The Unexpected Daughter
This was the sermon Beth preached at JPUSA today (9/30/12), based off the reading of Luke 8:40-56; the healing of the bleeding woman. Even in the crowd, she was alone. She was considered "unclean" and "unworthy", probably through no fault of her own. She had lived for over a decade without the sympathy and understanding of people, without any regular everyday fellowship and kindness. She had been broken by harsh judgements and the knowledge that others viewed her as "undeserving"; this had seeped into her own soul and she began to believe it, and she lived accordingly. She stumbled along after Jesus, at a safe distance. Jesus was being hurried to the deathbed of a child. Not just any child; the child of an important and religious man. Everyone felt that this was a worthy mission. Word traveled quickly; this was no ordinary miracle, this was special! This was a young person with a good name, truly a justified miracle. In everyone's eyes, she was deser