Dear Rehoboth,

                A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a conference entitled “So that All May be Healed.” It was three days of lectures and sermons and anointing all on the topic of what does biblical healing look like and what does healing look like in the church. So for this week, I am going to draw on a little bit of what I learned at the conference, and specifically do this by asking the question “what does healing look like in this story?” I think the easy answer is that the woman was able to stand up straight again. That was the physical ailment that she was dealing with for eighteen years. For eighteen years she could stand up, and so we look at this story and say the healing looks like straightening her back. Which is true. That’s the physical healing that took place, but, I think we can learn more about healing than just that she could stand up. We can learn more, then Jesus only takes away the pains we feel, or treats our sicknesses. So I have begun to search this passage for what else we can learn about what healing looks like.

                One of the things that was stressed at the conference is that to be a healthy person is much more holistic than just not having any ailments in our bodies. We know this by looking at people. They can look fit and healthy, and yet they are miserable. People can look healthy and yet be addicted to drugs or alcohol. People can look healthy, and yet they cannot see themselves as that way. People can appear healthy and yet they are struggling with depression, or family issues or overworked, or too stressed, or have no friends or family. This conference encouraged us to see healing as not just fixing what was wrong with the physical body but to see that healing needs to affect the whole person. The healings of Jesus are not just healings of the body, but they heal the spirit, the mind, relationships, and self-worth. I think when we read this story of the woman, we can see that this healing healed more than just her body. I’m not sure what yet. I have to spend some more time in the text, but I want us this week to ponder together. What does healing look like in this story? But maybe, more importantly, what kind of healing do you need to be done in your life. What is ailing you? Is it a relationship? Is it a thing at work? Is it a sickness? Do you need healing of your heart? Do you need healing of your mind? Do you need a healing in your spiritual practices? I’m not sure what you need healing for, but I know we all need some sort of healing. If we think the stories of Jesus healing stories are not for us, then we are missing out on the holistic nature of the healing stories. Jesus doesn’t just heal wounds; then, he would only be an excellent doctor. This week I want to ponder what healing means in this story and what healing we need in our lives, and maybe we start praying for that healing. I would love to hear from you this week on what healing means to you.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Lee