The City that Touches the Sky: The Fringe of His Garment

As Jesus went the people pressed around him. And there was a woman who had a discharge of blood for 12 years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment... and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. ~ Luke 8:42-44

Yungas Forest, Coroico

When I was 10 years old, I remember a Sunday School teacher sharing with me that Luke was her favorite book of the Bible. At the time, that seemed like a strange statement. You're a Sunday School teacher, I thought. Shouldn't the entire Bible be your favorite book? Now that I've spent several years delving into the Word, I completely understand what she meant. For each one of us who have spent time in Scripture, there are certain passages that just stand out to us. For me, the book of Philippians is my favorite of Paul's epistles, and yes, Luke is my favorite gospel.

Why Luke? Well for one thing, I think I most closely resonate with his style of writing. Luke was a physician and historian, so his account was established on research. In fact, Luke interviewed many eyewitnesses to Jesus' life. The book was painstakingly organized and includes specific details about the locations and dates of events throughout Jesus' ministry. I also love the book of Luke because he showcases Christ's compassion to the outcasts, specifically to women (7:11-15; 7:36-50; 8:1-3; 8:40-56;10:38-42; 13:10-17; 21:1-4; 23:48-49; 23:55-56; 24:10-12; 24:22-24).

The passage above is one of my favorite moments of Jesus' ministry, and probably one of the most profound for Luke. Here, we see a woman enslaved to a crippling illness, one that has plagued her for 12 years! Let's put that time frame into perspective. Twelve years ago I was 11. It gives me physical pain to think of what my body and spirit would be like right now had I suffered the same disease. I imagine feeling like a shell, scraped completely empty, cracked wide open. Not only has her body been emptied, but so have her resources. Luke does not avoid the fact that this woman spent all her living on physicians. (As a doctor, this must have been humbling and perhaps a bit hard to reconcile.) Her efforts to be healed drained her to the point of poverty, physically, emotionally, and financially.

The desperation it took for this woman to stumble, shove, and crawl her way through a crowd to get to Jesus brings me to tears. She literally had nothing left to lose. And when she drew near enough to the Savior, she did not touch His hand or even His feet. Instead she reached out for the fringe of his garment, more specifically the tassels of his tallit. This four-cornered tunic was worn by Jewish men of authority, and the tassels served as a reminder of God's commandments. She literally held onto the Messiah by a few threads, believing that was enough to heal her. And it was.

Mystical prayer shawls don't exist, but a Savior with the power to heal does. I am sure that as Jesus made his way through the crowd that day, many people touched him. But none were like the woman who reached out to Him in complete faith. I believe that when Jesus' power collides with our desperation, miracles happen.

The question I have to ask myself is this: Am I desperate enough for Jesus? Can I identify with this woman? Isaiah 26:9 says, "My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you." I may not suffer a debilitating physical illness, but the sin that weighs in my heart does need His healing. As someone who has tried other 'physicians' to find comfort, renewal, satisfaction, and peace, I can relate to the sense of worthlessness and poverty. God honors our thirst for His presence. And the most beautiful part is that He wants to give us more than the fringe of His garment. Like the prodigal son, He welcomes us with the very best robe.

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Earlier in November, several of the HIS teachers took a weekend vacation to the town of Coroico, Bolivia. This is a frequent tourist destination, nestled in a section of rain forest called the Yungas which runs along the Andes mountains. It is breathtakingly beautiful, and a much needed change from the mountain air and city streets of La Paz. This was the first time I've left the city since July!

Looking down on Coroico

Our balcony view from the hotel

This week there were quite a few special events happening. On Wednesday our third grade class went on a field trip to the Breick Chocolate Factory. We had a blast! The kids wore hair nets and masks as we shuffled right beside the machines and workers. (This was one field trip you'll never see happen in the States.) In every room, we got free samples of chocolate. Our favorite was the cup of warm melted chocolate! Mmmm, mmm, good.

Can anyone say, hungry eyes?

Also, this week we finished our school-wide Christmas Child shoebox project! Since we live in a third-world country, our shoeboxes are sent locally to the Congregacion Alpacoma church in El Alto. The shoeboxes are given to children of that community who participate in an after-school program. Not only do they hear God's word preached, but they also receive additional school tutoring. With a lot of help from our high school students, the elementary kids filled, wrapped, and decorated the shoeboxes. Each box included a toy, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, school supplies, socks, and gloves! It's a joy to watch our blessed students be a blessing to others.

And the organized chaos ensues...

So proud of their shoeboxes!

Last, but not least, you might be wondering if our school uniform includes cowboy hats from the pictures above. Friday was also our Farmer Day celebration with our kindergarten Book Buddies! This is one way we recognize the harvest and make a gesture to Thanksgiving (since that entire holiday is kind of a mystery to our little Bolivian students). The kids dressed up like farmers and we competed in some 'farmer-themed' relay races with our buddies.