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Power Going Out From Me
I was reading this passage today and I find it interesting. I try to put myself in the frame of mind of one who believes regeneration precedes faith/faith as a gift and I wonder what I would do with passages like this.43 Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’" 46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:43-48)
Also as a side note, (regardlesss of those views), what make you of the fact that Jesus does not say "I have made you well" but rather "YOUR FAITH has made you well"? I find that a bit thought-provoking.
posted by Rose~ at 7:19 AM
14 Comments:
Did I make a point?
By
Rose~, at Wednesday, January 09, 2008 8:15:00 AM
You were making the point that in this passage faith precedes the communication of life.
By
Matthew Celestine, at Wednesday, January 09, 2008 8:51:00 AM
Oh yeah, I suppose I was. ;~)
By
Rose~, at Wednesday, January 09, 2008 8:54:00 AM
Rose, interesting. My mom was reading that passage yesterday and shared with me the same thing about faith. It was the woman's putting her faith into action by reaching out to touch Jesus that healed her.
So to, we must claim the promises of God by walking in faith.
God bless,
Jim
By
Jim, at Wednesday, January 09, 2008 9:29:00 AM
Thank you for commenting, Jim. I think it is really neat when soemthing is posted and a Christian in a competley different area than the poster was thinking about the same thing.
God bless you.
By
Rose~, at Wednesday, January 09, 2008 9:34:00 AM
Hi Rose
Stories like that just confirm to me that were not just dead like a rock, but that God has given us the ability to choose Him.
bleassinga alvin
By
alvin, at Wednesday, January 09, 2008 9:51:00 AM
Alvin,
Yes, but what would one of our friends say about this? I am sure they are not surprised that this is in the Bible. I know they have read it, so they must have an alternate way of looking at it than the way you and I see it.
A dead woman (dead like a corpse) surely could not bring power out from God ... nor take Him by surprise. Then again, what if she was not dead like a corpse, but actually just separated from God and suffering in the darkness and the effects of sin? Then she saw Jesus... the light of the "world"....
By
Rose~, at Wednesday, January 09, 2008 11:18:00 AM
Hi Rose
I couldn’t even imagine how hopeless she felt, twelve years bleeding like that. Spending all her money on doctors without any relief. She would have been looked upon as one unclean because of sin. Here is what the Old Testament said about a flow of blood.
Leviticus 15:25 ‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. 26 Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. 27 Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening. 28 ‘But if she is cleansed of her discharge, then she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. 29 And on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 30 Then the priest shall offer the one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her before the LORD for the discharge of her uncleanness.
Being considered unclean I can see why she would not want anyone to know she was going to touch Him. I believe she had witnessed His miralces and because of them was convinced that Jesus could heal her.
I believe Jesus not knowing who had touched Him just shows He was operating in His humanity. He had laid aside His glory. This reminds me of when Jesus said:
Matt 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,[a] but My Father only.
This to me just shows a little mystery about how Jesus was God but at the same time could operate as a man.
Blessings alvin
By
alvin, at Wednesday, January 09, 2008 12:48:00 PM
Yeah, but Rose, Jesus was fully man also, so that was the part of him that was talking to the woman. :)
What say you about that?
By
Kris, at Wednesday, January 09, 2008 8:08:00 PM
Hi Rose,
I'm not sure I see the problem with this passage that you're seeing for those who believe regeneration precedes faith.
Maybe you could elaborate a little more.
In Christ,
Ten Cent
By
Ten Cent, at Friday, January 11, 2008 9:41:00 AM
Hello Rose,
I just wanted to make sure you knew my comment here was just a wise crack trying to be funny.
anyway blessings to your day
Kris
By
Kris, at Monday, January 14, 2008 8:23:00 PM
I forgot about this until I saw your comment in the email, Kris.
Ten Cent,
the problem is that the woman was touching Christ in a effective way. She had faith and THEN she was healed. The Scripture gives no evidence that she was "regenerated" already, yet she had "faith" to access Christ's power. You can't see the problem with that for the "regeneration preceding faith" paradigm?
By
Rose~, at Tuesday, January 15, 2008 1:35:00 PM
Kris,
Wisecracks are fine. :~)
By
Rose~, at Tuesday, January 15, 2008 1:36:00 PM
Hi Rose,
You said: "She had faith and THEN she was healed. The Scripture gives no evidence that she was "regenerated" already, yet she had "faith" to access Christ's power."
I can see what you're trying to say, but I don't think this passage works for that. You're taking what relates to the physical and applying it to the spiritual. Her "regeneration" was physical and not spiritual. And if you want to make the analogy, you have to be willing to take it all the way. Because what the woman thought was, "If I just touch His garments, I will get well." So then, do we take that to mean that faith requires action? Because she never would've been "regenerated" had she not touched His garment.
So, no, I don't see a problem for those who believe regeneration precedes faith.
In Christ,
Ten Cent
By
Ten Cent, at Wednesday, January 23, 2008 1:28:00 PM
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