How to be Free From Shame

Jesus IS the answer!

“And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years ……… For she said, “If I touch even His (Jesus’) garments, I will be made well.””  Mark 5:25 & 28 (ESV) (Parentheses mine)

These may seem like strange verses but bear with me. I am going somewhere with this.

Have you ever suffered from shame in your life? Do you carry it around in a hidden place within your soul, desperately hoping that no-one will ever discover your secret? Do you ever wonder what would happen if anyone ever discovered it? I most certainly have. For years I felt like a dirty dishrag that no-one would ever possibly be able to love, and I tried to hide it with every ounce of my being. The problem was, it leached out into every area of my life. It never stays hidden like we think it does.

Maybe it was something you did. Maybe it was something that happened to you without your consent.

Imagine, with me, how the woman in today’s verse might have felt. The account is told of her having a discharge of blood for 12 years. 12 years! That is such a long time. In verse 26 it says that she, “had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was NO BETTER but rather grew worse.” At first glance, we think of not only the physical pain but the frustration of going to many physicians, spending all of her money and seeing no result. Have you been there, done that, got the t-shirt?

A Backwards Look

As we look deeper into it, we see that this was a HUGE deal in the day and I now understand more about why this woman, with such an awful complaint, was recorded in Scripture. In Ezekiel 36:17 it talks of how the house of Israel defiled their own land by “their ways and their deeds”. Then it says, “Their ways before Me were like the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual impurity.” The defilement of Israel is likened to the uncleanness of a woman in her menstrual cycle. Ouch.

In Leviticus 15, it explains how whomever a woman touched, whatever a woman laid down on or sat upon became unclean. All these things, including themselves, became unclean for the duration of their cycle.

Now, go back to the woman in Mark 5. She has been labelled ‘unclean’. As she didn’t have all the mod cons of sanitary products, (sorry, TMI) it would have been obvious, at times, what was happening to her. There would have been blood marks on her clothes. People would have known who she was and what ailment she suffered with. When the lepers came into a village they had to ring a bell and yell, “Unclean! Unclean!” to warn others that they were coming and to stay away. I wonder if it was the same for women. The shame and the humiliation that she would have felt would have been unbearable. She was unacceptable in society.  Most of us carry our shame in a hidden place. Her ‘uncleanness’, the shame she must have felt, was out there for the world to see.

This heartbroken woman was so desperate, that she just didn’t care who she was going to touch, what other people thought, what anyone else would do to her. All she knew was if she just touched Jesus’ garment, she would be made well. She wasn’t asking Jesus to lay hands on her and pray. She wasn’t even asking Him to acknowledge her very existence. She was happy to stay invisible. She just wanted to be healed and she KNEW that Jesus had the power to do it. What an amazing story. What incredible faith!

…. And then Jesus.

And that’s exactly what happened. Not only did the flow of blood stop, she was healed of the very issue that caused the disease in the first place! In essence, Jesus had restored her soul and her body. He made her whole again. He had taken away the shame, the ‘unclean’ label, the embarrassment, and the exceeding humiliation that would have plagued her for all of those long years. She was now able to enter society again. Wow! She was a new person. She could now get on with her life and tell her story of her encounter with Jesus. This story still continues to be told today.

The part that I love the most is Jesus’ response. In verse 31, Jesus asks, “Who touched me?” The disciples thought He was nuts asking the question. There were people absolutely everywhere. Jesus knew, however, that someone with great faith had come and touched Him and because of this faith, healing power (dunamis) had gone out from Him and the person was healed. The woman was so scared that she came “in fear and trembling and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.” Here is my favourite part. Jesus said to this beautiful woman, with all His kindness and love, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

• Jesus called her ‘daughter’. How wonderful to be called daughter by the Saviour. You are His daughter too.
• Her faith accessed Jesus’ goodness and healing power and Jesus healed her. We can do the same thing.
• She could now go in peace, no longer in turmoil. She was set free. You too can have this.
• She has been made whole, restored and completely healed of her disease. Bring it on!

Jesus wants to do the same for you. The same healing power is available to you today.

Are you willing to press in past the crowd of people standing in your way? Are you willing to let go of others thoughts about you? Are you prepared to let go, bring the shame you are carrying and let Jesus heal you?

Jesus longs to heal you. Always. No doubt about it. Say this prayer if you need healing from shame today.

Prayer:

I acknowledge, Jesus, that You are my Healer and Lord. I humbly come before You and I give you the shame for (tell Him what the shame is about). I have been carrying it around for a long time and it’s time to let it go. I repent of holding onto it. Please forgive me. Take my shame and replace it with Your healing and Your dunamis power. Make me whole. I declare that by faith, I AM HEALED, in Jesus’ Name.

Keep claiming your healing. Declare by faith, “By Your wounds, I am healed.”

If you would like to share your healing or want further prayer, share in the comments below or contact me here. I would love to hear from you.

As always, many blessings to you.