Mark 5:25 And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, 26 and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.
The problem with this woman is not just limited to something physical. In the time of the New Testament writing she would have been declared as dirty and unclean by her community.
The emotional toll on her life would have been unbelievably heavy. Isolated, lonely, unloved, unclean, desperate, no means of income.
She was full of shame.
Guilt is felt when we’ve made a mistake and we must make amends for. Shame is when we think we are a mistake.
Shame says “I am unacceptable, I am a disgrace.”
Shame makes us feel unworthy of belonging or being loved.
We live in a culture of shame. Culture is always communicating that there something wrong with you; you’re too fat, too skinny, too tall, too bald, misshapen, too dumb, and you wear sandals with socks.
But shame doesn’t win the day in this story.
27 She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. 28 For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.”
29 And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.
There was more medicine in the hem of that garment that all the pharmacies in the world.
30 And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” 31 And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 And he looked around to see who had done it. 33 But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
When that woman fell down at the feet of Jesus and for the first time in a long time she told the whole shame story.
34 “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”
The healing of the disease took place but something more happening. Peace. Wholeness. Being well not only in body, but in the soul.
Jesus begins to transfer his rightness upon her wrongness.
And Jesus transfers his love to her unloveliness.
And Jesus transfers peace to her troubled mind.
And Jesus transfers freedom to her shame.
This is what happens when Jesus meets shame.
Listen to this beautiful description of what Jesus does with our shame and our sins:
Colossians 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
This is the condition that Jesus finds us in. But just like this woman, God steps in and makes alive.
And there is no sin and there is no shame that the blood of Jesus will not cover. None.
One more aspect of being healed of shame…We can’t do this alone. Because you can’t do this alone God has accommodated with you with a family called the church.
With billions of people in the world Jesus came up with the system where nobody is lonely and it’s called the church.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Galatians 6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Romans 14:1 As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him…
Confession-Bearing one another’s burden-and Welcome / acceptance.