“Then Jesus asked, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.’” Luke 13:18-19 (NIV)
“If you could step into a time machine and be present at any biblical event, what would it be?” My friend cocked her head at me, awaiting my answer.
Reflexively, I responded, “Easy — the woman healed in the crowd by a touch from Jesus.”
We find this story in Luke 8:43-48. The reason it resonates with me is not just that chronic pain has made me feel like this woman, who thought she would never get well. It's also that Jesus healed her in a crowd, swallowed by a sea of humanity. Even the disciples marveled when Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” (Luke 8:45, NIV).
Imagine His 12 disciples complaining, “Lord, do You see the size of this crowd? How do we know who touched You? They’re all touching You.”
Surely they felt overwhelmed by the moving mob, unable to manage the crowds that followed Christ. But that didn’t stop Jesus from healing one. And that one was a woman “who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years” (Luke 8:43, NIV), a person ranked as unclean and undeserving in her culture's social and spiritual hierarchy. She was one who, by others’ standards, didn’t count.
When it comes to “counting” the sheer number of people suffering every day around the globe, I want to hide under the covers. I’m ashamed to admit that, but it’s true. I feel wholly inadequate to make a difference.
Maybe that’s how the disciples felt that day. Too many people needed help. But as usual, Jesus teaches us to view life differently: Something as small as the healing of one can become something big. Exponential growth. Multiplicity.
Jesus also asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches” (Luke 13:18-19).
Interestingly, these verses immediately follow the healing of another seemingly insignificant one: a bent-over, frail woman whom Jesus called “daughter of Abraham,” a title of distinction (Luke 13:16, NIV). Jesus both lifted her status and straightened her spine on that Sabbath.
Of course, the synagogue leaders ridiculed Him for healing on that day instead of heralding Him for the woman’s restoration. To the self-righteous rabbis, one woman could not be valued above convention. To them, she was hardly worth more than a mustard seed.
Yet in contrast, Jesus sought out the smallest and the forgotten, and He vividly displayed a heavenly lesson: Seek out the marginalized and do what you can.
I can help one and trust that God will multiply. That gives me hope.
Hope fuels change. And hope is what we have in abundance as followers of Jesus.
Lord, help me to see the lost and forgotten with Your eyes. When I feel helpless to help, remind me that planting the tiniest seed of hope can yield heavenly results. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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Luke 13:12-13, “When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‘Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.’ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God” (NIV).
Jesus was radical in His public affirmations of women. Read these other stories of Jesus’ countercultural care: John 4:1-42 (the Samaritan woman at the well), John 8:1-11 (the woman caught in adultery), John 19:26-27 (Mary at the cross). In what ways did Jesus cross conventions in these narratives?
What is one step you can take today to seek out and help someone marginalized or forgotten? Share with us in the comments!
© 2025 by Carole Holiday. All rights reserved.
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