Mark 5 tells the story of a woman who has been dealing with “an issue of blood†for an unknown amount of time. She has been segregated from the rest of society and deemed unclean. She is separated from her family, she cannot make any money, and she cannot worship her God in the Synagogue. She is at the end of her rope when she hears about Jesus. She leaves her home to find him. She thinks to herself, “If I can just touch the hem of His robe, I’ll be healed.†She fights her way through the crowd, reaches out, and touches His robe. Jesus stops in the midst of the large crowd and searched for her. He felt the healing happen.

This story is one of the most prominent stories that illustrate the concept of “Wholeistic Awesomeness.†Jesus wants to make us whole. The Greek root word for Whole is the same used to derive “Holistic,†the idea of all parts coming together. When we get saved, there is an instantaneous salvation—our spirits come alive and we are welcomed back into the family of God. There is also a process of salvation—the saving and regenerating of our soul and our body as well as the continual growth of our spiritual lives. That is the core of this new series “Wholeistic Awesomeness.†Jesus wants to make us WHOLE as well as holy.

This woman did not sit in her home focusing on her spiritual. Her miracle came when she engaged all aspects of herself. First, she physically moved; she left her home—her place of banishment—to go find Jesus. He was not coming to her home. He was on a mission. He was moving. She moved to meet Him. As she is moving, she engages her mind. She remembers the scriptures she learned in her life that taught her about the hem of a priest’s garment. The hem of the robe of the priest who entered the Holy of Holies was used to heal. She took what she had heard about Jesus and what she learned as a child and came to the logical conclusion that He was something more. She spoke the promises of God over her life—“If I can just touch His robeâ€â€”and she took action. In the combination of physical and soul, she received her miracle.

Jesus sought her out. When He found her, He restored her to her WHOLE life. He called her “daughter†and welcomed her back into the family of Israel. She was healed; she was no longer unclean. She could return to her family, she could begin to work to make money, and she could go back to the Synagogue. Jesus saved her body, soul, and spirit. He made her whole. He wants to do the same for you and me. He wants to penetrate every area of your life—career, relationships, physical, mental, emotional, etc…—and bring the whole salvation.