Kraspedon

Remember the story of the woman with the issue of blood; when a woman who’d been constantly bleeding for years touched the hem of Jesus’ garment and got healed?

That account of healing took on extra significance for me the day I got to know what was translated as the “hem” of Jesus’ garment.

In Numbers 15:38-40 and Deuteronomy 22:12, God, through Moses, commands the people of Israel to attach knotted fringes or tassels to the four corners of their garments. These special borders were meant to remind them of who God was and the commandments He had given.

Thus, tassels (or Kraspedon) became an integral part of Jewish religion. Anyone who was serious about their religion sported them.

In essence, every religious person in Jesus’ day wore one.

One thing we learn about Jesus is that He paid attention to religious ordinances. Going to the synagogue; dressing according to Judaic customs; reporting to the priests after being healed of contagious skin diseases: these are some the ways He followed religious demands.

In Matthew 23:5, we see Jesus calling out the religious leaders of His day for making their tassels extra-long to ascribe more piety to themselves.

There was something, however, that differentiated his religious practice from every other person that wore a tassel back in the day—it was that someone touched it and got healed.

What made Jesus’ “Kraspedon” different? Why did the border of His own garment have healing properties and others didn’t?

“For (although) they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it (their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession)…”

2 Timothy 3:5 (AMPC Paraphrased)

A lot has been said about the place of religion in the Christian faith. How important are the weekly routines? How much should one get involved in the practice of Christianity in addition to having the Christian faith?

Religious routines are important. They help to give structure and continuance to faith.

In living the normal Christian life, the basic religious practices are unavoidable. So the real question shouldn’t be how much “‘religion’ can we strip away from the faith?”, or such similar questions.

Instead, it should be “what kind of religion am I going to practice?” Is it going to be life-giving religion or religion just for the sake of it? Virtue signaling or virtue giving?

The Holy Spirit in the believer is a source of mighty power. True religion, if practiced, can be a superconductor for this power. Our going to church, daily devotion, giving, manner of speaking, and other canon religious practices can be the hem someone needs to touch to get their deliverance.

Our religious practices can be more than just a symbol. If only God will remain at the centre of our motives, and His love our constant source of drive.