Woman with an Infirmity of Eighteen Years
Tissot, James, 1836-1902. Woman with an Infirmity of Eighteen Years, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=57031 [retrieved August 19, 2022]. Original source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HealWomanSabbath.jpg.
Exploring the Text: Seen by Jesus
When the disabled woman came to the synagogue that Sabbath, she had not idea what was in store for her. For 18 years she had suffered from this disability. She had gotten to the point where she simply lived with it. On this particular Sabbath day, all of that would change. She went to the synagogue, as she probably did every Sabbath. This Sabbath was different, however, because Jesus was there. She did not go to Jesus; she did not seek him out or ask for healing. Jesus simply saw her. He saw her disability, he saw her pain, he saw her struggles, he saw her suffering, he saw her, and he understood. Jesus touched her and immediately she was healed. Her 18 years of suffering were over, because Jesus saw her.
Just as Jesus saw the woman, we need Jesus to truly see us. Sometimes we try to hide ourselves from Jesus; we try to hide our struggles, we try to hide our failures, we try to hide our weaknesses. But the only way we can be truly healed and restored by Jesus is to be seen by Jesus. We need to stop hiding our real selves and invite Jesus to truly see us.
When the disabled woman came to the synagogue that Sabbath, she had not idea what was in store for her. For 18 years she had suffered from this disability. She had gotten to the point where she simply lived with it. On this particular Sabbath day, all of that would change. She went to the synagogue, as she probably did every Sabbath. This Sabbath was different, however, because Jesus was there. She did not go to Jesus; she did not seek him out or ask for healing. Jesus simply saw her. He saw her disability, he saw her pain, he saw her struggles, he saw her suffering, he saw her, and he understood. Jesus touched her and immediately she was healed. Her 18 years of suffering were over, because Jesus saw her.
Just as Jesus saw the woman, we need Jesus to truly see us. Sometimes we try to hide ourselves from Jesus; we try to hide our struggles, we try to hide our failures, we try to hide our weaknesses. But the only way we can be truly healed and restored by Jesus is to be seen by Jesus. We need to stop hiding our real selves and invite Jesus to truly see us.