While Jesus was on Earth, He had numerous encounters with people of various social classes and ethnicities. While some people did not accept Him, those who followed Him received the distinction of being called the “children of God” (John 1:12). What a privilege! Our Messiah walked the dusty roads of this world, imparting life and hope, restoring dignity and self-esteem.
Every human being, regardless of their condition, is valuable in His eyes. For this reason, the Lord Jesus left His throne of honor and glory to come to this dark world to give us everything that the devil stole from us (John 10:10).
Many of Jesus’ noted encounters were with women, to whom He imparted forgiveness and hope. For example, even when He was in agony on the cross, Jesus asked John to care for His mother (John 19:25–27). And at His resurrection, He first showed Himself to the women who were crying because of His death and His apparent disappearance, and He even sent them to share the extraordinary news: Jesus lives (Matthew 28; John 20).
In the society in which the Son of God was born, women were seen as insignificant, almost as mere ornaments, condemned to live without even expressing their opinions. But Jesus raised each woman as a representation of the gospel on the stage of Redemption’s drama.
One of those women received healing and care through a genuine act of faith (Mark 5:25–34). This woman had been hemorrhaging for 12 years, and no one could cure her. The Bible says that she pushed her way up through a crowd to Jesus, hoping only to touch the hem of His robe. When she finally managed to touch His tunic, her flow of blood stopped instantly (Mark 5:29).
This woman felt so insignificant and impure that she wanted to go unnoticed. But that was impossible with Jesus. She was discovered because “each is tenderly watched by the heavenly Father. No tears are shed that God does not notice.”1
Christ notices the difference
Unfortunately, many go through life today, thinking, Nobody cares about me. My life has no value. Such was the sad story of the famous singer-songwriter Chester Bennington, the lead vocalist of the rock band Linkin Park, who took his own life. The lyrics from one of the songs from his band’s last album state, “Who cares if one more light goes out? In a sky of a million stars. . . . Who cares if one more light goes out?”2
If you have ever felt as if these lyrics apply to you, I want to tell you that there is Someone who would notice the difference if your little light were missing among the billions. His name is Jesus Christ. He is eager to perform a miracle of love in your life, as He did with the woman who wanted to go unnoticed.
While the laws on uncleanliness in the book of Leviticus would have condemned Jesus’ act of healing (Leviticus 15:19–25), even the most delicate being in His creation received special attention from the Savior. The woman was freed from all feelings of guilt, and she was treated with respect and dignity.
Jesus raised her from the dirty, sandy ground and called her “daughter,” affirming that her faith had saved her (Mark 5:34). Finally, He sent her home, wholly healthy and happy.
The same can happen for us today if we come to Him in faith. We will discover that Jesus has no prejudices and cares for each life as if it were the only one in all God’s vast and infinite universe.
Women came to Jesus and became His disciples (Luke 8:1–3),
women wept for Him when He suffered (Luke 23:27–29),
and women were the first to announce His victory over death (Luke 24:22, 23).
1. Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 86.
2. Linkin Park, “One More Light,” Mike Shinoda and Francis White, track 9 on One More Light, Warner Bros. and Machine Shop, 2017.
The author is a teacher and writes from Atlanta, Georgia.
