Curtain of Hurt

Every one of us gets hurt in some way. Hurt can be like a curtain that hangs down in front of us, preventing us from making progress. It is quite remarkable how one person’s hurt can be of little or no consequence to others, but is strongly felt by that individual.

“And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.”

But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.”

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” Luke 8:43-48

Hurt comes in many forms.

• Failed ambitions / dreams

• Job loss / rejection

• Loss of a loved one

• Sporting failure

• Ill health

• Ostracism in a community

• Racial intolerance

• Financial collapse

• Business collapse

For the wahine in Luke 8:43-48 her curtain marked no hope. She suffered from an incurable health issue which resulted in total poverty, while living in a prejudiced society and carrying shame and fear.

What were her options to her hurt?

• Give up

• Get angry

• Grumble about the unfairness of life

• Go toward Jesus and touch His cloak

Only by choosing Jesus would she have the hurt behind her and move away from feeding negativity. She would then have a positive forward momentum and realise the benefits of a new experience.

How do we face our curtain of hurt?

• Does it hang in front of us stopping us from moving forward?

• Do we allow it to feed negatively into our already sad situation? Fabian Pelous said “I will feel bitter for the rest of my life” after England defeated France at the Rugby World Cup.

• Does it block us from seeing new ways of dealing with life and unexpected changes?

• Or will it be the doorway which, when we pass through, we can start afresh?

We are at our most vulnerable during this time, but Jesus Christ stands on the “other” side to heal and guide us into new dimensions of living.

The wahine in our story went through her curtain of hurt to be blessed by the healing power of Jesus Christ. He welcomes us to do the same, whatever variety of curtain we have.

Three Points to Consider:

1. Many people were “touching” Jesus, but only the wahine who intentionally sought his touch received His power.

Just because we say we are followers of Jesus, doesn’t mean we are always walking in touch with Him.

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demonsinyournameandperformedmany miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.”

Matthew 7:21-23

2. Jesus knew as soon as He was touched, that healing power had gone from Him to the wahine.

The Creator of the universe is fully aware of every individual person who reaches out to Him for help.

“Haere mai ki ahau, e koutou katoa e māuiui ana, e taimaha ana, ā māku koutou e whakaokioki.”

Matiu 11:28

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’” Matthew 11:28

3. The touch of the wahine was an act of faith and was rewarded, but Jesus wanted her to have far more and valued a personal relationship with her.

“Tangohia tāku ioka ki tou e ahau; he ngākau māhaki hoki tōku, he ngāku pāpaku; ā, e whiwhi koutou ki te okiokinga mō ō koutou wairua. He ngāwari hoki tāku ioka, he māmā tāku pīkaunga.”

Matiu 29-30

“Allofyou,takeupMyyokeandlearnfrom Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart,andyouwillfindrestforyourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

In the words of an old song:

To get a touch from the Lord is so real. To get a touch from the Lord is so real. If you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you, To get a touch from the Lord is so real.

Everyone has a ‘Curtain of Hurt’ they could hide behind but remember Jesus Christ is on the other side, waiting for you to step through and reach out to Him.

Article by Howard Goold