Expressing thankfulness helps us remember that God is in control. Thankfulness, then, is not only appropriate; it is actually healthy and beneficial to us. It reminds us of the bigger picture, that we belong to God, and that we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). 

All of us have a lot to be thankful for this time of year. But not only should we give thanks during the holidays, but we should also give thanks to God every day of the year.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How is it possible to give thanks even in 2020?
  2. For what are you most grateful today?

What Is God Like?

“I recommend to you Jesus Christ, the unchanging One. I recommend to you God’s answer to your questions, God’s solution to your problems, God’s life for your dying soul, God’s cleansing for your sin-cursed spirit, God’s rest for your restless mind, and God’s resurrection for your dying body. For advocate above, I recommend Him to you. You will find Him to be all He ever was–the very same Jesus.” ― A.W. Tozer, The Attributes of God: Deeper into the Father’s Heart

What is God like? What kind of God is He? How may we expect Him to act toward us and toward all created things? It is truly impossible to grasp what God is like. He is one of a kind, and there is nothing, really, to compare Him to as Isaiah 40:25 points out: “To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One.” But the Bible speaks of God’s many attributes; those characteristics that help us understand who God is – both eternally and for us personally. 

Worthwhile relationships are based on knowledge. When we meet someone for the first time, we do not consider that we really know that person until we have the opportunity to learn more about that person, such as his or her history, personality, likes, dislikes, and desires. In the same way, a vibrant relationship with God must be rooted in a firm understanding of who He reveals Himself to be in His Word.

Obviously, it is impossible to delve deeply into the attributes of God in a 500 word devotional. But it is important that we realize that how you view God and His involvement in your life touches every facet of who you are. Everything about your life — your desires, motives, attitudes, words, and actions — is influenced by your perception of who God is. And you’ll be changed when you realize the awesome greatness of God and the value He places on you. The more accurate your understanding of who God really is and how He is involved in your life, the more highly motivated you will become to excel to use your time, talents, and abilities for His glory.

What is God like? He is completely trustworthy. He has unlimited abilities, so He makes the impossible possible. He is all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing, and sovereign. Nothing is too difficult for Him. God is morally perfect in every way, so He will always do the right thing. He is holy, absolutely truthful, righteous, and just. And God is totally committed to His relationship with you. He is loving, merciful, and faithful, and He never changes. He will always do what is best for you. And even in the tough times of 2020, God is with you, and He wants to help you.

Allow the truth about Him and His attributes and character to transform you. Only then will you experience God’s best and become all He wants you to be. I encourage you to learn more about Him and His nature and character by studying and understanding what the scriptures say about the attributes of God.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How well do you know the attributes of God?
  2. What can you do this week to increase your knowledge of the attributes of God? 

The Great Physician

 ” In the crowd that day was a woman who had suffered greatly for twelve years from slow bleeding. Even though she had spent all that she had on healers, she was still suffering. Pressing in through the crowd, she came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel[s] of his prayer shawl. Instantly her bleeding stopped and she was healed. Jesus suddenly stopped and said to his disciples, “Someone touched me. Who is it?”…When the woman realized she couldn’t hide any longer, she came and fell trembling at Jesus’ feet. Before the entire crowd she declared, “I was desperate to touch you, Jesus, for I knew if I could just touch even the fringe of your robe I would be healed.”Jesus responded, “Beloved daughter, your faith in me has released your healing. You may go with my peace.” – Luke 8:43-48. 

The “bleeding woman” represents both the power of the Great Physician and living a COVID-19 type of life. Here is why: when she first comes to Jesus, we’re told she’d “had a discharge of blood for twelve years”, and though she “spent all her living on physicians she could not be healed by anyone” (Luke 8:43 ESV). 

Israel had laws for contagious diseases, so this woman was socially distancing for 12 years. Like many of us, she was lonely, shut in her house without the benefit of the internet or Zoom to keep up with what was going on and keep in contact with others.  In addition, the bleeding woman is in economic distress. She’s spent “all her living” on doctors. The bank account is empty, her hope dried up along with her money. Many people have lost their jobs due to the pandemic as businesses strain to stay afloat. It will take time for the economy to fully recover. But most importantly, she is sick. Her life is in jeopardy if nothing changes. COVID-19 has confronted us with our mortality, bringing us face to face with the harsh truth that we’re not invincible. We’re all “in jeopardy” in one way or another as COVID cases continue to climb. So what can we do? What does she do? Where do we or she go? Is there any hope for her and our condition? The answer to those questions is Jesus. 

The woman reaches out to Jesus and finds out that Jesus is the one who is contagious: She doesn’t get Him dirty; He makes her clean. She doesn’t transfer her impurity to Him; He transfers His purity to her. She doesn’t give Him her sickness; the Great Physician gives her His wholeness. The same is true for us. Christ is the Great Physician who draws close to care for us—the sick and wounded. He knew how contagious our condition was, yet He came to earth. He came knowing that absorbing our sin affliction was the only cure. 

The bleeding woman gives us a glimpse of the final victory. The question is not “if I get healed” but “when I get healed.” Heaven is our final destination. Sickness and death don’t have the last word. But until then, we can experience the care and healing of the Great Physician today.  As the sick, broke, and lonely, we can reach out for comfort and help. The Great Physician is the One who can make us whole.

Discussion Question:

  1. Do you view Jesus as the Great Physician? Why or why not? 
  2. If Jesus is the Great Physician, how does that change how we look at sickness and healing?