«Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord’ » (Luke 2:10, 11).
ONE OF THE THINGS I like most about the gospel of Jesus Christ is that He brought good news to all kinds of people, without exception. If we carefully read today’s verse, that was exactly what the angel announced to the shepherds: «Good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.» Rich and poor, slave and free, Jew and Greek, male and female: nobody would be excluded from the blessings the Messiah would bring.
It is hard for us who live in the twenty-first century to grasp the full meaning of that for those who were at the lowest levels of the Palestinian social ladder in Christ’s days; For instance, slaves, women and the poor. James Coffin mentions an example of that fact when he writes that a devout Jew in those days usually began his day by thanking God for not having been born a slave, a gentile, or a woman.
What did the poor suffer from the most? According to Albert Nolan, it was shame. «The economically poor were totally dependent upon the ‘charity’ of others. For the Oriental, even more so than for the Westerner, this is terribly humiliating. »
According to that information, what place in the social ladder would a poor woman hold for instance? A very low place. And how about a woman who, in addition to being poor, was suffering from an illness that made her unclean? Can you imagine the shame?
A poor, unclean woman. Who are we talking about? It is the woman who touched Jesus’s garment. The woman «had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse» (Mark 5:25, 26). But then she heard about Jesus, crept up behind him, touched his garment and was healed of her affliction (v. 27—29).
But, the miracle did not end there. When the Lord asked who had touched Him, and the woman «fearing and trembling. . . told Him the whole truth,» he answered saying, «Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction» (v. 33, 34).
Not only did He heal her, He also called her «daughter!» In other words, farewell illness, farewell shame! You no longer have to hide!
Now tell me: Isn’t that good news? In fact, isn’t that the best news?
Thank You, heavenly Father, because the matchless gift of Your Son and His incarnation brought «good tidings of great joy» to all of us, without exception.
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Taken from: Devotional Readings for Adults 2022
“GREAT IS OUR GOD!”
From: FERNANDO ZABALA
Collaborators: Xiomara Perdomo & Angelica Cuate
