THE TOUCH
Once there was a woman who encountered Jesus and her whole
life was changed. That’s a familiar
scenario to most believers; however, in this instance there are some lessons
for us that maybe we haven’t considered.
The background is the story of the woman who had had a
bleeding disorder for 12 years, according to the Scriptures. You can read the account in Matthew 9:18-26;
Mark 5:21-43; and Luke 8:40-56.
The woman was desperate to be healed. She had been to doctor after doctor but none
had any answers for her. She had given
all of her money to these doctors for a cure which remained beyond her
reach. Her quality of life was
diminished because of this condition, for in the Jewish culture it made her
unclean and untouchable. She was alone,
feeling helpless and hopeless, like being at the bottom of a well with no way
out. (Perhaps you have felt this way
about a hard circumstance in your life over which you have had no
control?)
Then, along came Jesus.
He was going about His Father’s business, on the way to heal a dying 12
year old girl, the daughter of a local synagogue leader named Jairus. (Isn’t it interesting that the woman had
suffered exactly the same amount of years that the dying little girl had been
alive? I don’t know the significance of
that fact, but it’s interesting.) As He
was on His way to Jairus’ house, He was surrounded by a great press of curious
people, people who had heard of Him and were interested to see what He was
like, what He could do, if he could really do the things they had heard of-sort
of like people today watching a magician on TV, with a “how does he DO that?”
mentality. But, just watch! Jesus and the woman, who was fighting
desperately through the great throng of people, were about to meet-and oh, what
a difference it would make! I can see
her pushing and elbowing her way, catching a glimpse of Him, changing course
through the crowd in order to catch up to Him.
And I can see the men all around her trying to avoid touching her, as
they normally would with any woman, to avoid the possibility of being declared
“unclean!”
Then, as she finally reaches Him, exhausted from the
effort, she falls to the dusty ground in the crush of that noisy crowd and
stretches out her arm as far as she can, just barely brushing the hem of His
robe with her fingertips. It was a truly
awesome moment in history. A moment on
which eternity hung in the balance for this woman.
The Scriptures say she was immediately healed. And she knew it, for in the Mark passage it
states “she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible
condition.” (NLT) The Scriptures also
state that Jesus knew it immediately “for I felt healing power go out from me.”
(Luke passage, NLT) So, here we have, in
this great crowd of people, the Son of God and a desperate, needy woman coming
face to face.
What was the difference between this woman and the rest of
that pushy, noisy crowd trying to get close to Jesus? Jesus Himself tells us. In the Luke passage we read in verse 46, “. .
. someone deliberately touched me . . .”
The crowd around Him had no wish for cleansing, for
healing. They were touching Him
accidentally, with no thought for their heart needs. All they wanted was a show. In contrast to that crowd, the woman
“deliberately” touched Him, and she touched Him with trust in her heart. She had a need, knew she had a need, and she knew
Who could meet that need. That touch
says it all.
So, what are the lessons for us?
Will we admit we have a need that the world can’t fix? On whom are we depending to meet our needs? Are we desperately reaching out to Jesus for
cleansing, for healing, for help in our tough circumstances? Are we persistently pushing through this
crowded, sinful world to reach Jesus? If
we are like this woman, we won’t let anyone get in our way! If we are like this woman, we won’t care who
tries to dissuade us, who might jeer at us, and we won’t give up until we reach
out to Him and receive the healing that He promises. And, when the healing comes we will immediately
recognize it and give Him glory for it.
What is your need today?
Touch Him. Don’t give up until
you do.
Deb Gorman
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